The Answer To A Prayer
Are we following the teachings of Jesus or have we been seduced by evil? Many of Trump’s supporters within his administration, the Republican Party, and throughout America claim he is an emissary of God and an answer to their prayers. I was born into a Christian family, baptized at five, attended Sunday school and bible school. As a young adult I seriously considered joining the ministry but decided the propaganda of the day was correct and it was my duty and responsibility to answer the call and fight for God and Country. The Trump Administration defies everything I fought for and everything I ever learned about Christianity or America. I learned and have always believed that a Christian is a person who lives by the teaching and example of Jesus, not the myths, legends, and lies of the religion. All of the moderate, main stream Christians I have known in my life have done exactly that, they live by the example and the teachings of Jesus.
Myths, Legends, and Lies
Over time all religions and the teachings of their great masters become corrupted by myths, legends, and lies. Sometimes those myths begin with the masters themselves or their followers at the time. Lies and stories that are told to convince people of the time that the dogma they are trying to teach is credible and should be believed. When people of any religion look for justification for their actions, the lifestyle they lead, or the evil in their hearts, they look to the myths, legends, and lies of their religion for that justification. It is the justification of evil and the false proclamation of virtue that corrupts religion and leads to extremist views and extremist behavior. The teachings of the great masters have united people and expanded civilization, the false claims of extremists simply divide and destroy the progress that has been made.
Creation vs Evolution – Does It Matter
It is a fact that we exist on a planet that is a very small speck in relationship to the solar system, galaxy, and universe in which we live. There are only two possibilities for the origin of that universe. The conditions which lead to the formation of this universe were either a cosmic accident or the intelligent design of a creator. If there is a God that created this universe and all that is in it, we come to the question of how intimately involved God is with that creation. God and God’s relationship with humanity is critical to our survival. If God has a covenant with any portion of the human race He will reveal that relationship and save humanity, otherwise we must work together to save ourselves.
Science vs Religion
No matter what their faith, religious extremists tend to deny science because of the conflict between science and the myths, legends, and lies that have developed in and around their particular faith. In reality, there is no conflict between science and religion because science is simply the quest for understanding of God’s design and the limitations of that design. When conflicts between science and religious dogma arise we must reexamine our beliefs and the foundation of those beliefs in an attempt to separate the truth from the false narratives that divide us. To live in peace and harmony with God’s design we must understand the limits He placed on that design and stay within those limits.
A Problem Of Our Own Making
From a religious perspective we have learned enough to allow us to challenge the checks and balances of God’s design, and the limits of that design. We have dramatically reduced the death rate from disease, natural disaster, miscarriage, infant mortality, birthing deaths, and we have learned to control our living environment thereby reducing the death rate from weather and exposure. As a result, the greatest threat to our survival is overpopulation. If we do not keep our population within God’s limits and our ecosystem in balance we will surely perish. The science is clear, our ecosystem is out of balance, global warming and global pollution are a reality, and the resources available cannot sustain our current population.
Evil Exploits Opportunity
Religion provides people a connection to their God and for the faithful their religion and religious authorities are above reproach. It is the faith of the followers that makes religion a perfect place for evil to hide. It attracts evil people in their quest for power and the justification for their deeds which in turn corrupts religion and provides even greater opportunity for evil yet to come. It is the responsibility of the moderates within all religions to question the rhetoric and actions of their leadership and withdraw support whenever those words and deeds conflict with the beliefs and standards by which they live. No one should ever be above reproach. It is clear from the words of Jesus and the teachings of Jesus that he recognized that corruption in the scriptures and traditions of his day and sought to reform his religion. If Jesus was indeed the son of God his words and his teachings should take precedence over the religious narratives that preceded him. Christian extremists rely almost exclusively on the religious narratives and scriptures that preceded Jesus and conflict with his teachings. The evil has crept in over time to justify white supremacy, slavery, segregation, greed, bigotry, and hate.
Politics and Religion
I was born in the United States and began my life as a Republican. Throughout history the intertwining of politics and religion has always lead to the corruption of politics, inhumanity, and human suffering. We are seeing the results today in the Republican Party which has been infiltrated by radical Christian extremists who seek to undermine the U.S. Constitution, redefine the meaning of the First Amendment, politicize the judiciary, and create a sectarian government that reflects and protects their religious views. It has created the conditions and opportunity for evil to thrive. That opportunity has been recognized and is being exploited. How many of Donald Trump’s supporters would tolerate his behavior in their own lives or within their own families? God does not endorse evil, and the end does not justify the means. Christian moderates must challenge those who claim this evil is the will of God or they will be contaminated by it. I was taught that Jesus rejected the Devil, temptation, wealth, and political power, why do we rush toward it with open arms?
God’s Answer Or Simple Coincidence?
People point to the most mundane events as proof that God has answered their prayers and proof that they are blessed by God. We heard the Saudi terrorists pray for success as they flew hijacked planes into the World Trade Center. It is a fact that their attack on America was successful and the World Trade Center was destroyed. Should we then infer that the success of that attack was the will of God and the answer to their prayers? Evil recognizing and taking advantage of opportunity, and successfully executing a plan should never be attributed to God or God’s answer to a prayer. Mundane human events should never be interpreted as an act of God. If God answers our prayers it will be a clear, unambiguous act that only God can perform and all humanity will witness and understand.
The Martyr’s Prayer Challenge
A prayer challenge began in 2002 in response to the growing religious violence throughout the world. It is a direct challenge to all religious extremists of all faiths and the evil that has infiltrated and contaminated all institutionalized religions. For any prayer challenge to be meaningful it must be based on an act that only God can perform and which cannot be faked by the technology of the day. There are two groups of Martyr’s in this prayer challenge, The Martyrs Of God, and The Martyrs Of Faith. Martyrs Of God are those among us who have offered their life to God as proof to all humanity that God has spoken. The Martyrs Of Faith are those who have offered their life to God as proof that their faith and their path is God’s chosen path for all of humanity. If and when God answers this prayer, all Martyrs Of God throughout the world will die in the exact same nanosecond and exactly as requested in the Martyr’s Prayer. All Martyrs of Faith from God’s Chosen people will die in the exact same nanosecond and in the exact same way. From a Christian Evangelical perspective, it is the Rapture. All Martyrs of God and Martyrs of Faith of God’s choosing will be taken up and the final days will begin. Offers given to God last forever and cannot be taken back or terminated. The Martyr’s Prayer Challenge has been in place and ongoing for over seventeen years. It will continue until the last Martyr of God has perished from this earth. If God has ever had a covenant with any member of the human race He will answer this prayer. Religion and human spirituality are essential to our survival and should not be abandoned but we must keep our religions focused on the unity and survival of all God has created.
A Warning And A Challenge
This prayer challenge is about God and God’s relationship with humanity, not the messengers, therefore, all Martyrs have been encouraged to remain anonymous. Only God knows who the Martyrs are or where they are on this planet. Donald Trump has spread division, contempt, and hatred wherever he has gone. He has empowered hatred and violence that has already resulted in hundreds of deaths by those who feel empowered by his words. If you considering violence consider this before you take that next step from fantasy to action: If your actions result in the death of even one Martyr of God or Martyr of Faith (no matter what that faith may be) you risk God’s vengeance and eternal damnation. If you feel you must act, reject violence, offer your life to God as a Martyr of your faith in this Martyr’s Prayer Challenge and pray for God to answer the Martyr’s Prayer. The path of violence and injustice does not lead to salvation. If you claim Christianity as a faith, it is time to purge the evil from your midst and the hatred from your heart and follow the teachings of Jesus, the great master of all Christianity.
A Martyr’s daily prayer:
If you believe God listens to the prayers of mankind, pray for an answer from God and fulfillment of His Covenant.
“Lord,
Please answer The Martyr’s Prayer Challenge as requested in The Martyr’s Prayer and bring peace to this planet.
Amen”