Ron McKenzie’s latest literary contribution to mankind’s knowledge-base is now out. It’s a solid work containing a good summary of the man’s core teaching and presenting the way things should be, a biblical ‘How To’ of government and living. I summarise the book’s many strands and give it a thumbs-up. It’s a great recap of much of his blogging and writing, with a strong message of hope – a bit for today but primarily for the future.

If one is seeking the rapture or believes that that end of the world is nigh, don’t expect to get much emotional support from me, or this author. According to our take, there’s a long way to go yet and thinking that we’re heading into disaster with an end nigh, is depressing nonsense. The Lord will have nothing of the sort and He has all authority firmly in place for good things ahead . . . eventually.

The Author – Ron McKenzie

Based in Christchurch, NZ, just recently retired as an economist, Ron McKenzie has a huge web resource of thoughts captured from analysis of scriptures over many decades. He also produces a blog (often daily) where among key teaching points from his many written words, he’ll also pass commentary on things of his Christian interest.

Ron’s take on the big picture – how the principles contained in Scripture fit into the real world – is without doubt, the best I’ve found in my 50+ years of truth-seeking. Nobody has it all together, and I take issue with his geo-political analysis and his examples have always grated on me, being experienced in multi-cultural and non-standard living circumstances but in terms of core biblical interpretation Ron has my vote long before all the big names even get a look-in.

The things that I like about Ron’s quiet contribution to biblical understanding is that:

1. He thinks – for himself;
2. He does the hard yards and has been-there-done-that;
3. He’s humble enough to speak of his weaknesses or errors yet confident enough to speak fearlessly when he does work it all out;
4. He’s prepared to pay the price – to put his money where his mouth is and to try to live what he preaches;

Except for the significance that Christians put on the word I use here, I would call his conclusions “revolutionary”, especially in the way that he draws people back to the heart of the matter – the Creator – rather than to a specific denomination or church brand or belief system. His revolutionary act is to bring the basics through the current Christian errors and craziness into simple focus. If I can put words into his mouth, to Ron (and to me) it’s not about church or a theology or a belief system; nor is it about saving the world or getting to heaven . . . it is about a good relationship with the Father through Christ, listening to Him and then DOING what He says. We have faith that when we actually DO this, that the Holy Spirit will be empowered to do what He wants done.

We have a lot in common. Like me, he’s a non-denominational Christian, having been involved in the House-church/small-church scene for a long while. He’s also a prolific writer/blogger and he sees patterns quite easily, both in life and in the Scriptures. I really do appreciate the wisdom that he shares and I think many seeking to make a difference in the world should, and some like me probably do, hang off his teaching. The best description I think of when I think of Ron’s work is “solid”. Like all truth, “it just is”.

Dealing with the truth in a sea of deception is, as the big-shot said, a revolutionary act, which by its very nature is confrontational, but Ron doesn’t and won’t go there himself. I’ve discussed this with him more than once and his clear mission is to set a positive vision, leaving conflict to others. In some ways I am one of those others, fearless to speak it as it is and in a confrontational manner if needs be. I seem to have no problem naming or shaming or speaking out when errors or injustice occur.

There is a lot wrong in traditional Christendom. Mainstream Christianity has to a large extent lost the plot and I’m not just talking about theological stuff here either! This can be evidenced by the plethora of alternative church, small-church, home-church options that have developed in the last couple of decades and except for pockets of growth, the huge losses of confidence and faith in church systems. This new diversity will increase I am sure, and there is good reason for it – a multitude of new wineskins being established for good reason.

I thank God that He called me out when He did which has removed the constant frustration that I had for decades within the church systems. This has given me the freedom to speak it like it is without fear. You can’t call the Prime Minister of Samoa a coward and a crook very easily when your words must be “accountable” to a senior religious leader and the social pressure that go with forced submission to a particular social group-think. Ron though is not into confrontation – deliberately.

He quietly goes about his business writing to describe the Kingdom of God – the way of living as taught by the Master, which is based on the Lord’s revelations in the Torah . . .and that brings us into the strength and heart of his recent work – it’s actually the biblical way written way back long before Jesus showed it to us.

Core Teaching

Ron’s core teaching is about the Kingdom of God as detailed in the Bible, explaining to others how the Creator set the basis for right living in the Torah; how the life of Christ was an example of these principles applied; and how when we submit to Jesus, we now have the help of the Holy Spirit and the authority to bring this Kingdom of God into being.

In doing this Ron has to explain the significance and importance of the original books of the Bible (some things were instructions in a general sense, and others were intended for a certain people, time and place). He must explain the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice and the role of the Holy Spirit in post ascension days. He also needs to put this into biblical chronology identifying where we currently fit in the whole scheme of things. He does this well in Government of God.

Accepting then the primary commonly accepted Christian message, Ron’s explanation includes the following key points, some diversions:

• Understanding authority is key; it was gifted to mankind at the outset of Creation and shifts in authority happened from God the Creator to Mankind (Adam & Eve), to the Enemy (Satan), then to the Redeemer (Jesus Christ) and those in Him;
• The Torah contains instructions for right living for Christians (marked out by certain key phrases) but not all of it is appropriate for today and associated with this that the Ten Commandments are not just compulsory legislation;
• Justice systems are best implemented at local level from Scriptural guidance;
• Centralisation of power runs contrary to God’s ways;
• Political power, especially Democracy (rule by the people) is opposed to God’s ways which are based on voluntary submission, not coercion;
• Societal change for which the introduction of the Kingdom of God comes, occurs from the bottom up;
• Institutional, financial/military/political power must be and will be removed but can only be destroyed by God* for any coercion is not His way;
• Increased and natural peace and godliness will follow the coming Time of Distress, the Fullness (Conversion) of the Jews, and the spectacular destruction of the current power systems;

Summary – Table of Contents

Part 1: Plant and Build

1. New Government
2. Different King
3. Perfect Government
4. Transforming Society
5. Kingdom Communities
6. Perfect Law
7. Laws for Society
8. Local Judges
9. Excellent Judges
10. Restoration
11. Voluntary Justice
12. Relief from Hardship
13. Protecting the Community
14. Defence and War
15. Voluntary Finance

Part 2: Uproot, Pull Down, Destroy and Overthrow

16. Uproot And Pull Down
17. Destroyed and Overthrown
18. Distress and Victory

It’s an important book following his previously released one Kingdom Authority. KA has the grounds for the hope which he can claim in this book. The Master proclaimed that the Kingdom of God had arrived two thousand years ago. He said that ALL authority had been invested in Him and that He was sending the Holy Spirit. This Government/Kingdom of God is in our hands. It is about to break loose, not immediately but in the fullness of time. I’ll leave that one to the Author to give us his thoughts on what this looks like and will mean.

Ron is an optimist and quotes the Scriptural hope from the Book of Revelation with his comments of vision:

Glorious Kingdom
The followers of Jesus will proclaim the gospel in the power of the Spirit and the people of the world will receive their message with gladness. As Kingdom Communities spread from neighbourhood to neighbourhood, region to region and nation to nation, the Kingdom of God will grow to fullness. All opposition to the gospel will be gone.

The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever (Rev 11: 15).

The kingdoms of the world will disappear and be replaced by the Government of God. It will be a glorious kingdom.

• The church will refined by suffering and become the beautiful and holy bride that John described (Rev 19: 8).
• The spiritual forces of evil will remain on earth, skulking around powerless, seeking authority but not finding it.
• The Holy Spirit will be free to move without their opposition.
• The majority of people on the earth will receive the gospel and come to faith in Jesus (Psalm 22: 27).
• The influence of sin will be massively reduced by the power of the Holy Spirit.
• When people see the glory of the Kingdom, God will be worshipped throughout the whole of the world.
• Human governments will be replaced by the local judges applying the law of God (Micah 4: 1-5).
• Trust in Imposed Authority will be gone, so freedom will reign throughout the earth.
• Nationalism will be replaced by unity in Jesus.
• Wars will cease and be replaced by peace (Micah 4: 3).
• Poverty will disappear as the earth yields a tremendous harvest (Micah 4: 4).
• Selfishness and materialism will be replaced by simplicity and sharing. The poor will have more and the wealthy west will be content with less (Is 65: 21-23).
• Sickness will retreat as the gospel advances. People will live out their full life span until their purpose on earth has been fulfilled.
• Creation will come into a glorious freedom of God. The earth will be restored when the powers of evil are prevented from devastating the physical world (Rom 8: 19-21).

No Need to Wait
We do not know when the Time of Distress will come, and how long it will take, so we should be prepared at all times. The entire process might take as long as a couple of centuries. It certainly won’t be done in seven years. Progress will not be smooth. There will be many setbacks on the way, but God will use the suffering of each defeat to birth another victory.

The transition will be quicker in some regions than others. As human government retreat towards the centres of power, people living on the margins of society or the edge of the city will be able to do something special. God’s people should be prepared to take advantage of opportunities where and when they arise.

We do not need to wait for the collapse of big government to start building Kingdom Communities. A neighbourhood church can begin building alternative governing structures at any time. Rather than worrying about the coming distress, we should focus on serving Jesus and being prepared for the victory of his kingdom. Strong neighbourhood churches can be equipped for victory and prepared for distress.

Government of God gives us hope; connects the dots; gives the context; explains the how and why of doing it His way.

There’s only one thing I can say after that . . .

Amen.

* Technically I disagree with Ron here when it comes to his choice of words, and I think he will agree on reflection – God doesn’t destroy. He creates and judges and the Holy Spirit sustains life but it is the Enemy who destroys. I think it more correct to call the coming destruction of the financial/political systems of the day an “implosion” as the inevitable consequences of evil outworking to its natural conclusion. At the appointed time, the Holy Spirit removes His restraining influence and destruction is inevitable. To understand this with an example, grossly simplified, God prohibits the charging of interest. Compound interest is mathematically unsustainable. The global financial system is based on interest-bearing currencies. The world is increasing its enslavement to the global bankers and evil daily. This is exponential. God knew and prohibited. All He needs do now is ensure that the laws of mathematics remain constant and eventually . . . BOOM!

Same thing with sickness & health, business greed, social injustice issues and the rest.

It’s rare that I can rave about something. Judy Wood’s book “Where Did The Towers Go?” though ticks all the boxes for me. It’s a masterpiece in showing us how following the evidence brings simplicity in a sea of obfuscation, guesswork, disinformation and outright lies. Many ask the question “WHOdunnit?” before they work out what WHAT really happened. This book totally ignores the former question and ONLY addresses the latter. It is rare that people start with the basics. “The TV told us it was aeroplanes,” is the usual starting point. Throw in a few dancing Israelis, Bin Laden & terrorism as well as a couple of dodgy “official reports” and you’ve got conspiracy. Some dig deeper and get confused with planes/no-planes; controlled demolition; mini-nukes and more. Establishing the truth though requires mental energy and a flexible mind – I have both. I give this book a 10/10 with only a few very minor quibbles. I summarise the message contained in the book, but first start with my own 9-11 experiences by way of background.

I love the way that 9-11 has opened the eyes of the population to the possibility of rogue elements in the system. It didn’t happen over night but it really has happened as the vast majority of the world have gradually come to see that “all is not as it seems” in the world. Yay!

My 9-11 Story

I was heading off to bad one night when a mate of mine who was staying with me at the time, called out, “Dennis, come and have a look at this! There is a terrorism attack in the US. They’re flying planes into buildings!”

I replied, “Whatever! I’ll see you in the morning. You can tell me all about it then.”

He stayed up all night watching the goggle-box and I slept, like a log. My, “Whatever!” was probably derived more from physical exhaustion from a long energetic day than tangible wisdom, but in retrospect it does seem that I got it right to ignore the media mantras – terrorists, box-cutters, hijackings and impossible super-duper flying stunts by aeronautical amateurs.

I pretty much left the 9-11 matters for a few years but really started digging on my own after I read the first official report. BS, clear as daylight. What they said certainly didn’t make any sense, but what they left out was extremely telling . . . WHITEWASH.

Like many within the 9-11 Truth movement, I followed the primary sources of conspiracy theorists; the pilots, the engineers and alternative sources and commentary. Some were clearly whackos. Some brought incredible detail, knowledge and research into the picture but there were always questions that could not be answered. There was (from 2005 anyway) that “crazy” Judy Wood scientist who claimed something weird about the towers, “poofing” up from star wars kind of energy, and a hurricane or something, but she was too “nutty” they said to seriously consider, so I didn’t at first. Then later, stumbling onto a few individual researchers who ranted and raved about her theories, I did start digging. I delved into her website a bit deeper, then bought the book. It cost me 40% of a weeks income but it has been worth every penny.

The Guts of It

There are some important prerequisites of digesting Judy’s book – we must have a flexible mind and be willing to engage brain. If we cannot accept that the authorities would lie; if we are unwilling to accept that the only technology and science that exists is what we know from schoolbooks or the TV; if we must retain 30,40,50, 100 year old scientific dogmas that preclude weather modification and large energy manipulation then we’re simply not going to be able to handle the book.

Judy Wood calls it as “directed energy” on the destruction of three large buildings at 9-11 and partial destruction of half a dozen more. She spends a large amount of analysis on the unprecedented crumbling of the massive steel and concrete into dust in mid-air and the myriad of microwave/radioactive-type signs of burning without heat, essentially a molecular breakdown of the structures. Much of it went UP and kept on breaking down into smaller and smaller nano-particles over the months that followed, all signs indicative of ‘alternative’ energy technology.

The Strength of It

Parking her conclusions for just a moment, the strength of her work is the way that she starts from the outset and builds evidence piece by piece into a coherent whole. Her repeating mantra is that of Sherlock Holmes, “Follow the evidence, Dr Watson.”

Judy herself appreciates that:

“Empirical evidence is the truth that theory must mimic”

and her favourite concept as she wrote, studied and did her research was:

“Listen to the evidence”

Ahhhh! Here we have a genuine scientist!

When you start with a higher level, such as hijackings, or box cutters, or Bin Laden, you can go off on tangents and dead ends. Stripping things right back to the evidence – what can we see, actually – gives us the power to know truth. Judy has perused thousands of photographs and highlighted many in the book showing us what she has found. In the book, we can see exactly what she can see and readers will be nodding, like I did, “Yes! I can see that too!”

The strength of “Where Did The Towers Go?” is not that the author has found the answer, it is that she has analysed the evidence, and nothing more. Her conclusions are natural; make sense and to me, are truth indeed.

There is another aspect though to identifying truth, and that is the naysayers, the detractors and [in the case of NWO Psy-ops particularly] the disinformation crowd. You can get a huge gauge on reality from observing and watching those who are threatened by truth. Generally speaking the extent of the noise around an issue is in indirect proportion to the truth. Judt Wood is attacked personally, not her thesis, which is illogical. I find that researching and watching her detractors enlightening. Those with agendas write off people (like this author) as nut-cases, and prove their intellectual dishonesty.

Reading The Book

I generally read books backwards. I find this more helpful as a big-picture person than following the train of thought of another person who builds a story and then comes in at the end with a conclusion. I will read the last chapter, which generally tells the whole story in a nutshell, then read the contents so I can get an overview of the book, how it is laid out then I dive into the parts I am particularly interested in. Sometimes this is an area of my expertise (such as evolution/creation, Internet technologies or alternative currencies) where I am able to compare my knowledge with the author’s and sometimes it is an area that is relatively new to me or where I want to learn something more (such as in this case Tesla’s work or Weather modification as it related to 9-11).

So, I read Chapter 22, her Conclusion & Summary; then the Contents Pages; then I read Chapters 17-21 (which related to Tesla & weather modification) then I started from the front and read from Chapter 1 onwards. I also had a very good understanding of her research, approach and core message from having spent many hours researching from her website. Much, probably all of the book is on her website BTW.

Ah-Hah! Moments

There were, for me a few moments of special learning while reading the book. The first occurred when I was working through the weather modification aspects in Chapter 18. I have known for many years that the elite within mankind have had the capacity to alter weather – chemtrails are one increasingly obvious aspect of this and I knew from tracking Cyclone Evan in December 2012 when I was living in Samoa, that there was a good probability that this one was steered straight to and around Samoa, then directly down to Fiji’s West Coast. It was too coincidental to be chance – the course could not have been more blatantly obvious to cause maximum damage! But the shocker came for me when I saw the increase of Hurricane Erin’s strength as it [unusually] took a straight beeline for New York, then an immediate and sudden turn away and depowering at exactly the same time as 9-11 events. I found that compelling circumstantial evidence, way more than just a possibility. It made sense that somehow energy from a weather system had something to do with increased energy very close by at Ground Zero.

The second eye-opener for me was to view the aerial photographs looking down on the holes of neighbouring buildings and the holes within glass. The huge vertical holes showed some form of vapourising technique from above, and the round holes in the glazing of nearby buildings [particularly the holes of only the outer sheet of double-glazing!] also showed smoking gun proof that destruction was energy-based.

Thirdly, the graphics Judy showed of the mass of buildings pre and post-event were compelling. I could see, probably for the first time how insane it was to believe that the buildings collapsed. They didn’t. There was no pile of rubble – not even near a tiny fraction of what was standing above only seconds before! They did exactly what Judy said – they literally disappeared. The name of the book is indeed the real question to ask!

The fourth thing that struck me, and this was actually from a couple of videos on her website as well as presented in sequence in the book, was how a segment of building was standing, then falling as it evaporated, literally turning to dust in mid air. Another one showed a section of the tower falling from up high and dissolving into dust as it fell.

I’d also always viewed Judy’s conclusion that the many “jumpers” were jumping to escape something hot [such as microwave or other energy field] with a bit of suspicion. Gradually though, as I read through the myriad quotes from those who did experience weird heat, the people standing outside and hanging out of windows did have an impact on me. It made sense. People don’t normally jump or hang out windows just because there is a fire elsewhere in the building. I too came to recognise that there was indeed something that needed explaining that they were trying to get away from. Indeed it is not inconceivable that many of the jumpers may not have elected to jump but rather were forced into it.

The Evidence

The Contents pages give a good layout of the primary evidence as Judy works through it all in great detail:

2. The Billiard Ball 
Freefall gravity calculations of a billiard ball in a vacuum belies all explanations for the evidence of collapse – especially the official story. A detailed analysis of logic starts this book well.

3. The Jumpers
People hanging out of the building and jumping (or being expelled against their wishes) are indicative of heating similar to microwave or other energy. This chapter is a challenge as it makes sense to me but isn’t as strong (evidence-wise) as the rest.

4. The Power of Suggestion
The mainstream news media had knowledge of Bin Laden, box-cutters and all the answers from the get-go. When told that buildings collapsed due to hi-jacked aeroplanes we look at and consider all subsequent events and evidence in that light. It becomes the default paradigm. Truthseekers are forever having to break through these pre-conceptions. 

5. The Bathtub
The WTC was built in a large concrete “bathtub” designed to prevent flooding of the adjacent Hudson river. It was totally undamaged thus proving 

6. Seismic Impact
Totally minimal and not in accordance with a natural collapse of 1,000,000 tones of steel and concrete. 

7. Controlled Demolition
Bangs like explosives were heard. Squibs can be seen. Both can also be explained by the effects of directed energy. No actual evidence exists of explosives. While not precluding he evidence points more to another unique cause of event.

8. Dustification
The buildings simply evaporated into dust in thin air. Dust continued to RISE [WTF!?], and to fall. Dust continued to breakdown into smaller and smaller particles over months. This shows total molecular breakdown of steel and concrete.

9. Where Did They Go?
The residue of the 9-11 eventlooks like a few matchsticks from the air and represents a tiny fraction of the original structures. This is the heart of the book – gone; zapped; vanished . . . into dust in an instant, well 8-10 seconds actually!

10. Holes
Circular holes appeared in adjacent buildings and can only be explained with a form of directed energy. A compelling. 

11. Toasted Cars
Untold vehicles in the greater surrounding area were impacted by some energy source that toasted them unusually. Again, multiple unusual effects on metals are highly indicative of some form of directed energy.

12. Distortions
A few remaining steel beams and columns are twisted and contorted in ways that cannot be explained by traditional means. They also mimic the known effects of alternative energy events.

13. Weird Fires
Cold fires DO exist – just speak to Moses about that bush! My ears prick up when I hear a firefighter say that putting water onto a burning car has no effect. The same thing with smoke – not always does the existence of smoke mean heat – suggestion makes us assume that the picture she uses on the front cover is smoke rising, and therefore that fire and heat exist. Not always so, and she gives many photos of vehicles with very weird [cold] fires. Again common in and indicative of alternative energy based events.

14. The Dust Cloud
The massive dust is a study in itself. This is all NOT normal behaviour for dust, thus there is good logic in this chapter that validates her thesis.

15. Fuzzballs
Unusual dust and fumes remained onsite for years. 

16. Lather
The evidence of some form of molecular preparation as pre-event build-up occurs is clear. Multiple examples are shown and while these concepts are new to most of us, the evidence speaks along the lines of her thesis.

18. Hurricane Erin
I never knew that there was a huge hurricane headed directly toward New York and that it turned sharply away and reduced in intensity at the exact time of the 9-11 events. The questions are, “Why did/do we not hear of this?” and “Did this have something to do with the 9-11 things?” Again, anecdotal but compelling evidence of directed [alternative] energy as the explanation.

19. Global Magnetic Fields
Anomalies again, maybe a little less convincing as proof, but certainly a strong part of the entire picture.

21. Rolled Steel
Steel that is rolled like carpets, as with rusted and contorted beams previously mentioned cannot be explained by most theories. They can with directed energy however.

Omitted from this list are Tesla-Hutchison Effects and a minor chapter on psychology.

All in all, a compelling and overwhelmingly clear case as the author presents it.

Some Minor Negatives

Nothing in this world is perfect, but the quibbles I have are peripheral to the key matters – she simply observes evidence, speaks about it, connects the dots and the conclusion is obvious. Kudos is due to this scientist. There is only one small section of a few paragraphs where I noted her stepping into politics and quoting others and their theories, pros and cons. I wish she hadn’t included that for it detracted a little. She repeats photographs and quotes from first-attenders. You’d be reading a quote and think to yourself, “Hang on! I’ve heard this story before, haven’t I?” and you have. I can understand that with a huge book and her scientific background (rather than as an author) that much has been written, published online and the republished and then all collated into book form, her editing skills are less than perfect but really, these are minor quibbles – the book is huge, full-colour and a very serious work on a major event in our time.

The Significance

The 9-11 events are a huge breakthrough in terms of waking people up to reality in several ways. People who still believe the mainstream media and the official accounts in this day and age over 9-11 are simply fools; away with the fairies. If they haven’t at least heard of the 9-11 truth movement, let alone given it any thought then they are deluded beyond redemption – their fate is clear. Most however are on a spectrum from “aware of the questioning” to “hard-core conspiracy believers”. To them, this book should be a breath of fresh air.

But it goes deeper too . . . what about weather modification? Can mankind alter, tap into or generate major weather events, and if so how. More importantly; who, why and what for?

And this thing about directed energy [Judy calls it “directed free-energy technology”]. Is this 9-11 thing evidence of Star Wars technology here and now?

The significance of this book is that those who read it can no longer claim ignorance – and that is all long before we even think of asking the question “WHOdunnit?” or even “WHAT for?”

I conclude with the observation that ad hominem attacks on the author, ridicule or silence in the halls of ‘mainstream alternative’ conspiracy circles are comparable with that of Jesus opponents of His Ministry of Truth, thus indicating intellectual bankruptcy.

I give you a 10/10 from this quarter Judy. You are an angel a true scientist.

Talamua lets us in on the ‘secret’ leaked out by Apia’s Victoria University Press today. Palemia is the Samoan Palemia’s Memoirs.

Pālemia tells the story of how a boy from an isolated village grew up to become Prime Minister of Samoa. It follows his journey from Lepā to Apia, Wellington, Brussels, Singapore, Beijing, Tokyo, London, New York and many other international destinations, always returning to Lepā and the Fa‘asamoa that shaped him.

I know the PM’s village Lepa well having been there many times with guests and trying to run a village stay at the top of the hill. I also know the PM’s history pretty well too. He’s told me a bit over the time we spent together.

Fa’a Samoa is the “Samaon way”.

There is only one way to really understand the Prime Minister of Samoa, Tuila’epa, and you can do this without reading more than this question and thinking a little . . . “what does he do?”

Tuila’epa is a politician. Politicians play politics the world over exactly the same. In Samoa he is at the top of the political tree and Samoa is well recognised as a country with endemic corruption, many claiming that it has gotten worse. Tuila’epa has been in power coming up two decades. ‘Nuff said. Work it out.

Tuila’epa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi is Samoa’s longest-serving Prime Minister. His premiership has been marked by political and economic crises, natural disasters, regional tensions and local challenges.

His local command over politics is strong and he has strengthened it substantially to the point that opposition in Samoa has virtually ceased. Even the supposed voice of the Fourth Estate, Samoa Observer’s Sano Malifa has buckled to the politics of top man with all the power. The only real challenges Palemia faces are internal . . . oh and one rogue anonymous blogger “O le Palamia” who they are trying to find, but unsuccessfully!

Tuila’epa’s political career started during turbulent times but has resulted in an unprecedented period of political stability and economic development through his leadership in modernising the economy, improving education and health and reducing poverty in Samoa.

There are many people that make things happen in a country. The Prime Minister sits at the top of the tree and takes the credit when he wants. The truth is that under his watch many good things have happened, BUT the hidden sides are ugly. Corruption is one quite visible but the huge debt that he has saddled his country with must go down as his personal responsibility. When I lived there the debt was over a billion dollars and growing. It can never and will never be paid off.

By my best estimates Samoa lost its real sovereignty around 2000 when the man at the helm took over. Political stability is presented ad nauseum by those with vested interests. Samoan politics is a cesspit of corruption and intrigue. Stability comes from control – NOT because Samoa is any different to the rest of the world. In many ways it’s actually worse, because they present things pretty on and to the outside! That’s just the Samoan culture coming through, though.

Pālemia captures the voice, documents the life, and places in context a record of the most significant Samoan political leader of this generation, and contains many useful insights into the social, cultural and economic development of Samoa and the wider Pacific region.

To my eyes, Samoa is pretty much an outcast in the Pacific. Fiji pretty much ignores it. Tonga does as well. A few tiny islands rely on it. It’s comparatively expensive to stay there and even guests who do go there rarely return. There’s a reason for that. The people and the culture are the lure. They are also the reason that many won’t return. New Zealand and Australia tolerate Samoa and give it rats and mice, making a big deal about what they do give and help with, but really Samoa is a non-starter – certainly when it relates to things in Samoa. Ex-pats however are the exception – as I often say, “anyone who has some get-up-and-go has got up and gone!”

Fiji has made huge gains since Tuila’epa’s pet hate nemesis Frank took over. Samoa’s sporting prowess and capacity to export its people aside, Samoa stands in turn to get reducing handouts from Australia and New Zealand. Development for the elite, as always, has remained strong and the infrastructure too has been building well but extract the government and its payroll and the country would cease to register in many areas. Debt; debt and more debt.

‘In collaboration with Peter Swain, a superb conveyer of information, Tuila’epa narrates his entry into politics and his rise to power. The book is a fascinating biography and provides a stimulating, thoughtful, original and authoritative perspective on Samoan political life – from the inside.’ Professor Stephen Levine.

OMG . . . Tui on Tui! I look forward to the “authoritative” aspects of it. I strongly suspect that there are large and important sectors of Samoan life omitted!

I spent many hours with Tuila’epa when I first moved to Samoa. I was the new Palagi kid on the block and it suited us both to engage meaningfully. He wanted to spend time with me and to suck my ideas as well as to suss me out. Samoans do that. I too found it an honour [at first] to be welcomed by the Palemia of Samoa, but the gloss didn’t take more than a couple of years to wear off. Summarised, I spoke of the future; Tui only spoke of the past, mainly about himself and his exploits.

In the early days I suggested many things to which he agreed to quite a lot. I even suggested that I write his memoirs. He agreed and gave me authority to use a photo that his personal photographer had taken. I suggested that he develop a personal website. He agreed and we modeled it on John Key’s. Like with much of the big man’s talk though, neither happened – until now anyway with this book and Peter Swain’s involvement!

Peter Swain has spent much of the last 25 years managing development programmes throughout the island nations of the Pacific, and was International Programme Manager for Volunteer Service Abroad New Zealand. Dr Swain has written extensively on the Pacific and is an Honorary Research Associate in Development Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. He is married to Luamanuvao Winnie Laban.

. . . and a Samoan, which makes him rather biased and probably unable to provide any critical commentary, so I’ll fulfill that role. . .

Palemia is a good title. It captures the essence of the subject, but there is a lot more to the ‘Big Man’ than he will ever let on. Samoan’s are divided over Tuila’epa. Those that live by principle or who live offshore generally can’t stand him but those that are on the gravy-train may loathe him (mainly for his arrogance) but in a small island country they have no choice. Cross him, and like me, you’re a goner.

I wrote the book Corruption in Samoa. Only two people on the planet have read it thus far – Tuila’epa and my 88 year old father – both because they asked to read it. Dad said it read well and was “your [my] story”, fair enough!. The Palemia though saw red, insulted me and threatened legal action if I published. “You’ve got a lot to learn about Samoa!” the big man said patronisingly.

“Oh no, no, no Tui. I know all about Samoa now (having lived and survived there for half a decade) and it’s you who has a lot to learn about me!” was my caustic reply. “And I will be publishing too!” I warned.

Fast forward and Palemia got me booted out of the country once and for all – prohibited immigrant. He had to lie, break the law, resort to trickery and get his lap-dogs to do the dirty work for him but in the end, I did get booted out of Samoa – blogger got banned! There’s a whole big story relating to this which goes right up to the top. It will all come out in due course but the real point of this story for now is that the Prime Minister had not a worry in the world about the corruption that I identified in half a dozen government departments . . . he handles that sort of thing all day and every day with aplomb. Ignore, obfuscate, postpone, commence a report or an investigation, blah, blah, blah.

What he couldn’t handle though was the chapter that included his ‘inappropriate’ relationship with one of his CEO’s. That really got him REALLY peeved, and clearly worried . . . hence my unplanned and permanent departure from Samoa in September 2016! You see, while most in Samoa know about this ‘naughtiness’, they also know that if they talk about it; they’re toast, so they can’t, and don’t.

You won’t find those details in this book, I can assure you. Fortunately Corruption in Samoa has it all!

Samoa needs some international positive press . . . after John Campbell’s expose of the missing Tsunami relief funds and Australia media’s write up of the danger to tourists from a repeat prison escapee who raped and robbed a young couple in a premium treehouse resort, Tuila’epa’s book Palemia should do some good in the PR stakes for the little islands. It needs it.

In some ways it’s a pity that my book Corruption in Samoa is being published around the same time but things happen that way sometimes eh?

A bit of Yin.

Now some Yang.

Graham Paul’s book The Importance of Jesus’ Teachings, is a New Zealand manifestation of a rising tide of anti-Pauline sentiment. The “Jesus Only” crowd identify conflict between Jesus’ words, life & teaching (Kingdom teaching) and that of Paul (justification by faith). The book is well laid out and easy to understand – perhaps a little less easy to digest if taken in “full-stride”! It’s a book of theology with a powerful message and deep personal challenge. The author takes one side of the divide, strongly, thus lacks the wisdom that balance brings but his message is important to all, nonetheless.

A decade after being Called Out of the mainstream religious systems of Christianity, I’ve gotten used to having to digest and deal with theological issues for myself. It is not my natural inclination to deal with theology (I much prefer others to squabble about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin) but being outside now I have to. When submitting to an organised church structure we have no choice but to comply with the theology of that leadership. This makes it simple for all but the most independent of thinkers. This book is a huge theological statement and this makes us think!

When in the Catholic church we do things the Catholic way with religious symbolism and rules to the fore [the Pope has an elevated position of authority & as an outsider I am not permitted to partake in Communion, etc]; likewise with Lutheran doctrine focused on justification by faith [my original denomination of conversion was Lutheran]; when attending and committing to Valley Road Baptist Church, I got baptised and learned to dance under the guidance of David & Dale Garrett [a real challenge for a very insecure young guy with two left feet]; while ‘under’ Bishop Brian Tamaki, I dressed with formal attire and tithed religiously [by choice] and when in the Assemblies of God movement I acted along with my other ‘happy-clappy’ friends [shock, horror – I was free to raised my hands during worship!].

Unless we are happy to let life pass us by and we simply don’t care, going alone requires us to think for ourselves, and to wrestle with the deeper theological questions that exist. Jesus vs Paul is one of those tricky ones that Graham Paul tackles, presenting his case that Paul’s wrong and Jesus’ teaching alone is the answer. The very title of the book makes his position clear . . . “The Importance of Jesus’ Teachings”.

Graham does a good job of laying out his case. He is writing for people who have never considered the possibility that Paul got it wrong. That Paul’s teaching contests & conflicts with Jesus and His teaching may seem blasphemy to most Evengelicals and probably most Protestants but there are certainly real issues to work through.

The Author

Graham Paul (b. 1963) is a part-time doctor of Medicine [Australia], living in Christchurch, NZ, with a son whom his wife homeschools. He is involved with House Churches and had major spiritual experiences in 1982 (which led to his medical training), in 1993 (which led to a positive change in his life practices) and in 2008 (which led him to his focus on Jesus’ teachings).

The Book

He breaks his message down into six parts, each with a chapter, a key concept summarised and then his explanation/teaching. This makes it easy to navigate and to understand his message. Reading his layout and structure gives a better understanding than if I attempt to recap the entire book so here it is:

A. Why Jesus’ teachings are so important

A1. Christians believe Jesus came from God and spoke the truth
A2. All the blessings of Jesus’ new covenant are conditional upon us keeping Jesus’ teachings
A3. Jesus’ teachings are for all the nations
A4. Jesus’ teachings continue to apply until the Day of Judgment
A5. Covenants and the Law of Moses
A6. Jesus’ teachings define the new covenant
A7. Jesus’ new covenant was completed at the Last Supper
A8. Teachings after Jesus cannot redefine the new covenant

B. What Jesus Taught

B1. Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God and How to Enter it
B2. “What Must I Do to Inherit Eternal Life?”
B3. Overview of Jesus’ main teachings
B4. Overview of the Law’s main features
B5. Relationship between Jesus teachings and the Law
B6. Minor confusing issues: Sabbaths, Tithing and Circumcision

C. The History of the Bibles

C1. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the best records we have of Jesus’ teachings
C2. What “Bible” did Jesus use?
C3. Different Churches have Different Bibles
C4. Definitions of “Bible”, “Scripture” and “Testament”
C5. The Nature of Biblical Writings
C6. Types of books in the bibles
C7. How should we view the books in a bible?

D. Jesus’ teachings and Paul’s teachings

D1. Jesus’ gospel was complete
D2. Paul of Tarsus’ life overview
D3. Paul’s gospel to the Romans
D4. James said faith without works is dead
D5. John said a righteous person does righteous actions
D6. A closer look at Paul’s gospel in Romans
D7. Other differences between Jesus’ and Paul’s teachings
D8. How should we view Paul?

E. Issues surrounding Paul

E1. Reasons why Christians assume Paul was infallible
E2. History of the development of the bibles
E3. Churches can make serious mistakes
E4. The History of Jesus-and-not-Paul groups
E5. How could God ever “allow” such things?

F. Summary and Conclusions

And of course as you can see from the headings laid-out above it is that Paul got it wrong, it’s “Jesus only”.

I quote from his Summary [references removed]:

Jesus said that all the blessings of the new covenant – eternal life, the Holy Spirit, freedom from sin, answered prayer, and the love and presence of the Father with us – are conditional upon keeping his teachings, which are recorded in Matthew Mark Luke and John. Jesus told his disciples to go into all the world and teach people to obey his teachings.

Jesus’ teachings can be summarised as loving God with all my heart mind soul and strength; and loving my neighbour as myself. These have many aspects to them.

Jesus teachings included all of the Law of Moses, but with the important difference that loving God is done via the Holy Spirit instead of via the temple and its priests; and Jesus did not include the Law’s national functions. This was probably because he knew that the temple would be destroyed and Israel exiled in 70AD, making the temple form of worship and national functions impossible until such time as Israel and the temple are restored.

Later, Paul of Tarsus became a Christian and preached a gospel which differed significantly from Jesus’ teachings, especially on the need to keep any of the Law in order to gain eternal life. Examination shows that Paul’s gospel was based on the incorrect assertion that “no one is righteous”, which is contradicted by numerous instances of righteous people under the Law. Paul quoted phrases from the Psalms out of context to create the (wrong) impression that everyone was sinful and no one was righteous.

To the reader who still finds it hard to believe that Paul could be wrong, let me offer this truth:
A retelling of the gospel by an apostle cannot be more reliable than the original gospel taught by Jesus the Messiah and Son of God. You will come to no eternal harm by following the original, which I encourage you to do.

Writings supported directly by Jesus are the Gospels, Law, Prophets and Psalms, since he either spoke them (Gospels) or quoted from them. However, the churches have compiled bibles with many additional writings besides, notably Paul’s letters, some of which conflict with Jesus’ teachings.

We need to follow Jesus’ teachings in Matthew Mark Luke and John; and the Father sends the Holy Spirit to help us with this. We should ignore all other teachings which are contrary to Jesus’ teachings and not be led astray by them, even if they are “apostolic” or church teachings widely held in high esteem.

The False Dichotomy

Author Graham Paul is not alone in his teaching – simply search for “JESUS vs PAUL” to see the similar teaching – but his conclusion that there is total error on Paul’s part grates with me. Yes, true, I can recognise the strong influence of Pauline doctrine within my Christian walk having been involved in mainly Protestant churches for decades, but limiting the number of options here to two – making this a binary, right/wrong, black/white, Jesus vs Paul is to me a logical fallacy, technically called a false dilemma.

While the author has taken a strong theological stance, essentially boiling down to; I’m with Jesus, I’m right, Paul’s wrong, others attempt (as he says himself in the book “unsuccessfully”) to merge the two  into a coherent message. It takes an impartial big-picture approach to see beyond any theological argument. This is one of the reasons that I try very hard, as a big-picture thinking truthseeker, to stay out of theological arguments!

Amalgamating two conflicting positions may not be successful but I like Scot McKnight’s commentary on this supposed conflict where his take is that in the context of the Gospel, both messages can be seen as valid. The link is to a six page article and for me, the key arguments are in the latter sections.

I endorse Graham Paul’s dedication to hearing and doing that which Jesus commanded, and also his clear intent to present the positive side of this issue (focusing more on Jesus’ teaching rather than Paul’s supposed failings) but I do not concur with his contention that Paul will probably not be hearing the words, “Well done good and faithful servant!” but that he and his followers will. There are too many theological matters to squabble about when you get into this “Paul is wrong” thing and I’m not up to that theological challenge.

My take though is that when we do accept and apply the ‘gospel of grace’ [which is the heart of Paul’s teaching], it is only natural that we seek to hear and obey the Master [which is the heart of Graham Paul’s teaching] . . . this is the process of sanctification, the life-long process of becoming like Christ.

This then causes us to see and understand the importance of Jesus’ teachings . . . naturally.

Postscript

I came to learn of Graham Paul’s work from a friend who intended to help me in some Samoan matters. The impact of this book on his life was seriously unnerving to the point of concern. I know that the simplicity of following Jesus’ teachings can be hugely threatening to many but I saw the signs of cult leadership with my friend’s total dedication to the principles of Jesus Only cutting off natural relationships elsewhere. This sort of blinkered thinking for the sake of it, is not ‘of the Lord’.

I quote from my friend who had reneged on an agreement:

. . . the direction I want to go, that direction being a ministry based upon “The Importance of Jesus’ Teachings” . . .

I guess I knew we weren’t really on the same page when you palmed off Graham’s document as theological and that you weren’t particularly interested in theology! That’s OK, I am well used to most (almost all) readers rejecting it, either whole or in part. I understand the various reasons, and I am not offended! As for me, Graham’s work has been positively life-changing and I am completely committed to it. Taking the time this week to seek where the Lord wants me, my heart is at peace with the challenges of presenting Jesus’ teachings . . .

Graham has run seminars, training and conferences in the past and taken a leadership role in and around this book. I sought to discuss his book and the way he approaches his ministry with a view to assessing the early signs of cult leadership that I saw in my friend’s attitude, essentially what I saw as one of idolatry, placing his commitment to this book. I would be concerned if there are others in the same boat.

I will update this post if or when he returns my call.

In the meantime however, to others who seek to hear and do the will of God, it may be possible to obey the teachings of Jesus (both His historical teachings AND in the present time through the work of the Holy Spirit) without rejecting the writings, teaching, life and ministry of the Apostle Paul. I would also encourage a deliberate retention of relationships with those outside of the “Jesus only” adherents to avoid any cult-like tendencies.

Whew! The Hidden Tyranny is an in-your-face expose from and about Jewish arrogance & domination (mainly in the States) written in 1976. It’s on the same level as Henry Ford’s thesis in terms of directness but comes from an ‘inside’ source whereas Ford’s is an external critique. I’ve used several quotes from the subject the author interviewed, one Harold Wallace Rosenthal, in my list of quotes. They certainly are, ‘direct’!

The Jewish Question is a little simplistic as Henry Makow accurately points out . . . not all Jews are the same, and many are manipulated by their own, their own Jewish hidden hand. There is however a strong pattern and theme to Jewish conduct. I’ve noted this in my engaging with the so-called “chosen people’ over the years.

The Book [download PDF 130k] is a short, easy-to-read 25 page one, presented by a religious organisation (AntiChristConspiracy) and it is in two parts – first a summary of an interview Walter White conducted with Harold Wallace Rosenthal in 1976 and the second part with direct quotes from that interview.

Harold worked for a Senator at the time and was murdered shortly after the contents of the interview was disseminated. The primary message, that Jews ‘control’ society (primarily the Western Society), is presented with arrogance and supreme confidence. I find nothing in the core message that doesn’t gel with reality as I see it. There is indeed a huge conflict within modern society that is indeed indicative of control and manipulation of people and forces that have values and beliefs contrary to the Christian message.

I extract and quote a large section that seems to demonstrate the values of the Jew quite well – summarise as ‘for self, now, and at any cost . . . morals mean nought’. My commentary is intertwined.

“Since we do not believe in a life after death, all our efforts are directed to the ‘now.’

Pure logic.

We are not as foolish as you and will never adopt an ideology that is rooted in self-sacrifice. Whereas you will live and die for the benefit of the community, we will live and die only for our own individual self. The idea of self- sacrifice is abhorred by Jews.

I have too, noted this in practice. Harold speaks here plainly. I would note though that any sacrifice from me is first for my Saviour then as He calls it to the community – a subtlety that a Jew like Harold would likley not want to notice or admit!

It is abhorrent to me. No cause is worth dying lot since death is the end.

Again this is pure logic. Self becomes central when no greater purpose is perceived. Obviously I do not concur with his conclusion!

The only time we unite is to preserve our individual selves. As a group of wolves unite to attack a prey, but then disperse after each is filled, so we Jews unite when peril is pending, not to preserve our community but to save our own skin.

This may be so with the Jews but it also applies to other cultures as well. Threats to the Samoan way for example will unite previously warring factions in order to deal with the impostor(s) with feuds resumed upon reduction of the threat

“This attitude permeates our entire being and philosophy. We are not the creators for to create would only benefit another . . . We are the ‘acquirers’ and are interested only in satisfying the ‘self.’ To understand our philosophy understand the term ‘to get.’ We never give but only take. We never labor but enjoy the fruits of others’ labor. We do not create but confiscate. We are not the producers but the parasites. We can physically live within any society, but always remain spiritually apart.

These are ‘huge’ words and have special significance when coming from within Jewry. When analysing the historical interaction between the Jews and other people groups across the globe, this parasitical attitude is always the core, the root of ill will. Hitler was simply one of many a leader over many centuries who recognised this attitude and saw it as something better to be rid of.

To work would be to produce and the highest form of that labor would be to create. Your race has always worked for the satisfaction of what it produces.

Harold is talking about the [white and] American race here. There are exceptions but the value of creativity in business is certainly greater than many in the coloured communities, or which Jews are a part.

We would never work for anyone’s benefit, only for what we can get. We have used this Aryan attitude to achieve our greatest prosperity. You will work for the enjoyment you derive out of producing, while never being concerned about the pay. We take your productivity for a paltry fee and turn it into fortunes.

This is done through capitalism, democracy and monetary/credit controls. Usury is the ultimate enslaving technique.

“Until recently, the pride of workmanship exceeded the quest for high incomes. However, we have been able to enslave society to our own power which is money, by causing them to seek after it.

True! Now the Jew does not have a lien on this human failing – the temptations of Christ included this very issue of control – but as the control of global credit through the privately owned [or controlled] Central banks is indeed primarily Jewish, Harold is largely correct to take the credit.

We have converted the people to our philosophy of getting and acquiring so that they will never be satisfied. A dissatisfied people are the pawns in our game of world conquest. Thus, they are always seeking and never able to find satisfaction. The very moment they seek happiness outside themselves. they become our willing servants.

Touche! This is teaching from the Talmud, and the Protocols to a tee.

“Your people never realize that we offer them only worthless baubles that can not bring fulfillment. They procure one and consume it and are not filled … We present another. We have an infinite number of outward distractions, to the extent that life can not again turn inward to find its definite fulfillment.

Harold speaks it like it is!

You have become addicted to our medicine through which we have become your absolute masters.

“On the first and fundamental lie, the purpose of which is to make people believe that we [the Jews] are not a nation but a religion, other lies are subsequently based.

One of the greatest challenges for a Christian is to apply the principle that there is a spiritual battle going on into the life we live here on earth. It’s too easy to slip off into la-la-land and spiritualise salvation into “getting saved” which is something that happens in regards to our future destination and something we talk about on Sunday or at bible times. In other religious systems this does not occur to the same extent, thus the Jewish mindset that “we are religious [in the cloak of a nationhood]” is the fact. The same as a Muslim will integrate his values into living a certain way and a New Ager will eat, sleep and breathe their belief system. Christians (certainly the modern, Westernised Christian) seem to have the capacity to disconnect the spiritual from the practical.

Harold knows the truth, that Jewishness is primarily a religion and that nationhood and birth issues are secondary. His fear is then that this deception is made known.

Our greatest fear is that this falsehood will be discovered, for we will be stamped out the moment the general public comes into possession of the truth and acts upon it

[in another place he says]: We can live among other nations & states only as long as we succeed in persuading them that the Jews are not a distinct people, but are the representatives of a religious faith … this is the greatest of our falsehoods.

Deception it certainly is.

It is becoming apparent that an awakening is occurring even here in America. We had hoped that through our devastation of Christian Germany that any subject dealing with us would be a fearful taboo. However, there seems to be a resurgence here in the one nation that we so strongly control. We are presently making plans for a rapid exodus. We know that when the light begins to dawn, there will be no stopping it. All efforts on our part will only intensify that light and draw focus upon it.

Note that this was in 1976.

“We fear that light is coming forth in movements across this land, especially yours [a religious organisation]. It has amazed us how you have been successful in reaching the people after we closed every door of communication.

This previous segment smacks of flattery to me but may have had some validity at the time.

This, we fear, is a sign of a coming pogrom that will take place in America soon. The American public has realized that we are in control, which is a fatal mistake on our part. This nation could never be the land of the free as long as it is the land of the Jew.

No, not at all. There is a huge difference between knowing something and acting on it.  Exactly forty years later and many more certainly know that the Jews control Hollywood or the media or the banking and business worlds but that does not necessarily mean that they will pay the price to affect meaningful change.

The Author inserts: (This is a concept most patriots cannot understand. Patriots have spent untold man-hours fighting the IRS, the Federal Reserve, the media, Congress or government in general. These things are merely tools which the Jew now uses against the detestable ‘goyim’. The problem is not the tool or device, but the heathen in control of it.) This is the revelation that will be our undoing.

Only if one ACTS.

“The American people have been easily ruled through our propaganda that the pen is mightier than the sword. We virtually get away with murder, and all the goy do is to talk about it, which is ineffective since we, the masters of propaganda, always publish a contradicting account. If the Aryan would review history and apply those lessons of the past, then the pen will be thrown down in disgust and the sword wielded in the heat of passion. (A recurrence to history would edify our minds and show us that the European countries solved their Jewish problem only by use of force.) Thus far, we have escaped the sword, when the only reprisal is some periodical of no repute, or some pamphlet with limited circulation.

Or this blog!

Their pen is no match for ours, but our constant fear is that they may open their eyes and learn that no change was ever brought about with a pen. History has been written in blood, not with ink. No letter, editorial or book has ever rallied the people or stopped tyranny. We understand this principle and are continually propagandizing the people to write letters to the President, to Congress and to their local media. We are safe to continually exploit, intimidate and disenfranchise the white American as long as they are preoccupied with the illusion of educating the masses through printed material. Woe be unto us if they ever see the futility of it, lay down the pen and employ the sword.

This is Jewish thinking that denies the existence of a God who doesn’t have to destroy to have power. It is contrary to the biblical account and teaching that the Lord is Almighty and powerful and that the Holy Spirit has the authority on earth. He is in total control despite the Jews (and in this case Harold’s) ranting. History has not yet been outworked. Earthly power, as Jesus taught, comes only secondary to His.

“History confirms the fact that the passions of an aroused minority, no matter how small a group, have exerted enough power to topple the greatest empire. The movements that control destiny are not those that rest on the inactive majority; but on the sheer force of an active minority. Will is power, not numbers, for a strong Will will always rule the masses!”

No . . . willpower is a human dynamic – very valuable when fighting man against man, but it is faith and obedience that give the Lord greater power.

“Again, we are safe as long as our Will is stronger, or the Will of the people is misdirected, scattered and without leadership. We will never be deposed with words, only force!”

This ungodly and faulty claim ends this quoted section from Harold Wallace Rosenthal. It has been a speech from the pit of hell, in direct opposition to the words of Christ, and indeed the Creator.

Throughout the book, Harold touches on the actual conflict between a Christian and his people – the Jews. He knows instinctively that they ‘goyim’ are enemies – mortal enemies of the Jews. He even states it as fact when he later says to the interviewer:

Most Jews do not like to admit it, but our god is Lucifer.

These will have been the words that signed his death warrant. His understanding of evil and how it gives temporal power is clear from the following:

Our [Jewish] forte … is division and duplicity. It is an infallible weapon and we are skillful – perhaps perfectionists in its application

I’d agree. It’s not unique to the Jew but they certainly do have the art of deception well refined!

To the Western Christian this is hard to understand as we are deceived by mainstream Christianity that does not require total sacrifice to be “a part of the party”. Harold however knows, and shares it when he says (on Jewish values):

Money is more important than morality

In a nutshell – money: power!

I found his confession of the power of the control of credit totally valid as well. To understand the true nature of money is something that I see second in importance only to the identity of Christ:

Our [Jewish] power has been created through the manipulation of the national monetary system.

Conspiracy theorists see the Jewish control as a major factor in the ills of the world, and to a degree this is certainly true but Harold, for all is arrogance nails the true nature of these challenges – it is not a Jewish thing per se, it is a spiritual one – self against principles; the Jewish spirit against that of Christ.

My take is that this book is a clear statement of reality; that Jews do indeed have a high degree of influence on Western society; that Christians by-and-large have indeed bequeathed their authority to evil through participating and voting in ungodly systems; by using and participating in an evil consortium of interest-based currencies and by cow-tailing to a myriad of temptations and distractions rather than standing up with logic and creative independent thinking.

After years of reading this sort of stuff, my response is, “Ho-Hum!” just yet another piece of a truly ugly picture but an important one that many will find obnoxious, even fascinating. White really does feel shocked by the directness of Rosenthal, but it is an important picture for all to see and deal with. Neither man is still with us but the book is ‘Highly Recommended’.

In this post I announce the publication of my latest book (I think that makes it twelve in various stages of release). It’s a book that exposes misconduct from the owner and Editor-in-Chief of Samoa’s leading newspaper. The book contains a copy of all communications, blogs and legal documents including a $2m defamation case against me. This book is the journalistic equivalent to a single figure salute to a man whom I have shown to be not only fooled by gossip, but also his company to be a routine thief and recently proven a liar acting in malice, self-interest and total disregard for Christian ethics that his proud Samoan culture claims for itself. Enjoy now as I share the background to its publication and more . . . 

THE TWO MILLION TALA PALAGI . . . another David & Goliath conflict in Paradise!

So reads the back blurb.

Get the popcorn out . . . the gloves are off!

Samoa’s leading ‘award winning’ newspaper – a proud locally
-owned family business with decades of local history of
taking on corruption of the day – is suing a Palagi blogger
for TWO MILLION TALA . . . in a defamation case in the
Supreme Court of Samoa!

The Two Million Tala Palagi gets behind
the legal processes and presents the
Palagi’s perspective.

It includes the full set of controversial articles Palagi Perspectives
that were published but then called “lousy” by Savea Sano Malifa
(Editor-in-Chief of Samoa Observer) when it was time to pay!
Analysis of Court Documents showing serious flaws in logic,
evidence from the Apia public library archives that proves
outright deception, a full copy of the original blog post
that caused, “much embarrassment, distress and
inconvenience” to the Samoa Observer,and
commentary is also included.

You’ll never read
the local rag the
same way again!

Let’s get down and dirty here . . . the Samoa Observer claims to have a high moral calibre but they’re actually hypocritical crooks. The editorials are spoken in the royal “We” and contain much pontification of biblical values standards and absolutes, yet the company has a reputation for not paying their bills. The owner presents himself as an award-einning saint, but when you start digging you find that he is hated by half the country and the other half are deluded that the sun comes out of somewhere in the lower part of his office. I’ve shown here and in this book that he’s a proven liar as well as having ripped me off.

Welcome to the Paradise of Samoa where there are always two stories and we all live in the world of the make-believe. The publication of this book is a social crime in Samoa. I am therefore a social criminal. In a land of corruption and deception, that is a compliment.

1. First you should never insult your elders. Oops, I just did, for I dared to suggest that one ‘big chief’ dude got fooled by gossip, then escalated his immorality into lies, lies and more.
2. Secondly you should never take on powerful men, no matter how corrupt they are for they have the power. Oops, I just did. For the moment I’m still alive. If they ever find my suicide, take careful note that I’ve been suicided.
3. Thirdly, you can’t do anything about the Samoa Observer because they will sue you and/or stop you advertising and effectively close your business down – you know, the Samoan gossip/vendetta machine sort of thing? Oops, I did and they did! Do two wrong make a right?
4. Now fourthly, if you dare, just add in the racial thing. You’re not allowed to talk about racism here but if you’re a Palagi (that means you’re not brown skin born in Samoa or have any Samoan blood in you) then you are a target, you have no standing in society, and you CERTAINLY cannot say anything negative about a Samoan, and especially if you cause shame for Samoa and especially ESPECIALLY not if you’re right. Oops, I just did. Oops I think I am right too!

This is a light-hearted dealing (except for the ‘suicided thing’ in which I was deadly serious, pun intended) with a HUGE issue here in Samoa and one that is well described by the events shared in the book. There’s a serious problem though, and it is this . . . I’m an author and an investigative blogger and until they kick me out, I live here, currently now for six years. I respect the truth, have a strong sense of justice and have no fear. Put simply, I am a square peg in a round hole . . . and I’m perceived as a threat, by many who believe the gossip and don’t know the real me.

When Savea Sano Malifa ripped me off, I was patient, gave him opportunity to fix the matter, pleaded to his integrity and then left it for a while, a year, or two, and more then sued his company, for what was owing (no more) and then watched while he and his lawyers delayed things, played games and then dreamed up a scheme to whack me with a massive $2m defamation lawsuit.

He’s a danger to the Samoan AND international business community and his conduct is a disgrace to the Samoan people and culture.

I’m publishing the facts, my commentary and analysis prior to the Supreme Court hearing. I will use it in evidence. In my next post I will be sharing an Open Letter to Samoa Observer’s lawyer, giving her five days to request a copy of the book and a Right of Reply, the same with Sano, and then printing.

As the book cover says, the gloves are off!

The Book

The Book is 260 pages in 6×9 perfect bound.

Here’s a snap of the Contents that gives you a picture of the layout. I’ve yet to include any Right of Replies received:

Dedication vii
Contents ix
An Offer i
Foreword 1
Savea Sano Malifa – Fooled by gossip 13
Samoa Observer Sues Blogger for $2m 32
Samoa Observer’s Dodgy Defence 41
Blogger Sues Samoa Observer 54
Open Letter – Samoa Observer 118
Observations on Samoa Observer 130
Suing Samoa Observer 141
MEDIA RELEASE: Samoa Observer Sues: $2m 146
Palagi Perspectives 149
The Articles 154
White Sunday 154
The cross-cultural interchange 156
Tell it like it is 159
Church buildings – great but not biblical 161
The hidden causes 163
The Poverty Mentality 166
The culture war 168
The Gift Economy 170
Problems or Opportunities 173
The Heart of Samoa 175
Gambling – Systemised Stupidity 177
The evil of Usury 179
Facts, Feelings & Faith 182
Biblical forgiveness 184
Which Church? 186
The importance of theology 189
The two stories 191
The Two Million Tala Palagi 194
Warning to lawyer Rosella V Papalii 201
About The Author 240
By The Same Author 242

Availability

Only limited quantities of the book will be available in Samoa, I’ve dedicated the entire profits to the Samoa Observer so I’ll be giving many away – heh! Oops where did that evil thought come from? Seriously I don’t want to make money off the back of Sano and Samoa Observer, yet anyway.

Sano and the PM will get a copy gratis even though they’ve both got the money. The PM will read it from cover to cover and laugh his head off because Sano is his nemesis and Sano will no doubt take it down to the little room for posterior use.

I’m sure that half the country will want me to give them one too because Samoans are like that, oops, sorry I shouldn’t have said that either, but I can’t afford more than a few copies to spread around so unless Sano wants to print off a gazillion copies [yeah right!] and make a buck [Okay maybe?] it’ll be all low key on my side.

You can place pre-orders by contacting me directly. Australia, New Zealand and Amazon will follow in due course no doubt. I won’t be making the book available in free PDF format like I do mostly for a while (or if at all) but much of the content is already online. Grab an autographed version while I’m still around – these guys can play dirty when you ruffle their feathers and this guy is a serious p*ssed off man not really able to think straight all the time. He’s no stranger to eviction from the drinking establishments and not unknown for violence either, so who knows?

Enjoy the read and make sure you’re doing the right thing so we meet on the other side eh?

Gradido – Natural Economy of Life is a prescription for and a description of a currency to produce Nirvana, based on the author’s observations and understanding of nature. My comments analyse the free e-Book version which, while limited, contains the essence of the author’s message. My take is that the author is ‘onto it’ in regards to some currency matters but fails in both his strategy and his proposed solution.

I have an interest in alternative currencies. I consider understanding the true nature of money to be the second most important question of life* and have spent decades (the bulk of my business life) trading and dealing in every form of currency I could find – from the early Green Dollars in New Zealand through every system of commercial barter that popped its head above the parapet!

Author of ‘Gradido – Natural Economy of Life‘ is Bernd Hückstädt, from Germany. He is clearly an independent thinker and has put together what is on the surface a well-reasoned case for his currency design. His detailed breakdown of chapters into subheadings, also helps ENORMOUSLY to grasp the essence of his message, for the subheadings are frequent (one or even two per page); they are descriptive and best of all they are included in the Contents, making for an excellent big-picture overview of his book when you read something like I do – the Contents first [that gives me the overview], then the Last Chapter [this is the wrap-up and usually contains the all-important ‘juicy bits’], and then drilling down into Chapters (or in this case subheadings) that interest you or need further clarification.

In this post, rather than trying to detail his message in my own words, I list his excellent Contents, then pick out a few memorable quotes and comment on them. I explain the prime problem with his take (by considering money to be a commodity, when it is not and can never be) and I then finish by highlighting the flaw that I see in his premise, the error that any system (such as a financial system) can or could ever alter the nature of the fallen human being, which of course is a core plank of the Christian world-view.

I find his currency concepts interesting (Chapter 2 contains the core vision where humans and nature are living together in harmony. His currency model is a form of Socialism with aspects of Social Credit) but he will be ultimately unable to achieve the goals he wishes to achieve, especially when he ignores the WIIFM factor.

His prescription requires conceptual and philosophical agreement on the use of generated funds and thus will only ever be of highly limited implementation – people will certainly not all agree with his ideas.

The Contents

Advance praise from all over the world 11

Foreword 19

Introduction 21

Chapter 1 – How it is guaranteed not to continue 25

Today’s money is created from debt 25

Competition is war 27

The zero-sum dogma and the concept of negativity 29

The fundamental assumption of scarcity 31

One-sided growth delusion 33

Patents 34

Property 35

And now it’s time for take-off! 36

Chapter 2 – Joytopia 37

The encounter 37

Freegaia 39

The Joytopia model 41

A thousand thanks for being with us! 42

Win-win financing 44

The transition 46

Chapter 3 – The new monetary and economic model 49

Creating new thought structures 49

Nature as a role model 50

The power of vision 51

Nature practises a gift economy 52

Abundance 53

The threefold good 53

No creation of money through debt 54

Unconditional participation 56

Threefold creation of money by life 60

The active basic income 61

National income proportional to the number of inhabitants 61

Equalisation and Environment Fund 62

The cycle of life 63

Loans and investments 66

Quality of life, working climate and productivity 67

Freedom from taxes and compulsory insurances 69

Open source: free research and development 70

Free donation – the gift economy 70

The empty and the full bowls 72

The girl who silenced the world for five minutes 74

Why do we need money at all? 76

Here-and-now financing 76

Summary 78

Chapter 4 – The 100 most important advantages 81

1. Creation of money through life 82
2. No creation of money through debt 82
3. No gold standard 83
4. No goods coverage 84
5. Positive account balances 84
6. Stable money supply 85
7. The money supply cannot be manipulated 85
8. Money supply as in Central Europe 86
9. Stable prices 86
10. Self-regulating monetary and economic system 87
11. No financial bubbles 88
12. Relief for the following generations 88
13. Gentle transience 89
14. A merciful system forgives mistakes 89
15. No wars and fewer disasters 90
16. The economy serves people and not the reverse 90

The following further advantages can be found in the unabridged edition:

17. Active basic income
18. Unconditional basic income
19. Full employment
20. No problem with provision of essential goods
21. No maintenance problems: single parents are provided for with their children
22. Open-source developers are provided for
23. Free research and development
24. National budget equivalent to number of inhabitants
25. Freedom from tax and social security contributions
26. Much less state control
27. Reduction of bureaucracy
28. Higher incentive to perform well
29. Gross and net income the same
30. Lower wage costs
31. No definition for illegal work
32. Rehabilitation of state finances and asset protection
33. Repayment of state debt in just a few years
34. Protection of private assets
35. Capital flight is not worthwhile
36. Demographic change? No problem!
37. Old people are welcome
38. Sure provision for old age
39. No overpopulation problem
40. Only interest-free loans have a chance on the market
41. Large provision of loans leads to new financial products
42. Low credit risk
43. Interesting business investments
44. No interest hidden in prices
45. Win-win situation for lenders and borrowers
46. Equalisation and Environment Fund
47. Clear system of incentives for life
48. Healthy organic vegetable food
49. Only eco-friendly products have chances on the market
50. Incentives for eco-friendly technologies
51. Environmental requirement for property
52. Economic equalisation
53. The solution to the problem of world hunger
54. Female and male principles in balance
55. There is enough for everybody
56. Immigration problem solved
57. Respect indigenous peoples and protect their rights
58. Industrialised nations have customers able to pay
59. Developing countries can purchase technology and know-how
60. The rich can stay rich
61. The previously poor gain prosperity
62. Suited to everyone
63. Peace
64. High quality of work and life
65. Self-determined time schedule
66. Significantly less negative stress
67. Promotion of health
68. No unemployment
69. Good working climate
70. Meaningful work
71. Disappearance of useless and harmful work
72. Everybody can develop their full potential
73. No crime because of poverty
74. No pressure to consume
75. Significantly less production without social drawbacks
76. Consequently greatly reduced use of resources and less rubbish
77. Beneficial ecological footprints
78. Peaceful parallel introduction is possible
79. Simple and comprehensible for everyone
80. We can begin at once
81. Step-by-step plan for parallel introduction
82. Immediately feasible when people decide on it
83. Plans are adjusted and improved
84. Paper money is possible
85. Any form of payment is possible
86. Pilot projects in single countries
87. Worldwide introduction
88. Ethics
89. The threefold good
90. The good of the individual
91. The good of the community
92. The good of the big scheme of things
93. Reinforce what is positive
94. Promotes swarm intelligence in humans
95. Only possible together, no ego-trip
96. Appreciation of life
97. Appreciation of human dignity
98. After the pattern of nature
99. Prosperity for all
100. In harmony with nature

Chapter 5 – Let’s get going! 94

In place of a conclusion 96

Annexe – How you can contribute 97

Quotes & Comments

It takes a lot to write a book. It’s a risk putting your thoughts out there and Bernd has done it – congratulations and well done to him!

Bernd’s understanding of the problems with current economics is sound. As just one example of this (I could quote many) he says in one part:

Let’s make a summary again:

• The zero-sum dogma is contrary to nature. Living nature visible to us is always positive.
• The zero-sum dogma results in exploitation, both of nature and our fellowmen.
• The fundamental assumption of scarcity leads to a theory of economics opposed to nature, whose supporters do not shrink from making virtually all goods of daily life artificially scarce.

and

A system of creating money from debt harms everybody and benefits nobody. Interest and compound interest further aggravate the problem. But even interest-free monetary systems have the harmful impact described. Well-meaning alternative monetary systems, such as barter clubs and exchanges, LETS systems and suchlike are also included in this category. Regional currencies, which are tied to the national currency, cannot be considered as solutions for this very reason.

Touche!

His solution however raises concerns for me:

Do you remember where money comes from in the old system? Correct – from nothing! Assets and debts are created from »nothing«. Figures are generated in a computer according to internationally recognised rules. The old rules follow zero-sum principles and are designed in such a way that their impact harms everybody and benefits nobody. The gradido – the »living money« – is created from life itself. Through the existence of every person 3,000 gradidos are created every month without debts being created. The new rules, according to which the numbers are generated in a computer, follow the plus-sum principle and serve the threefold good – the good of the individual, the good of the community and the good of the big scheme of things.

Bernd makes the same error as many do, considering money to be a commodity. This is THE BIG DECEPTION that the bankers and others use to manipulate and control. The lie is that money is a commodity when it is not and can never be. Bernd of course presents his commodity money in a different way that appeals to his values and those whom will agree with him but he errs gravely when he says:

gradidos are created . . . without debts being created

Bernd continues in his description of Nirvana (what he calls Joytopia) with the same erroneous understanding:

The cycle of growth and decay makes the gradido a self-regulating system. The money supply is stable and can’t be manipulated.

This is all wrong. It is a fallacy of the first order. It is totally impossible because true money is not a commodity with a “supply” just the same as the quantity of ANY measurement can never “supplied” or “stable”!

Money can never be what the classical economics textbooks teach us (a unit of account [measurement], a store of value and a medium of exchange all at the same time). This is a logical fallacy of the first order.

A litre of water or a pound of butter are just that – measurements OF something . . . so a Dollar or a Euro (or in this case a Gradido) must be a measurement OF something. It is of course . . . DEBT! That’s what true money only ever can be – simply a record of a half completed transaction – NOTHING MORE!

Sure we use a piece of paper or digital equivalents to represent the debt but at its core a Gradido, Dollar, Euro or whatever simply represents debt, specifically as I constantly put it, “True money is only ever a record of a half-completed transaction**“.

This understanding has profound consequences but to think otherwise (where money is viewed as a commodity) simply plays right into the hand of darkness. I share more about this in other places, more recently: Importance of Trading, The Perfect Traders’ Currency, and the [non-mainstream but] Christian take on Usury-based money Usury-based money is accursed . . . plus my early posts about Club Credits: The race to zero, The nature of money and Smarter than Barter ~ Better than a Bank!

But Bernd is not by any means living in error in all he speaks in the book. Listen to this from his prescription from Joytopia:

Free donation is a crucial part of our economic system. While it used to be important to make big profits, the intention of free donations is to benefit yourself and others as much as possible with as little expense and work as possible. With this it isn’t so important to get something in return because the benefit and joy come back severalfold to the person who freely donated.

While this is an ideal, it a lovely one and one in which matches a ‘New World Order’ of the biblical (and New Age and other) kind. This is also the natural economy of the Samoan community prior to the arrival of Western Churchianity and Capitalism.

Again though this is a description of a philosophical ideal.

I’ve also learned something lovely from the book that I had never thought about or heard before, but is really interesting to me – the difference between our head and our heart when considering ‘differences’ and ‘similarities’. I have observed, written and taught about the distance between these two factors (the head and the heart) for years. They say of course that the longest distance in the world is that between a man’s head and his heart, but I’ve never compared the two’s natural ability to identify similarities or differences before. He says (and this certainly has some truth to it):

Our mind is an extremely precise instrument when it comes to recognising the finest differences. However, we recognise commonalities better with our hearts.

– Bernd Hückstädt

The prime concern I have with Gradido, is the entire concept of what I termed (in partial jest) the prescription for Nirvana – the perfect world. Strong among the New Age community, the concept and search for Nirvana (a perfect world) involves a global consciousness change. Nothing wrong with that in my book . . . let’s all work to make the world a better place by all means, but there is a problem to be overcome – self, self-interest, greed, pride or whatever one wants to label it. This is easily understood with the marketing acronym WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?).

As a strategist, we look for ways of achieving our goals, and in the case of Bernd, how could we achieve HIS goals. No currency, no allocation of credit in equal measure will ever alter the fallen nature of man. The vast majority of people always seek to benefit from life’s opportunities and any system, from the Bitcoin algorithm to government to social benefit/control systems to Bernd’s proposed solution will be viewed as an opportunity to benefit by the vast majority of the world’s population. It is very rare that humans transcend the natural urge to look after self first.

I find Gradido an interesting concept, more like a vision of how things could (or in Bernd’s view should) be. Bernd says himself:

You do not have to agree with everything you have read here. The gradido is a research project and the content of this book contains the present state of research.

I do not think that it has ‘legs’. It could easily capture the imagination of some people already in the same space, which is only natural (for birds of a feather flock together) but it will not achieve the goals of the designer, simply because it fails to deal with the underlying [in ‘Christianese speak’] fallen nature of humankind.

Furthermore I find that the combining of role a currency with a social, environmental, commercial or spiritual purpose is common but self-defeating***. Gradido is no different so in a nutshell sadly, it may be well meaning but is doomed.

“So . . . Mr Knowitall . . . how would YOU do it?” you may ask!

Briefly,

1. Understand that money is first and foremost only ever a record of a half-completed transaction – NOT a commodity that can and should be issued, controlled or bought and sold. So . . . that is an exit to gold, Bitcoin et al and all debt-based Legal Tender Currencies!
2. Understand that it is traders (not bankers, ‘market forces****’ or governments) who are the ones who determine the value of any money (and they do this at the point of sale); it is traders who are in the best position to determine what money is required, when it is required and the terms of issuance/credit etc and it is the traders who will determine the ethical issues of the use of that money (not philosophers, marketers, politicians, priests or currency geeks).
3. Give the people a tool (currency) that fits in with the basic criteria I mention in my post The Perfect Traders’ Currency which will solve their problems and achieve their objectives.
4. In another time, place and format feel free to attempt to change the world, hopefully making it a better place.

 * This is second behind the spiritual questions – specifically the question Jesus asked of His disciples, “Who do you say I am?”

** Christchurch economist Ron McKenzie was the first to use this phrase – he’s onto it!

*** As I explain in the post about the evils of usury, the nature of a currency CAN be blessed or accursed according to scripture (and thus the form of money is not always morally neutral) but even a currency built on sustainable, interest free mutual credit in accordance with scriptural guidelines can only ever be passive in these areas. It can be USED by those with agendas to facilitate them but it can never actually facilitate that agenda. They are two different, distinct components often confused.

**** aka big business

In this Book Review, I share the core contents of the Creation Ministries International recent publication, Evolution’s Achilles’ Heel. I then offer my personal story and a brief commentary to conclude.

In short, despite the desperate wishes of many to the contrary, no objective truth-seeker on the planet can deny that the problems associated with the concept of Evolution prove to be emphatically insurmountable. Belief in Evolution is entirely a religious activity in line with that of a cult.

This is a book with many strong statements on a vitally important subject. I like the book because it brings all the key issues into one place with experts all taking their best shots at showing the foolishness that continued belief in Evolution really is. These are all more than just body blows to Evolution – they are all lethal.

My summary includes my personal learning and awakening and is equally damning of the nonsense called Evolution, something so ludicrous that it has no right to even be called a Theory. Enjoy!

Preamble

Evolution’s Achilles’ Heel is a killer book. For any thinker and especially anyone with a modicum of truthseeking, it will kill off any last residue of faith in the cult called Evolution.

That’s good!

Let’s stop talking BS, nonsense and guesswork and get the facts out there. If you’ve got it all worked out and believe that Evolution is a fact, then either go away now or be ready to have your worldview turned upside down. As I said, this book is a killer, containing what should be substantial challenges for any Evolutionist who claims to be a truthseeker!

Compiler and editor is Dr Carl Wieland. A long time ago I met and spoke with Carl. My take was that he was onto it, straight and had no axe to grind. He appeared to be a guy just like me who had a brain, was using it and had worked out that the biblical account made better sense than anything else dished up by those with hidden agendas and egos that matched their horrendously ‘significant’ scientific and academic income streams (if they played the game).

After reading his early work and listening to his explanations about the world around him, I dug a little deeper and asked him what as a Biblical Creationist he didn’t know or understand and would like to know the answers to. He answered straight with the things that bothered him personally when comparing the visible measureable world around us with the scriptural account. I could see integrity.

He’s been heading up the Australian Biblical Creation organisation CMI (formerly Answers In Genesis) since the year dot, and has a pretty impressive track record in the industry, if you can call it an industry! As with Carl, I have found CMI to be totally switched-on organisation with a very clear mandate, mission, focus and strong leadership in Kem Ham, an Aussie-made-good in the USA. They are a top organisation – very professional.*

I would also note that CMI talks up the quality of the writers as all recognised experts in their field all with PhDs, and that this is a common defence up front against the incessant attacks from people whose belief systems are threatened by Biblical Creationists. CMI is at the front of it all, very actively putting the message into the public arena. It’s a serious war out there, a war for the hearts and minds (and some would say souls) of the world.

In this Book Review, I leave the bulk of the ‘talking’ to the various authors who contribute a chapter on their areas of expertise and then who finish the chapter addressing the same question, “Where does this lead?” [most probably written by Carl] as a summarising and linking paragraph. As a literary technique, it works very well.

[Introduction] – Dr Carl Wieland

The opening salvo [Chapter 1], by biologist Dr Don Batten, is on the whole issue of natural selection (something both logical and observable) as a mechanism by which the animate world has supposedly made itself.

It is fitting that it should be the first [Chapter] in line, as it represents the central point of departure from reality for Darwin. The others follow in logical sequence, stretching back into imaginary evolutionary time.

If reason has not yet departed too extensively from this post-modern culture, it is not too much to expect that this book will open the eyes of many to how the Bible, not evolution, fits the facts of the real world.

Chapter 1. Natural Selection – Dr Don Batten

QUOTES

Natural Selection [is] the cornerstone of Darwinian evolution … Natural selection is really a very straight-forward, commonsense idea. Creatures with features (traits) suited to survival in a given environment tend to survive better than those that do not have those features.

What is evolution? Is it ‘change over time’ [STE] or ‘the common ancestry of all species’ [GTE]? While trying to combine these two ideas, Darwin’s theory entailed the formation of new species (speciation), although he did not really explain how new species formed (and how it happens is still somewhat controversial) … speciation simply involves the origin of, for example, a variety of rabbit that no longer breeds with its ancestor rabbits. This is quite different from seeing a new species as a step in turning microbes into mankind. Darwin assumed that the variation seen between species was limitless, so that natural selection could change a microbe into a mongoose over eons of time.

Natural selection is not evolution

Natural selection is not original to Darwin

Natural selection is not a refutation of creation

There are thousands of examples of ‘living fossils’ that look identical to modern species and yet they are almost always given a different genus name , not just a different species. This misnaming gives the false impression of organisms changing whereas the evidence is often that they have changed very little or not at all. It aptly demonstrates how one’s starting paradigm governs the interpretation of ‘facts’. Fossils found on different continents also tend to get different names, adding to the confusion.

The process of speciation does not support evolution No observed speciation event lends any support to the idea that speciation leads to brand new organisms – new kinds … referring to [guppy data discussed as an example], an evolutionary geneticist commented, “As far as I know, these are still guppies.”

Natural Selection, if it works at all, is a creationist position.

Where does this lead?

Mutations and natural selection are clearly inadequate as a mechanism for the GTE [General Theory of Evolution, i.e. macro-evolution, the idea that man evolved from monkeys and monkeys from molecules].

The modern explosion in molecular biology has only added to the case against evolution as a viable explanation for the diversity of life on earth

The next chapter will explore what lies behind evolutionary theory, the field of genetics, and how modern discoveries in genetics render the idea of evolution (GTE) quite untenable.

Chapter 2. Genetics and DNA – Dr Robert Carter

QUOTES

Because of the time in which he lived, Charles Darwin knew nothing of genetics.

throughout his entire life, Darwin was ignorant of the fundamental processes upon which evolutionary theory needed to operate. It turns out that the laws of genetics are not friendly to evolutionary theory.

Darwin invented his own theory called Pangenesis. … There was no physical or experimental basis for this view [which] appealed directly to an older theory called Lamarckian inheritance [i.e.] “the inheritance of acquired characteristics”. Darwin certainly ascribed to [this theory] but he was wrong.

DNA fragility is one of many Achilles’ heels of evolutionary genetics, but it is an important one. In order for DNA to be useful, it needs a huge complement of repair enzymes to maintain it. There are many different ways DNA can be damaged and there are specific enzyme complexes that deal with each type of damage, but what is even more challenging to the evolutionary model is that those enzymes are also coded in the DNA, yet DNA cannot be sustained in the cell without them. This is a chicken-and-egg problem par excellence! … DNA is the last thing one would ever expect early life to start using for information storage.

Information maintenance is another Achilles’ heel of evolutionary genetics, for it does not work without a near-perfect information maintenance system.

‘Junk’ DNA is (mostly) functional

There is a grave problem with the one gene, one enzyme hypothesis, however, for like Darwin’s idea of Pangenesis and the existence of junk DNA, it is also wrong … From the results of the ENCODE project specifically, the world has been given a glimpse inside the most sophisticated computer operating system in the known universe— the human genome. But it is not a protein computer. Actually, the genome is more like an RNA supercomputer that outputs protein.

[In regards to the] Hyper-complexity of a four-dimensional genome … This is all extremely complicated, but it underscores the next Achilles’ heel of evolutionary genetics. Darwinism needs life to be simple. Natural selection needs the ability to take the little tweaks caused by mutation and select the best from a herd or group of animals. Once a species is in existence, perhaps natural selection could work in limited ways, but can this process explain how the species came into existence in the first place? Hardly, for a simple process of error accumulation and selection could not create a complex, interleaved, four-dimensional system with an amazing amount of data compression and flexibility. And, once that system is in place, it will be seriously threatened by future random changes through mutation. That is the situation we are in today. It is fine to imagine small changes to an already-existing, complex system. To use those small changes as an explanation for the origin of that system itself, however, is tantamount to saying there was no intelligence involved in the production of the latest computer operating systems. Yet the genome far surpasses in complexity and efficiency any operating system in the world today.

Where does this lead?

It should be plain by now that genetics is no friend of Darwin. His ignorance of the complexity of life, the means by which species reproduce, and the fragility of complicated systems, allowed him to theorize his way around insurmountable obstacles. [Darwin lived in an age pre-genetics thus created his own (incorrect) theory of genetics]

Darwinism should be appraised in the light of modern knowledge. Modern genetics supports the biblical account quite well. There is abundant evidence in the genes of modern man for the creation of two original people (Adam and Eve), a population bottleneck a few thousand years later (during Noah’s Flood), and a subdivision of the population a few generations after that (at Babel), with the subsequent single dispersal of humanity across the globe.

Not only that, but the rate of mutation, the distribution of mutations, and the fragility of the ultra-complex computer operating system called the human genome all testify to the youth of that system. One wonders if Darwin would have been able to come to the same conclusions if he were alive today (and if he openly and honestly dealt with the relevant data).

But it is not just the existence of genetics that is a threat to evolution, for the origin of life is no friend of evolutionary theory either. In the next chapter, we will look into this, for all evolutionary origin of life scenarios defy known laws of chemistry, physics and probability.

Chapter 3. The Origin of Life – Dr Jonathan Sarfati

QUOTES

Randomness is the antithesis of information. So is precise regularity (as in crystals). For information, which is neither random nor infinitely repeating, to arise naturalistically, in the absence of mind or programmed machinery, would require overcoming such huge probabilistic barriers as to be rightly called ‘impossible’.

the origin of first life is a glaring Achilles’ heel for materialists. Even the simplest living single-celled organism is extremely complex, including numerous, complex machines and the instructions to build them , all stored in a way that can be both decoded for use by the organism and passed on to offspring. The simplest theorized reproducing organism would require numerous proteins and molecular machines and a way to code and store the information needed to manufacture them. 1 Is it possible for such a cell to evolve from chemical precursors? In every known self-reproducing organism on earth today, DNA stores biological information , but that information can’t be read without decoding machinery. The instructions to build this decoding machinery are themselves stored on the DNA.Is it possible to solve this vicious chicken-and-egg problem? Furthermore, most of these processes use energy, supplied by ATP, produced by the nano-motor ATP synthase. But the ATP synthase motor can’t be produced without instructions in the DNA, read by decoding machinery using ATP – a three-way circle, or perhaps an egg-nymph-grasshopper problem (i.e. it is even worse than a chicken-and-egg problem). Is there a solution to this perplexing conundrum, or does it signal to us that the origin of life as we know it is impossible? Some propose to solve these problems by having one type of molecule function as both the information storage/ retrieval system and the decoding machinery. But how does the most common candidate, RNA, measure up to the requirements of first life?

Darwinian processes can’t explain first life

information, rather than chemistry, is the main problem for the origin of life. Even the simplest imagined life would have enormous information content … No origin-of-life simulation approaches this bare minimum in the slightest.

Natural selection can’t operate without a self-sustaining, reproducing system. Therefore, it can’t be invoked to explain this minimum level of complexity. All evolutionists have is chance. This is amenable to fairly simple probability calculations.

one could calculate the probability of obtaining the DNA sequences for each of these proteins at random … 20 amino acids … 387 proteins for the simplest possible life … 10 conserved amino acids on average … This is one chance in one followed by over 5,000 zeroes. So it would be harder than guessing a correct 5,000-digit PIN on the first go! Yet, without this entirely fortuitous assemblage, life is not possible. This is not a matter of slowly building up pre-living chemicals, for this is the simplest form of life according to those who believe the origin of life is possible from a chemical soup.

These numbers are so large as to be meaningless. The point is to illustrate the statistical impossibility (beyond ‘improbability’) of the origin of life from non-living chemicals.

Chemistry [is] the mortal enemy of the spontaneous origin of life

few seem aware that there is not the slightest evidence that [chemical evolutionary has] ever existed.

The origin of life from non-living chemicals has been an article of blind faith, not science, and this has been true since the time of Darwin. The main problem with much chemical evolutionary theorizing is that the theorists consider life as an assembly of chemicals rather than an information-processing machine, and they never answer the question, “How did molecular hardware get to write its own software?” Natural selection can’t explain origin of first life. Machines are required to process this information. But this information includes instructions to build these machines. Thus, chicken-and-egg problems abound. These machines need energy, and this comes from the ATP synthase motor. But the motor can’t be built without the instructions and reading machinery coded into DNA, and the assembly machinery needs ATP to be assembled. This constitutes an egg-nymph-grasshopper problem … Finally, there is no evidence in the ‘earliest’ rocks for the early and necessary stages of chemical pre-life. In essence, the laws of physics, chemistry and probability disagree with the abiotic origin of life hypothesis. It is not biblical creationists who are appealing to a god-of-the-gaps argument here! In fact, our contention is that an intelligent, creator God who exists outside the universe and is the cause of the universe is the only reasonable conclusion when faced with what we have learned through centuries of experimental science.

Where does this lead?

This book started with an analysis of Darwin’s main engine for evolution, natural selection, and found it wanting

We then dealt with genetics, of which Darwin was totally ignorant, even though it was necessary for a full understanding of evolution, and saw that evolution failed here as well. Those two chapters make a nice couplet, as the topics are central to his theory.

The present chapter on the origin of life can be paired with the next chapter by Dr Emil Silvestru on the fossil record. These are two topics that Darwin needed to be true, but he had to assume they would support his theory eventually, for the science was in its infancy.

We saw that Darwin attempted to avoid discussing the ultimate origin of life, and for good reason! It turns out that he also avoided detailed discussion of the fossil record, for he knew that it did not support his ideas, according to the knowledge of the day.

If evolution is true, first, it should be possible on chemical and statistical grounds (it is not), and second, we should see evidence for it in the fossil record. Was Darwin right to assume future discoveries would demonstrate slow change over millions of years? It turns out that the reality of the fossil record is yet another Achilles’ heel of evolution.

Chapter 4. The Fossil Record – Dr Emil Silvestru

QUOTES

… the general picture of the fossil record is not what Darwin and Darwinists since Darwin want it to be.

… it is absurd and outright unscientific to claim that absence cannot be used as argument against the very concept of transitional forms, especially since the story that the fossil record presents is far from satisfying to evolutionary paleontologists:

Can you see that, if evolution, on the one hand, claims to explain radical changes over time while, on the other hand, also claims to explain radical stasis over time, there is no evidence one can submit as a test of evolutionary theory? Truly, it is more philosophy than science.

If the biological diversity of life today is the result of nearly 4 billion years of descent with modification through natural selection, the fossil record should provide the ultimate evidence for it. It turns out that one can hardly find a more factual example for the weaknesses of such a naturalistic view, making the fossil record a true Achilles’ heel of evolution. Darwin knew it, and modern paleontologists know it.

It almost appears that the fossil record has been turned today into an icon, a sacred image that is worshipped by a crowd of disciplined followers.

It became impossible to build a tree because of too many branches, and sections of the trunk are entirely missing. Instead, cladograms are now used.

the general picture of the fossil record is not what Darwin and Darwinists since Darwin want it to be. Offset fossils and a lack of natural explanations (other than Noah’s Flood) for fossil accumulation are a serious challenge to evolution.

Darwin was well aware of something strange in the Cambrian: a number of fossils found in Cambrian strata seemed to pop into the fossil record with nothing more primitive to connect to in the Precambrian layers below … Darwin’s ultimate solution was an escape to the future, when the fossil record will yield evidence to prove him right.

we must understand that the vast majority of fossils used as evidence for evolutionary transitions display small-scale variation only, what can be described as variation within a basic kind. Thus, they fit into the common creationist idea that God created multiple, independent kinds of animals, each with a rich genetic diversity and the capacity to moderately change in order to adapt and survive in different environments.

the creationist diluvial interpretation has been marginalized for over two centuries. For the last half-century it has become a target for incessant, well-orchestrated and aggressive attacks. Given the absolute dominance of the evolutionary media, the general public is not usually presented with any real creationist argument, just alarm that creationists still exist. If arguments are mentioned, they are usually distorted and outdated, or in terms of logical fallacies, they are called ‘straw man’ arguments.

These are just a few of the many cases that could be cited. It makes us wonder why the need for so much fraud if the evolution of humans is certain? The answer is obvious : fossils do not support the evolution of humans and apes from a common ancestor. It is this absence of evidence that forces frustrated anthropologists to explore every possible way to compensate for the lack of fossils. The frauds themselves are not an Achilles’ heel for evolution, but they do highlight an interesting problem: all the data used historically to support human evolution has since been rejected.

Where does this lead?

The first two chapters worked together and dealt with the centerpiece of Darwinism: natural selection, and its corollary, genetics.

The third chapter, on the chemical and statistical constraints that apply to all origin-of-life models, worked hand-in-hand with this one on the fossil record. Not only is the origin of life from non-living matter conceptually difficult, and not only is it chemically and physically impossible, but its diversification through time is not reflected in the fossil record!

Even after that initial spark of life supposedly occurred, there is no record of the vast experiments that would have been required for life to have evolved to its current state. And, according to the first chapters on natural selection and genetics, there is also no mechanism in the physical world that could have led to the vast diversity and complexity of life on earth today.

The first two chapters dealt with what Darwin thought was true. The second two dealt with what Darwin assumed was true and thought future discoveries would prove. From here, we will look at what Darwin needed to be true, specifically long ages. From the fossil record, we move to a discussion on the rock record and whether or not it gives Darwinism the time he knew he needed.

Chapter 5. The Geologic Record – Dr Tasman Walker

QUOTES

rocks and fossils cannot be read like a book . The so-called ‘histories’ that are derived from this evidence are based upon preexisting assumptions that are brought to bear when interpreting the layers. It may come as a surprise to some, but the rocks are often described as ambiguous, because they can support multiple interpretations.

contrary to popular belief, the eons of time provided by geology are not based upon discoveries that geologists make, but flow out of assumptions that were accepted within the discipline over 150 years ago. In Darwin’s time, these assumptions seemed plausible … However, our geological understanding of the earth has increased a thousand fold and more since then. It is rapidly becoming apparent that uniformitarian assumptions do not match the geological observations.

[Influential geologist Lyell changed the accepted biblical basis for geology of the time. His] philosophy dismisses biblical history from consideration because the Bible describes two significant catastrophic events that we do not see happening today. No one alive today observed the global Flood; neither did anyone alive today witness the original Creation events. With a wave of the hand, Lyell dismissed these key events of biblical history , allowing them no place at the table of ideas. According to Lyell, we cannot use the biblical Flood as an explanation for anything, no matter what geological evidence we observe.

Lyell gave geologists a technique [uniformitarianism] by which they could invent their own ‘history’ solely from observing rocks in the present.

The preservation of fossils of soft-bodied creatures [like jellyfish] is a huge problem for all uniformitarian views

The fossils being recovered from around the world are providing a growing body of evidence that uniformitarianism does not work. The philosophy popularized more than 150 years ago, does not predict or explain much about fossils discovered since that time.

contrary to the long-age assumptions, finely layered rock does not need long periods of time to form but can form very rapidly.

Tas gives many examples of assumptions of long ages that are now being proven invalid – diamonds, opals etc created in weeks; Stalactites, stalagmites and petrification within years; coal, sedimentary layering immediately with the right conditions. His conclusion: Geological features do not demand millions of years.

Slow-and-gradual interpretations do not work

Lyell [claimed] that causes, or processes, now in operation would be sufficient to explain all geologic evidence. However, geological exploration is revealing a picture of massive catastrophism on all continents, as we will see. As this picture emerges, geologists are losing faith in uniformitarianism and are working to find an alternative interpretive philosophy.

[Regarding theoretical swamp-like conditions for forming coal] Geologists won’t say the vegetation washed into place, because that would require a flood of biblical proportions, which is far too catastrophic. So, unable to appeal to a large flood, they are only left with a large swamp. However, we have no modern examples of coal forming in any of the many swamps across the world, even though we know it can form quickly.

With a string of examples around the world that all point to catastrophic global flood (coal deposits, polystrate fossils, vast sedimentary blankets on the continents, flat gaps, thick sandstone formations, large igneous provinces, fast granite formation and boulder deposits transported vast distances), Tas summarises:

Since Lyell, geologists have carefully documented the geological features of our planet and also applied themselves to explaining those features without invoking catastrophe. Now, one hundred and fifty years down the track, with the exploration of vast areas of the earth and the publication of geological libraries of books, maps and reports, the old paradigm is stretched to breaking under the weight of contrary evidence. It has not been possible to explain things as Lyell imagined and we have only scratched the surface. The list of problems could be greatly expanded.

Turning to the biblical sources of history, Tas says:

But the Bible connects with reality because it records history, and understanding history can help us interpret the evidence we see today. Some events, such as the global Flood, are highly relevant to the geology of the globe.

Geologically speaking, I found that, by starting with the Bible, one can make sense of the evidence … Biblical geology solves uniformitarian puzzles … Biblical geology explains geomorphology (the physical features of the surface of the earth) … Biblical geology explains the Ice Age.

The biblical [model with involved an enormous tectonic upheaval of the crust and mantle during the global flood] undoes uniformitarianism

Over the last fifty years , there has been a wealth of research carried out by biblical geologists who have published a growing body of literature. It is showing that models constructed from biblical history do explain the evidence [which] challenge[s] uniformitarianism. [It] prove[s] that the Bible does indeed have a powerful connection with reality.

Where does this lead?

Strategically, the strict uniformitarianism of Lyell and his contemporaries was essential to establish an old age for the earth. To allow even the tiniest grain of catastrophism into the mix would threaten it. Thus, every geological problem became a work in progress— how to explain evidence using slow-and-gradual processes when it looked like it was produced by catastrophe.

The measure of scientific competence was the ability to explain catastrophic evidence in terms of uniformitarian processes. Some of the explanations were immensely creative and are still clung to, even to this day, such as the uniformitarian explanations for coal and massive water-laid sand deposits discussed earlier.

Clearly, the geologic record does not support the grand-scale evolutionary timeline. It has become a significant Achilles’ heel for evolutionary theory. However, with the development of radiometric dating and the establishment of ‘absolute’ dates on the global stratigraphic column, the need to hold to a strict uniformitarianism diminished. Geologists felt secure enough with the geologic time scale to allow catastrophe without destroying their worldview.

Yet, the situation is not as secure as is imagined because of problems being uncovered with radioactive dating, and that leads to the next Achilles’ heel of evolution.

Chapter 6. Radiometric Dating – Dr Jim Mason

This is the most technical chapter of the book.

The concept of evolution has been shown in the first five chapters to have serious credibility problems with biology, genetics, paleontology and geology all conspiring to unravel the myth. Jim Mason tackles the assumptions about long-ages from radiometric dating.

This is important for . . .

Evolution relies on long ages as an enabling prerequisite to allow enough time for the accumulation of the many changes needed to give rise to higher species. While the Bible clearly teaches through its chronological data that the earth is around 6,000 years old, radiometric dating is alleged to provide conclusive proof that the world is 4.54 billion years old (the currently accepted value). Even in an age when many question evolutionary theory, its corollary of millions and billions of years often remains an unchallenged icon in the debate about origins. The average layperson thinks that ‘science’ can prove such things as the age of a rock, a fossil, or even the earth. Consequently, radiometric dating is of paramount importance to evolutionists. As other areas of science increasingly give evidence that evolution is flawed, increasingly radiometric dating is called on to provide the long ages that seemingly discredit the Bible. Alas for evolution! Radiometric dating does not yield the support evolution needs.

Radiometric dating is a relatively straightforward science … While the theory of radiometric dating and the associated calculations are pretty straightforward, they are based on a number of assumptions. [which of course are based on ‘possibly/probably’ wrong preconceptions] These all relate to things that have happened in the past, so there is no way of knowing whether they are true … The fact that the radiometric ages for the above rocks of known ages turn out to be so seriously inaccurate is a strong suggestion that one or more of these assumptions is incorrect.

In relation just one of these assumptions (the starting point for measurements), Jim gives an example in relation to flawed radio-metric dating techniques:

To understand how this works, consider a hypothetical wristwatch that can measure time to one one-millionth of a second … If it is not set to the correct time, it will measure the time very precisely but always incorrectly. It, too, will be precisely wrong.

Evolution needs millions/ billions of years. Radiometric dating is alleged to provide unequivocal proof that the earth is 4.54 billion years old. However, as has been shown, radiometric ages are unreliable.

In summary, radiometric dating does not provide the unequivocal support for the millions and billions of years required by evolution. In fact, radiometric dating provides evidence for a much younger earth, in line with the history recorded in the Bible.

Where does this lead?

If radiometric dating exposes yet another Achilles’ heel of evolution, what is left? The last remaining hope for evolution’s millions/ billions of years is a universe that is billions of light-years in size and, allegedly, also billions of years old.

However, in the next chapter, it is explained how the universe can be billions of light years in size and yet we can see starlight from these distant galaxies on an earth that is only about 6,000 years old, just as the Bible says.

Chapter 7. Cosmology and the Big Bang – Dr John Hartnett

QUOTES

John shows that there are two widely accepted fallacies – first that the big bang theory is widely accepted as fact, when it is actually simply a concept and can never be proven, because (and secondly that) cosmology is a philosophy, not a science.

Even though he derided the idea of a big bang, Hoyle was an atheist and believed in an eternal universe without beginning or end. The model that now bears his label, the ‘big bang’, has an origin in time and has become the dominant worldview of the majority of the scientific community. Here is a very important and crucial point: the big bang theory is accepted a priori as the correct description for the origin and structure of the universe.

many big bang believers have sought to find a naturalistic cause to the universe. Once one understands the philosophical nature of the issue, however, all objections raised to date against the cosmogony described in the first chapters of Genesis cannot be sustained

‘Cosmology may look like a science, but it isn’t a science,’ says James Gunn of Princeton University, co-founder of the Sloan survey [currently the biggest large-scale survey of millions of galaxies— JH].

‘A basic tenet of science is that you can do repeatable experiments, and you can’t do that in cosmology.’ ‘The goal of physics is to understand the basic dynamics of the universe,’ [Michael] Turner says. ‘Cosmology is a little different. The goal is to reconstruct the history of the universe.’ Cosmology is more akin to evolutionary biology or geology, he says, in which researchers must simply accept some facts as given.

cosmology is what we call historical science , because it tries to reconstruct the past history of the universe from observations we make today.

It was the presupposition of denial of biblical authority, particularly regarding the Creation and Flood accounts, which led to long-age beliefs about the earth. It then followed that geological evolution led to biological evolution. Cosmic evolution’ is the application of the same sorts of naturalistic (no Creator) assumptions to the origin of the earth and all heavenly bodies, the universe itself. Despite heroic efforts to portray it as ‘God’s way of creating’, the big bang in fact epitomizes the currently fashionable model: a fully materialistic system of cosmic evolution. So, you see, cosmology is not so much about empirical science but about a philosophy— a worldview.

Cosmologist George F. R. Ellis candidly explained, “People need to be aware that there is a range of models that could explain the observations … What I want to bring into the open is the fact that we are using philosophical criteria in choosing our models. A lot of cosmology tries to hide that.”

A ‘tricky’ practice (well known in the circles of deception) is to invent something to explain something unknown, then claim it as fact. John refers to the past intention of a planet behind the sun to explain Mercury’s orbit, abandoned when Einstein’s Theory of Relativity explained it. Cosmologists do this of necessity:

Lieu lists five evidences where cosmologists use ‘unknowns’ to explain ‘unknowns’, and hence he says they are not really astrophysicists. Yet these evidences are claimed to be all explained … by the big bang ΛCDM inflation model. None of them are based on laboratory experiments and they are unlikely ever to be explained this way. They are:

1. Galaxy redshifts, explained by expansion of space,
2. CMB radiation, explained as the afterglow of the big bang,
3. Rotation curves of spiral galaxies, explained by dark matter,
4. Distant supernovae dimmer than expected, hence an accelerating universe, explained by dark energy,
5. Flatness and isotropy, explained by inflation.

The fatal flaw of the big bang model of cosmic evolution is that it is based on unverifiable assumptions, primarily the cosmological principle. After that, key evidences are explained by ‘unknowns’ that cannot be experimentally verified. The big bang must be believed by faith because it falls outside our normal concepts of experimental science. We have only one universe and so we cannot test models for the universe by comparing it against other universes. This is cosmology’s Achilles’ heel. The fact is that one cannot determine the history of the universe from a model which cannot be independently tested. The big bang cosmology is only verified in the minds of those who already hold to that belief that billions of years ago the universe created itself ex nihilo.

Where does this lead?

Thus far, we have examined seven major Achilles ’ heels of naturalistic evolutionary theory. We began with Darwin’s main thesis, that natural selection can explain the common ancestry of all species. We then looked at the mechanisms behind natural selection, genetics. From there, we began to dissect the main idea behind biological evolution— deep time— including the fossil record, the rock record, radiometric dating and, now, cosmology.

In all of these areas we found major problems with both the theory and its fit to the evidence. And, occasionally, we have given counter examples to show how biblical history fits the evidence better.

What follows next is the final Achilles’ heel of them all: human nature. In order to truly understand these issues, we have to look at the universe through the lens of both naturalistic philosophy and its alternatives. We need to look into the scientific process itself. For that, we turn to two Ph.D. scientists who have thought long and deep on these issues.

Chapter 8. Ethics and Morality – Dr David Catchpoole & Dr Mark Harwood

QUOTES

ethics and morality [are] where the rubber hits the road for every man, woman and child living on the earth today

acceptance of evolutionary theory has strong societal implications. While some people actively dodge, or are blithely ignorant of, the issues addressed by the first seven chapters of this book (covering biology, chemistry, geology, and astronomy), a person’s ethics is an undeniable reflection of their belief system and is pivotal to how they live (or try to live) their daily lives. And how a person lives their daily life is profoundly influenced by their belief about where they think they came from. Either we are the result of a giant cosmic accident, and therefore there is no ultimate meaning or purpose to life and no objective basis to morality, or we are created by a transcendent God, for a purpose, and will ultimately be held to account for how we have lived our lives.

That the evolutionary worldview is belief based, and is therefore religious in nature, is underscored by the atheist Professor of Zoology of Harvard University, Richard Lewontin, who admitted, “Our willingness to accept scientific claims that are against common sense is the key to an understanding of the real struggle between science and the supernatural. We take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of its failure to fulfill many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism. It is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, no matter how counter-intuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated. Moreover, that materialism is absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door.”

In essence , the materialist is obliged to reject the supernatural because of their a priori assumption that there is no God. Atheistic materialism is therefore an active religious belief system although this is vehemently denied by its adherents who seek to maintain the myth that it is a neutral position. Morality and evolution

If random molecular rearrangements led to the first cellular life, which, purely by time and chance, eventually became people, then there is no basis for determining value for anything aside from the shifting sands of human opinion.

With an evolutionary worldview, there can be no such thing as absolute morality, objective good or evil, or free will. That is the clear conclusion from evolutionary teaching,

Richard Dawkins, today’s most vociferous advocate for evolution, admits to divided thinking when he claims, “I’m a passionate Darwinian when it comes to science, when it comes to explaining the world, but I’m a passionate anti-Darwinian when it comes to morality and politics.” But such a position reveals the atheist is without an objective basis for his morality. And that leaves him subject to arbitrary changes in moral code in response to changing external pressures such as drifting societal values. It is surely disingenuous to borrow the moral code of Christianity while rejecting its roots. Furthermore, it is naïve to expect people who believe in evolution not to apply it in everyday life.

There is no doubt that most people believe they are capable of logical reasoning. But, if evolution were true, reasoning (indeed, any thought) is just an epiphenomenon of the brain and the results of the laws of chemistry and random processes. But that raises some very awkward, indeed self-contradictory, thoughts.

In reality, if evolutionists were right about evolution, they can’t help what they believe (including their belief in evolution!). Yet they often call themselves “freethinkers”, overlooking the glaring irony. Genuine initiation of thought is an insuperable problem for someone who believes in evolutionary origins. So is consciousness itself.

Ultimately, if evolution is true, there is no reason to trust our own thoughts as rational. We can only respond to stimuli according to the chemical reactions in our brain that are, in turn, controlled by the genes we inherited from our early ancestors. What’s more, we have no way of even knowing what we are missing!

Richard Dawkins said, “The universe we observe has … no design, no purpose, no evil and no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference. … DNA neither knows nor cares. DNA just is. And we dance to its music.”

evolutionary psychologist Dr Susan Blackmore affirmed, “In the end nothing matters … If you really think about evolution and why we human beings are here, you have to come to the conclusion that we are here for absolutely no reason at all.”But evolutionists are not acting consistently with their nihilistic belief system. If evolution really were true, there is absolutely no reason to care about it— yet leading evolutionists such as Dawkins and Blackmore are passionate in their enthusiasm for evolution. What gives?

The ‘truth’ that Dawkins is so passionate about is an atheistic, religious belief that rejects out of hand any notions of the supernatural – matter and energy is all there is. It also emphatically denies the Truth of God in Scripture, shoehorning its adherents into searching for some kind of meaning and purpose in the blind, wasteful, cruel forces of nature.

The debate between creation and evolution is acted out in the public arena of science. Interestingly, modern science was born in Western civilizations based on the assumption that there is a God who has created an ordered universe based on predictable laws and principles which, in turn, have engendered investigation to understand how the universe operates.

When a society embraces the evolutionary paradigm and rejects the Creator God of the universe, plunging its roots deep into atheistic soil, the fruit is tragically predictable.

The authors discuss a string of human disasters associating them with specific evolutionary (as opposed to biblical) thought. While there is another side to this subject in that there has also been religious adherents who have acted outside the biblical norms, their examples are clear and their case is strong that Evolutionary thinking is not conducive to encouraging biblical love for our fellow mankind.

They detail mis-treatment of Indigenous Australians based on evolutionary teaching of the time; Herero Genocide in Africa; the impact of Eugenics; Francis Galton and forced sterilisation; the philosophies of lesser nations that fueled World War I; World War II and Hitler; Stalin’s murder of tens of millions; Mao Zedong in China along the same lines; Cambodia & Pol Pot, the Columbine Tragedy; Pekka-Eric Auvinen in Finland and more. It makes for sombre reading.

Clearly, the creation/ evolution controversy is not merely ‘of academic interest’ … Of course, holding an evolutionary worldview does not necessarily lead to such extreme actions as mass murders. In a myriad of minor ways our daily lives reflect our worldview.

It is interesting to note the recent increasing trend in fraud in scientific reporting. There have been some very well documented past frauds and blunders in the field of evolution, such as Haeckel’s embryos, Piltdown Man and Nebraska Man but the trend is markedly upward and is posing a significant challenge for the scientific community.

In summary, the fruit that emanates from people whose roots are embedded deeply into atheistic evolution are all too easily seen in Western society today. On the other hand, the fruit that emanates from those whose roots are embedded deeply into biblical Christianity are a great blessing to their nation and to others. As Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, said, “I think back to many discussions in my early life when we all agreed that if you try to take the fruits of Christianity without its roots, the fruits will wither. And they will not come again unless you nurture the roots.”

The authors finish with a concern to present the issue of ethics and morality in light of a restored relationship with the Creator and personal advice

There is a danger in discussing the topic of ethics and morality that the reader is left with the mistaken impression that Christianity is just another code of ethics, albeit a very high one. The Bible clearly teaches that this is not so. No amount of keeping the rules will ever reform the heart of man so that he can once again be in relationship with his Creator.

God Himself offers the only way to be truly guilt free— through faith in Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God.

I have found that the concept of Evolution is not credible; that the Intelligent Designer is the God of the Bible and thus concur.

Where does this lead?

The first seven chapters in this book have provided the foundation for understanding that the basis for evolutionary ‘ethics’ is false. Germane to Darwin’s theory of biological evolution is the idea of an ‘old earth’, which gave Darwin the millions of years that his theory needed. Ultimately, belief in a vast antiquity of the earth and in random processes of biological evolution served to do away with God as the creator. This has had a significant effect on his, and now our society’s, perception of morality.

One particular geologist helped to sow the idea of ‘long eras of time’ in Darwin’s mind , Adam Sedgwick. Darwin worked as an assistant to Sedgwick prior to his famous around-the-world voyage on the Beagle. Although Sedgwick did not support Lyell’s uniformitarianism, he was also no biblical creationist, being instrumental in the development of the idea of long geological eras (e.g. the Devonian and Cambrian eras). Indeed, Darwin pays tribute to Sedgwick, writing of Sedgwick’s lectures, “What a capital hand is Sedgewick [sic] for drawing large cheques upon the Bank of Time!”

And time, of course, is what Darwin needed. But Sedgwick was horrified to read Origin, telling his former apprentice:

If I did not think you a good tempered & truth loving man I should not tell you that … I have read your book with more pain than pleasure. Parts of it I admired greatly; parts I laughed at till my sides were almost sore; other parts I read with absolute sorrow; because I think them utterly false & grievously mischievous—You have deserted—after a start in that tram-road of all solid physical truth— the true method of induction … There is a moral or metaphysical part of nature as well as a physical. A man who denies this is deep in the mire of folly. Tis the crown & glory of organic science that it does thro ’ final cause, link material to moral … You have ignored this link; &, if I do not mistake your meaning, you have done your best in one or two pregnant cases to break it. Were it possible (which thank God it is not) to break it, humanity in my mind, would suffer a damage that might brutalize it—& sink the human race into a lower grade of degradation than any into which it has fallen since its written records tell us of its history.

Sedgwick did nothing less than predict the history of the 20 th century , where millions of people were killed under regimes guided by an evolutionary worldview. If only Sedgwick had realized that , like Lyell, it was his own long-age teaching that opened the way for humanity to be thus brutalized, perhaps Sedgwick would have had cause to ponder his own distorting of the Bible’s account of origins. Sadly, many in the church today still compromise the Word of God with the pronouncements of historical science— pronouncements based on an atheistic ideology about the unobserved untestable events of our origins.

That’s why this topic of ethics is really the linchpin to bringing people to a point of engagement in the debate. That’s why the previous seven chapters have led naturally to this final one.

And now, we draw this book to a close. We hope that you have been open to testing the claims of evolution and deciding how you might respond. The eight pillars of evolutionary theory have been analyzed and found wanting. Our conclusion is that evolution is a house of cards built upon the faulty assumption of naturalism. When one learns to question the evolutionary assumptions, the house comes tumbling down.

In contrast, the biblical account of creation is logical, consistent, workable, and, we believe, correct, especially since it derives directly from the infallible Word of God. And so it’s now up to you, dear reader, to pass on the crucial information in this book to those who don’t yet realize that evolution has many Achilles’ Heels, weaknesses that not only render it lame, but dead in the water. For those who challenge you, or who want to dig deeper, direct them to creation.com —an ever-growing resource of information affirming the truth of the Bible.

My Story ~ My Comments

In 1987, and a Christian of 9 years standing, I was stunned when I found that there were thousands of scientists across the globe who interpreted the physical evidence around us through the eyes of a literal translation of the creation verses within the Bible.

• They viewed the complexity of life as evidence of Intelligent Design, which of course a Christian ascribes to the Lord God.
• They viewed the masses of sedimentary rock across the globe as clear evidence of a global flood – enter the Noah’s Flood story.
• They analysed genetics and came to see the various people groups that could easily match the dispersion at the Tower of Babel.
• They questioned the underlying premises, interpretations and supposed evidences for Evolution and identified a naturalistic [and therefore anti-biblical] agenda.
• They called themselves Biblical Creationists.

I had been taught that evolution was a fact and had been fully proven, thus never having given the matter much more than a passing thought, I had just assumed that God had simply used evolution to create and that one day equalled a thousand [or if a day wasn’t a day then (what the hell), a billion (or two would didn’t make much difference!) years in God’s economy. Of course this would mean that the six days of creation were figurative, not literal which in 1987 was the issue I found myself facing. I was, by default at that stage best described as a Theistic Evolutionist i.e. I assumed that God did it through evolution, a position more ludicrous than outright Naturalistic Evolutionism for it compromised both extremes and gained a little for taking on a credibility destroying compromise.

I am a truth-seeker first and foremost, Christian second, so, stunned as I was with the realisation that there were people of note who actually believed that the evidence fitted a relatively short-age, literal six days of creation. Incredible! I then launched into one of the first and what has been THE most serious and longest-running investigations of my life. I purchased every book I could lay my hands on and studied, researched, thought, questioned and learned about evolution vs creationism. I’ve been doing it actively ever since. It still has me spell-bound learning about the intricacies of an incredible world clearly designed but more than just designed, designed to a level of detail and complexity that the mortal human mind simply cannot comprehend.

That the most powerful super-computer on the plant can not even process information equal to that of one human brain cell . . . that tens of thousands of incredible miniature machines populate just one living cell . . . that self-reproduction, self-repairing and intricate information storage and processing . . . all occurred without design beggared belief.

I’d been hoodwinked. I am a proud man and I DEFINITELY don’t like being made a fool of!

The blinkers of indoctrination fell off as I found that:

• there could be no reasonable explanation for our existence other than Intelligent Design;
• in the Hebrew language it could not be a clearer that the first Chapter of the book of Genesis was a literal statement of actual history;
• ‘Historical Science” (the art of examining the past) required scientists to have assumptions and that those assumptions included ones that didn’t always ‘pass muster’;
• there was a history of deception, hidden agendas and stuff behind the scenes that conspired to influence me unreasonably.

The result of my investigations was that I too became a solid Biblical Creationist.

Now nobody alive actually saw the biblically claimed creation event nor was anyone there to observe the claimed evolution, therefore . . . nobody knows, but my take was that the evidence when looked at objectively better fitted the ‘literal biblical creation story’ than the ‘evolutionary story’. Far better. Completely in fact!

It was not a vote in my mind. It was a slam-dunk; clear as can be; fact vs. fiction. Not 50/50 and leaning to the bible because I was a Christian. Not even, ‘not enough evidence to make a claim’. Not even 80/20 nor even 99:1.

When one has an open mind and does the research it is 100/0 as Evolution’s Achilles’ Heel shows – Evolution [defined as GTE, or macro-evolutions] is a really dumb idea and is totally impossible. I believe that it’s promoted and believed because in the main people WANT it to be true. It HAS to be true for those that want to avoid the possibility that there is a Designer, particularly the possibility that there is a Designer to whom we will eventually be accountable! Particularly obnoxious to the proud human spirit is of course the Christian faith, thus belief in evolution helps validate the religion of ABC, Anything But Christ.

But this was only the beginning! Since then I have watched, sometimes in hysterics, as a raft of serious believers in Evolution have strutted their stuff in front of the media, day after day, month after month, year after year, and now decade after decade and the pattern is always the same . . . a grand announcement with the essence of the message, “We’ve got it! This is the proof we’ve been looking for! See evolution is a fact! This [tooth, bone fragment, fossil, whatever] is the missing link that we’ve been searching for and it’s really exciting [because of ABC] blah blah blah!”

What I wait for, and in many cases actively search for, is the biblical creationists’ responses that always come in due course, pouring cold water onto the religion of ABC, “No, they haven’t found a missing link, they’ve actually just found a [enter common sense here] and this ‘proves’ nothing of the sort!”

The inevitable retractions, corrections and exposure of foolishness is of course never talked about in the same manner as the announcement, but more than a century now, it ALWAYS comes . . . always! Identifying such patterns is important for a truthseeker for it highlights the hidden agendas. In most cases the ‘scientists’ will be well meaning of course, but blinded, with a priori assumptions and to my way of thinking, totally deluded.

A purely naturalistic agenda, with the pre-condition that there is no God; that our existence MUST therefore be explained by Evolution; that the evidence must be made to fit this conclusion, is not science, nor is it worthy of consideration by a genuine truthseeker.

The core ideas contained in Evolution’s Achilles’ Heel existed in 1987 but only in a simple form. The Biblical Creation movement was in its earliest days too and has matured and developed enormously since. The Intelligent Design movement had yet to get started but has now arrived and gone mainstream (meaning that many non-religious acknowledge that there has to be a Designer). Scientific knowledge has progressed enormously with more data, knowledge and understanding of how living things work.

Yet, the subjects raised in Evolution’s Achilles’ Heel have never been addressed satisfactorily – the reason is because they simply can’t be!

We can interpret the physical evidence however we so choose but belief in something that has not been seen, cannot be tested or measured; the details that are not even agreed upon by the main proponents; that has been explained, justified and validated by a string of different ideas that have all been later proven to be misguided, biased, deceptive, false and in many cases downright fraudulent is not science . . . the promotion of Evolution is nothing less than a religious cult.

Truthseekers, grab a copy of the book** and take note!

* While New Zealand (my country of birth) for many decades has been a lot less ‘religious’ that the USA where they are based, I personally don’t like the CMI style to hammer the bible and God’s word FIRST and then show how science supports it because I don’t think that is where the modern Western culture is at, even the American culture that is naturally more ‘religious’. I think that people have switched off the preaching thing and want it the other way round, “Show me something that is real and that makes sense and if it is for real and does make sense (to me), then I’ll get involved” is more the way I think the Western-mind is at, but I really respect their stance and integrity. They are one of only a few places I’d donate money to, if I had any, and there’s not many I would say that about!

** I bought mine on Kindle for $10.00USD.

[Book Review] I’ve just read a collection of articles compiled from artists, musos and writers from around the globe. It’s an interesting mix of New Age, conservative and radical Christian viewpoints with the themes along the lines of the title LOVE, LIVE, FORGIVE.

The book is well done and achieves in its objectives, to share the messages from a bunch of arty folk who extol the virtues of the three topics. Editor Juston St Vincent slipped me a link and while my head couldn’t get around the significance of the book title at first the fact that it was offered free (no hooks or commercial blurb); from an Auckland dude and touched on the creative, piqued my curiosity. I’m glad I downloaded it and spent a few hours working through it.

The book is 8Mb, in PDF format. They don’t tell you that before you hit download!

The layout is nice, with good artistic skills and easy to read in the PDF format.

There are no contents, so I was unable to scan the entire book in advance as I normally do, but the book has three main sections relating to the three topics, and each artist speaks to the theme anywhere from ½ a page to two full pages per person.

The photos used however are real stunners. I found myself spending just as much time viewing and analysing the various photography skills as I did the text. Black and White relief; group shots, formal photography, various layouts and sizes and generally very classy indeed. These artists all knew how to present themselves, many are at the top of their fields and this attention to presentation detail showed.

The book is solid going, not a quick read. I found myself glossing over the repeating mantra that music and art are a key to unlocking life through various forms of love. What I picked out though were the annecdotes and personal stories – they always catch my attention rather than the philosophising! As an opinionated conservative but independently rebellious Christian I found some of the words a little wacky.

A high profile American musician wrote for example:

There is a terrific book written by a Japanese author named Masaru Emoto about the effects of sound on water. Because the human body is something like 80% water, Emoto set out to see how a water crystal changes under a microscope when various sounds and even phrases were spoken to it. Thus, if water changes due to sound, our human bodies and emotions might change due to sound, too.

According to this book, the perfect water molecule is in the shape of what we would refer to as a snowflake, and anytime loud Metal music or harsh words were spoken to the water, the crystals were distorted almost like they were offended and protecting themselves from offense. But, when happy words were spoken, and major keys of music played by speakers surrounding the water, it’s crystals were almost perfect in form. As best I remember, the one spoken word that kept the water crystal in its most perfect shape was the phrase “I Love You.” Presumably, this is how humans respond to each other too.

I would assume bright primary colors would have the same effect in paintings, photography or art too. This is important to note, because it explains why music has such impact on its listener. The notes that we hear have a direct correlation to our body. Likewise, the words we hear impact our soul as well.

Sorry brother, I’m not with you on that one. Neither is Research Scientist Kristopher Setchfield who debunks this belief fairly convincingly when he says:

After the lengthy review of Emoto’s research methods and results, I have come to believe that Dr. Emoto is offering pseudoscience to the masses in the guise of defensible research. Only time and review by others will tell if there is any truth at the heart of Mr. Emoto’s claims, as Emoto himself thoroughly believes in his findings but does not value the scientific method or community. What is truly fearsome is the great numbers of people that accept his words as proven facts without looking deeper to find out if his claims are truly justified.

The book raises some questions for me . . . it’s funded by a trust (Fetzer) established to foster awareness of the power of love and forgiveness in the emerging global community.

Wow that’s a lofty goal!

Can you do that with an eBook project?

Perhaps so. Love, Live Forgive could be a piece of the equation.

Download free from: www.loveliveforgive.org

[Book Review] Rules from the Martin Luther King extended family are espoused by MLK’s niece in the book KING RULES. The book contains interesting annecdotes and certainly some good solid advice, but openly leverages the KING name somewhat.

I enjoyed the book. Alveda has nailed some important values! More on them in a minute.

The book was easy to read. For the record I normally read a book in reverse . . . scanning the contents and intros to get an overview of what the book is about, then slipping to the tail-end to read postscripts, the final chapter, closing words & thoughts and then working backwards chapter by chapter until I have a good handle on the author’s subjects and take. I’ve found it rare that this approach fails to work for me and ensures that if I get distracted I still have the big-picture. Doing this with King Rules again worked well for me. Working through a book from the beginning in order more often than not causes me to frustration with unfinished reading and more often than not an incomplete picture.

It must be hard living in the shadow of fame. Martin Luther King was Alveda’s uncle and she makes plenty of references to him. Not being of American extraction and having just missed his impact I found this a distraction but the subjects she covers are really solid and are worthy of repeating.

RULE NO. 1: MAKE HOME A PRIORITY

After sharing personal annecodotes Alveda finishes with:

For us, in the King family, a real home has God at the heart of it. God is love, and love abounds in a home where God is honored. In our family rooms, around our kitchen and dining room tables, at our bedside on our knees, we talk about God and we talk to God. We pray together in corporate settings, and we pray alone with God in our secret places in our homes.

Home is about knowing that there are such certain truths as these; knowing that spiritual values—God-honoring values—are so much more important than any material possessions will ever be; knowing that if God isn’t at the center of our beings, we aren’t really going to become or achieve anything truly worthwhile. The spiritual value of all existence should be very evident in every home.

RULE NO. 2: SERVE YOUR FAMILY

She deals with the Male leadership issue pretty directly”

In our family the men have always stood at the head, true patriarchs that take the lead, teach, and live their lives as examples. We were taught, practically from the time we left the womb, that our fathers knew best for all of us.

Yet after sharing how things were in the King families:

In terms of all major family decisions, those have been collaborations between husband and wife in our households for as long as I can tell.

RULE NO. 3: GET A GOOD EDUCATION

Alvina’s take on education is that it is supremely important:

[It’s] not only important to our family; it is a critical part of the fabric of our family. The Kings have always been and will always be steeped in the belief that a vital society is built on the bedrock of good education.

She has serious issues with the public education system in the USA and highlights the role of:

two most important functions of education: developing keen minds and developing strong moral standards.

RULE NO. 4: GUARD YOUR HEART

This chapter is about Romance and sex. Her values are biblical/conservative.

The anything goes, consequence-free mentality that prevails leads to emotionally deficient sexual encounters that often take the participants down a path to multiple sexual partners, divorce, disease, abortion, and dwindling chances for true intimacy.

And a lot more

RULE NO. 5: DEFEND LIFE

She’s actively Pro-life. 100%. The King values:

Daddy King learned from his parents that life is sacred from the moment of conception and that you never willingly snuff it out. His wife, Alberta, shared the same family values and passed this value for the sanctity of life along to their children, imbuing Martin Luther King Jr. and his siblings with beliefs that simply never could have reconciled with a pro-abortion position.

RULE NO. 6: FIGHT FOR JUSTICE

Who better to speak the words of the cost of justice than a niece of Martin Luther King?

The cost of freedom is indeed high.

RULE NO. 7: CARE FOR THE NEEDY

You can’t legislate caring for the poor, but it was a King family legacy, based on scriptural principles.

RULE NO. 8: WORK FOR PEACE

This chapter is primarily a commentary on MLK’s Principles for Peace:

Principle 1: Nonviolence is not passive, but requires courage.
Principle 2: Nonviolence seeks reconciliation, not defeat of an adversary.
Principle 3: Nonviolent action is directed at eliminating evil, not destroying an evildoer.
Principle 4: A willingness to accept suffering for the cause, if necessary, but never to inflict it.
Principle 5: A rejection of hatred, animosity, or violence of the spirit, as well as refusal to commit physical violence.
Principle 6: Faith that justice will prevail.

The King Center developed a sequential process of nonviolent conflict resolution, and Alveda details the six steps that represent their approach to achieving peace:

Step 1: Information gathering and research to get the facts straight.
Step 2: Education of adversaries and the public about the facts of the dispute.
Step 3: Personal commitment to nonviolent attitudes and action.
Step 4: Negotiation with adversaries in a spirit of goodwill to correct injustice.
Step 5: Nonviolent direct action, such as marches, boycotts, mass demonstrations, picketing, sit-ins, and so on, to help persuade or compel adversaries to work toward dispute resolution.
Step 6: Reconciliation of adversaries in a win-win outcome establishes a sense of community.

RULE NO. 9: BUILD THE BELOVED COMMUNITY

This rule addresses the subject of racism, a key issue forthe Kings, obviously. Racism is always based on pride, and is evil in its capacity to retain division through unforgiveness.

RULE NO. 10: FIND YOUR JOY

Alveda gets pretty personal with the faith thing in the last rule:

Overwhelmingly, though, the most joyful experience in my life came in 1983 when I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior.

She came from a family of preachers and knew about the God thing, but it remained a casual thing throughout her early adulthood until . . .

. . . it was not until 1983 that I realized that I, Alveda, was a sinner in need of the grace of the Lord. Once I was able to see this, and once I confessed it, the deepest joy I have ever felt came into my soul.

Thanks Alveda. Good words. King Rules is certainly a worthy read.

[Disclaimer: The Book Look Bloggers team helped me get my hands on my copy of King Rules. Thank you kindly.]