Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Three Killed in Crash While Child Was Driving



Last Update: 3:03 pm

The California Highway Patrol says an 11-year-old boy is responsible for causing a deadly crash that killed three people and seriously injured another.

Investigators say the child was driving a 1993 Honda near Road 152 and Avenue 168 in Woodville, near Porterville.

The boy failed to stop at a stop sign and hit a truck traveling south on road 152.

11-year-old Jose Silva was killed, along with his 6-year old sister, Elizabeth and their mother, 30-year old Maria Covarrubias. All three were from Woodville.

34-year-old Froylon Gonzalez was also riding in the car and sustained major injuries and was airlifted Community Regional Medical Center where he is listed in critical condition.

The driver of the pickup, 44-year-old Charles Seguin of Porterville only received minor injuries and was treated and released.

The CHP is not sure why the 11-year-old was behind the wheel. Drugs and alcohol do not appear to be a factor in this crash.
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Source:http://www.cbs47.tv/news/local/story/Child-driving-kills-3-in-Woodville-Porterville/LXTNTuaXQ0OB8zr21KFXiQ.cspx.
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P.S. This unfortunate loss brings to mind the Bible verse:
As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.
Isaiah 3:12
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Haiti Quake Was Disaster Waiting to Happen



Jan. 13, 2010

Scientists Warned of "Major Seismic Hazard" to Island in 2008; Nation's Poverty Exacerbates Effects

(CBS/ AP) A massive earthquake devastated Haiti Tuesday, but scientists warned of such an event back in 2008.

Back at the 18th Caribbean Geological Conference in March 2008, five scientists warned the Enriquillo-Plaintain Garden fault zone presented a "a major seismic hazard" to Haiti and the Dominican Republic, which share the island of Hispaniola.

Tuesday's 7.0-magnitude quake occurred along that same fault line.

How to Help Victims


Blog: The Latest Developments


Complete Coverage: Devastation in Haiti

"We were concerned about it," Paul Mann, one of the paper's authors and a senior research scientist at the University of Texas' Institute for Geophysics, told CNN.

"The problem with these kinds of strikes is that they can remain quiescent - dormant - for hundreds of years. So it's hard to predict when they'll occur."

The quake struck at 4:53 p.m. Tuesday, centered just 10 miles west of Port-au-Prince at a depth of only 5 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said. USGS geophysicist Kristin Marano called it the strongest earthquake since 1770 in what is now Haiti.

"Closeness to the surface is a major factor contributing to the severity of ground shaking caused by an earthquake of any given magnitude," Dr. David Rothery, a planetary scientist with in the U.K., told the BBC.

Haiti's lack of real construction standards - a byproduct of the country's widespread poverty and political instability - have only exacerbated the inevitable disaster's effects.

"Because the earthquake was so close to the capital city, because the city is so populated and because the country is so poor - the houses are not well-built - it could cause significant casualties," Jian Lin, one of the geologists who co-authored the 2008 paper, told CNN.

In November 2008, following the collapse of a school in Petionville, the mayor of Port-au-Prince estimated about 60 percent of buildings were shoddily built and unsafe in normal circumstances.

Complete Coverage:

Massive Quake Devastates Haiti's Capital


Red Cross: 3M Haitians Affected by Quake


U.N. Mission Chief in Haiti Feared Dead


U.S. Haitians Desperate to Contact Kin


Haiti Quake: An Eyewitness Account


Quake a "Catastrophe of Major Proportions"


Watch: Haiti Ambassador on Disaster


Watch: Haiti Earthquake Victim Describes Scene


Obama: U.S. Stands Ready to Help Haiti


USGS: Summary of Haiti Quake's Danger Level


Haitian Earthquake Photos


U.N. Headquarters Destroyed in Haiti .

Latest News

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Prison Collapses, Inmates Loose in Haiti
United Nations says Port-au-Prince's Main Prison has Crumbled in the Earthquake Aftermath

Source:http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/01/13/world/main6090996.shtml
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What’s It All About?


There are those who like to travel for business and those who can’t stand the hassle. Then there is Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) in Jason Reitman’s “Up in the Air.” Bingham travels 300 days a year as he roams the country firing people on behalf of bosses who can’t muster the courage to do it themselves. Bingham loves it so much, in fact, that he makes the security checkpoint nightmare into a ballet, of sorts, as he slips off his loafers while simultaneously extracting his laptop from his roller-board suitcase. He seems to enjoy it. Perhaps, when compared to his job, the sport of traveling is fun in the world of Ryan Bingham, professional hatchet man. He belongs to all of the rewards plans, mileage plans, and frequent guest plans of American Airlines, Hertz and Hilton. At American they “know” him by name. Bingham prefers 35,000 feet above the earth rather than terra firma. He prefers the microcosm of the multi-terminal airport to the real world.

Bingham’s world comes perilously close to crashing to a earth when his boss wants to cut back on travel to save a few bucks during the financial crisis that faces the nation. The film shows the real victims of last year’s financial crisis–the many men and women who lost their once-solid jobs as companies threw off employees by the thousands. Bingham faces the possibility of staying put in Omaha where he would fire people via video-teleconference. Here is where the film is truly brilliant in its exploration of “what it’s all about.” Bingham objects to the teleconference firing on the grounds that its not humane and doesn’t provide the same amount of comfort to the recently dismissed. On one level the audience, along with Binghan’s boss (played very well by Jason Bateman), can roll its collective eyes. But Bingham actually does have a heart hidden behind the traveller’s facade, and his heart makes this film one of the best I’ve seen in a long, long time.

Unlike some recent good films such as “Where the Wild Things Are” and “The Road,” this film makes no mistakes, has no flaws, and no loose ends. There is nothing we have to forgive Reitman of in order to enjoy the rest of the film. This film sets itself a pretty high bar in that it wants to take on the question of what life is all about. According to Reitman, life is about relationship–a certain kind of relationship. I don’t want to give too much away, so that’s all I will say at this point. Perhaps in a few weeks, once everyone has had a chance to see it, then we can discuss it in these virtual pages.


3 Votes

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Source:http://whosoeverdesires.wordpress.com/2010/01/05/whats-it-all-about/#more-1287
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Fed quietly posts record $46.1-billion profit in 2009


By Jim Puzzanghera

January 13, 2010

Reporting from Washington - The Federal Reserve reported a side benefit to its massive intervention into the financial system -- a record profit of $46.1 billion last year on the central bank's investments.

But experts said that gain, which will be paid to the U.S. Treasury, could be offset by losses in the future when the central bank starts selling the Treasury bonds and other assets it has purchased in unprecedented amounts to try to stabilize the economy.

For that reason, the Fed did not make a big deal out of the news Tuesday, announcing it in a short news release, said Vincent R. Reinhart, former director of the Fed's Division of Monetary Affairs.

"Any other entity that had record profits would have hired a band or had a parade," said Reinhart, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington think tank. "Why would the Fed downplay that? They don't want you to focus on the current profits because when it comes to tightening policy they'll probably get losses on that same portfolio."

Federal Reserve officials said Tuesday that they believed all the investments they made were safe, including loans to help facilitate the sale of investment bank Bear Stearns and rescue insurer American International Group Inc. But that does not preclude some losses.

The Fed's balance sheet, the value of all of its holdings, has more than doubled to $2.2 trillion as it has tried to keep the financial system afloat since the financial crisis began in 2008. Its huge investments in securities led to much of its increased profit, said Christopher S. Rupkey, chief financial economist for Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi.

"It's the interest on over a trillion dollars of securities," he said of the Fed's profit. "They have an enormous balance sheet, and those assets are contributing more to their earnings, putting more money in the kitty for the Treasury and helping to lower the budget deficit."

But he noted the profit was relatively small given the size of the balance sheet and the $1.4-trillion federal budget deficit for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. "It may be a drop in the bucket . . . but every little bit helps," Rupkey said.

The Fed's profit last year was $14.4 billion more than what it paid into the Treasury for 2008 and more than it has ever earned since it began operations in 1914. The previous record was $34.6 billion in 2007.

But Federal Reserve officials stressed that the goal of the central bank is stabilizing monetary policy, not earning profit. The Fed is funded by its earnings, and profit is turned over to the federal government.

"The significant increase in earnings on securities was primarily due to increased securities holdings as a result of the Federal Reserve's response to the severe economic downturn," the central bank said. As of Dec. 30, the Fed held $1.85 trillion in Treasury bonds and other securities, up from $496 billion at the end of 2008.

As the Fed stepped up its efforts to prop up the faltering financial system, it bought large amounts of securities from the U.S. Treasury and other entities, including mortgage-backed securities held by government-sponsored home loan financing companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which were taken over by the federal government during the crisis.

Those purchases have helped push down mortgage rates. Mortgage-backed securities pay a higher rate than Treasury securities, helping account for the increased profit.

"They lend at a higher rate than they borrow. The rate they borrow at is approximately zero" percent, Reinhart said. "Central banking is a really good business, and if you have a big balance sheet you can make a lot."

As part of the $46.1-billion profit, the Fed earned $2.6 billion on currency swap arrangements with central banks in 14 countries and other investments in foreign currency. The Fed also earned $700 million from fees for services it provided to banks.

But the Fed's profit probably will decline in the future, Reinhart said, although the central bank is unlikely to post annual losses.

"The Federal Reserve is not the new Goldman Sachs. They're not a profit center for the government," he said. "Their profits are small in the scheme of things, and they should be properly viewed as offset by potential future losses."

jim.puzzanghera@

latimes.com

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The No-Fly List?


Is the No-Fly List a lead - in for the Do Not Buy or Sell List?
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Bombs, shootings wound 12 in Thai south: police


Suspected militants have launched a series of bombing and shooting attacks in Thailand's troubled Muslim-majority south


(AFP) – 4 hours ago

YALA, Thailand — Suspected militants launched a series of bomb and shooting attacks in Thailand's troubled Muslim-majority south Wednesday, wounding twelve people including three soldiers, police said.

More than 4,100 people have been killed since a separatist Islamic insurgency erupted in January 2004 in Thailand's southernmost provinces bordering Malaysia.

A bomb hidden in a motorcycle was detonated by mobile phone outside a tea shop in the main town of restive Pattani province early Wednesday, wounding five villagers.

Another bomb exploded shortly afterwards at a food market in neighbouring Yala province, injuring four people including three soldiers.

Gunmen five minutes later targeted three male fruit vendors in drive-by shooting attacks nearby, wounding all of them.

The current insurgency erupted in January 2004 but tensions had bubbled under the surface in the south since predominantly Buddhist Thailand annexed the former Malay Muslim sultanate in 1902.

The shadowy militants never publicly state their goals and target security forces, officials and civilians alike.

More »
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Haiti Earthquake Leaves Thousands Dead or Missing (Update1)


January 13, 2010, 03:01 AM EST Story Tools

By Thomas Black and Andres R. Martinez

Jan. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, was struck by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake near the capital that destroyed buildings and left thousands of people dead or missing.

The temblor was centered 10 miles (16 kilometers) southwest of Port-au-Prince, a city of about 2 million inhabitants, at 4:53 p.m. local time yesterday, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site. An official casualty count has yet to be announced and phone lines are out across the capital.

Port-au-Prince is in “total chaos,” with clouds of dust from collapsed buildings covering the city and fears that thousands may be dead, Robyn Fieser, a spokeswoman with the Catholic Relief Services in Baltimore, said after receiving reports from representatives in the country. At least 13 aftershocks with a magnitude above 4.5 have struck the area, according to the USGS.

Haiti, a nation of about 9.6 million people, is recovering from four tropical storms or hurricanes that killed at least 800 people in 2008.

The UN, which has a peacekeeping force of about 7,000 personnel and 2,000 police in Haiti, said its offices were damaged and that a “large amount of personnel” are unaccounted for. The force has been stationed there since June 2004, after President Bertrand Aristide left the country in exile.

“There is no security problem in our headquarters,” Alain Le Roy, UN under-secretary-general for peacekeeping operations, said in an e-mailed statement. “But we don’t know about the rest of the city so far.”

UN Rescue Effort

Some U.N. troops have surrounded the headquarters building and are trying to rescue people still trapped inside, Le Roy said. “As we speak, no one has been rescued from this main headquarters, but we don’t know how many people were in the building when the collapse happened.”

A school with children in its rooms collapsed in Port-au- Prince, according to the UN Children’s Fund, Unicef. A hospital was destroyed in Petionville, a district near the city, the Associated Press reported. CNN, citing Haiti’s first lady, said parts of the presidential palace collapsed. President Rene Preval is safe, she said.

Unicef’s headquarters suffered “considerable damage,” Tamar Hahn, a spokeswoman for the fund, said by phone from Panama. “We are waiting for daybreak in Haiti to really be able to assess the extent of the damage.”

Citigroup Inc.’s office building in the capital collapsed, CNN en Espanol reported, citing a company official. Jon Diat, a Citigroup spokesman, said in an e-mail he couldn’t confirm anything.
U.S. Embassy employees reported seeing a number of bodies in the street, State Department Spokesman Philip J. Crowley said in a briefing yesterday. At least two U.S. citizens, both members of the Haitian Ministries for the Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut, were trapped in a collapsed building, AP reported.

U.S. Offers Assistance

“There’s going to be serious loss of life,” Crowley said.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the U.S. is offering full assistance to Haiti.

“We will be providing both civilian and military disaster relief and humanitarian assistance,” Clinton said during remarks in Honolulu yesterday. “And our prayers are with the people who have suffered, their families, and their loved ones.”

Houses slipped down hills, walls collapsed and landslides left roads blocked, which will impede any response by authorities, Ian Rodgers, a senior emergency adviser at Save the Children in Port-au-Prince, said in an interview on CNN. People are digging through rubble to find loved ones, Rodgers said.

More than 100 workers from Unicef in Haiti are helping the injured and providing for children separated from their parents, said Caryl Stern, the president of the U.S. fund of Unicef in New York.

“It’s a really densely populated area. It couldn’t be worse,” said Stern, who has been in contact with Unicef workers in Haiti. “It’s going to take a big world effort.”

Phones Out

Fixed-line and mobile phones in the capital are out, U.S. State Department spokesman Noel Clay said in Washington.

The Inter-American Development Bank has approved $200,000 in emergency aid to Haiti, the Washington-based lender said in a statement on its Web site today.

Rafael Nunez, a presidential spokesman for neighboring Dominican Republic, said the earthquake felt “very strong.” No damage was reported in the Dominican Republic, Nunez said in an interview with CNN en Espanol.

Haiti’s per capita income is about $560, with 54 percent of Haitians living on less than $1 a day and 78 percent on less than $2 daily, according to the World Bank.

“This is the worst possible time for a natural disaster in Haiti, a country which is still recovering from the devastating storms of just over a year ago,” Eliot Engel, a New York congressman who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, said in a statement.
Former President Bill Clinton, the UN special envoy for Haiti, said the world body is “committed to do whatever we can to assist the people of Haiti in their relief, rebuilding and recovery efforts.”

--With assistance from Jerry Hart in Miami, Edward DeMarco in Washington, Peter Green in New York and Eric Sabo in Panama City. Editors: Paul Tighe, Dave McCombs

To contact the reporters on this story: Thomas Black in Monterrey, Mexico, at +52-81-8124-0145 or tblack@bloomberg.net; To contact the reporter on this story: Andres Martinez in Mexico City at +52-55-5242-9283 or amartinez28@bloomberg.net


To contact the editors responsible for this story: Joshua Goodman at +55-21-2125-2535 or jgoodman19@bloomberg.net; Bill Austin at +81-3-3201-8952 or billaustin@bloomberg.net

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Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death


Revelation 6

1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.

2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.

4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.

8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

2 dead, 3 hurt in Ga. workplace shooting


Published: Jan. 12, 2010 at 9:31 PM


KENNESAW, Ga., Jan. 12 (UPI) -- A 60-year-old former worker shot two people to death and critically injured three others Tuesday at a truck rental business near Kennesaw, Ga., police alleged.

The suspect, Jesse James Warren of Temple, was taken to the Cobb County jail where charges were being prepared, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

County police said the gunman entered a Penske truck rental business about 1:30 p.m. dressed in a camouflage suit and began firing, the newspaper said.

Penske spokesman Randy Ryerson said the victims included four employees and one customer.

Cobb County police officer Joe Hernandez said the suspect fled in a red pickup truck and was taken into custody without incident about a mile away.

"He was pretty well surrounded," Hernandez said.

A handgun believed used in the shootings was recovered, he said.

It wasn't known what may have set off the gunman. Penske recently implemented layoffs but Ryerson was unable to confirm if the Kennesaw site, which has about 25 workers, had been affected, the newspaper said.
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Obama TSA Nominee Erroll Southers Calls Pro-Life Advocates Terrorists in Video


by Steven Ertelt

LifeNews.com Editor

January 11, 2010


Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- President Barack Obama's nominee to head the agency charged with keeping American travelers safe from terrorism thinks pro-life advocates are terrorists. A new video shows Transportation Security Administration nominee Erroll Southers including pro-life advocates in a list of terrorist groups.

The new video from 2008 shows Southers responding to a documentary-style interview question about terrorist organizations.

The documentary asked Southers, "Which home-grown terrorist groups pose the greatest danger to the U.S."

Southers explained, "Most of the domestic groups that we pay attention to here are white supremacist groups. They're anti-government, in most cases anti-abortion, they are usually survivalist type in nature, identity oriented."

"Those groups are groups that claim to be extremely anti-government and Christian identity oriented," he continues.

Sen. Jim DeMint, a South Carolina Republican, has put a hold on the nomination of Southers to head the TSA, and the new video is likely to expand opposition to his nomination.

Erick Erickson of the Red State blog posted a response to the video blasting Southers for his targeting of pro-life advocates and Christians as terrorists.

He said there is "new and far more troubling information about Mr. Southers caught on video. According to Erroll Southers, pro-life Christians and our support of Jews is a bigger threat to national security than Al Qaeda."

"Southers, in 2008, said he was more worried about 'Christian identity' terrorist groups inside the U.S. than Islamic terrorists. What are 'Christian identity' terrorist groups? White-supremacists naturally. The KKK. And the Southern Baptist Convention," Erickson added. "Southers identifies pro-life groups and anti-government activists as particular problems."

Erickson also applauds DeMint for stopping the nomination.

"Had [he] not put a hold on the nomination of Erroll Southers to be the head of TSA, he might have been confirmed by the Senate without any serious digging into his background," he said.

The Obama administration has twice come under fire for linking pro-life advocates to terrorism.

Last May, details emerged about a terrorism dictionary the Obama administration put together in March. The "Domestic Extremism Lexicon," was essentially a terrorism and political extremism dictionary for the Obama administration's internal use.

The March 26, 2009 document features numerous definitions and the headline "antiabortion extremism," appears on page two of the eleven-page manual.

The Obama administration calls pro-life advocates violent and claims they employ racist overtones in engaging in criminal actions.

The definition reads: "A movement of groups or individuals who are virulently antiabortion and advocate violence against providers of abortion-related services, their employees, and their facilities. Some cite various racist and anti-Semitic beliefs to justify their criminal activities."

That followed a report the Department of Homeland Security sent out saying pro-life advocates were right-wing extremists.

In that document, the Department of Homeland Security warned law officials about a supposed rise in "rightwing extremist activity," saying the poor economy and presence of a black president could spark problems.

According to the Washington Times, a footnote attached to the nine-page report from the Homeland Security Office of Intelligence and Analysis say the activities of pro-life advocates is included in "rightwing extremism in the United States.”

"It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single-issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration," the warning said.
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Video:
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Massive Earthquake Rocks Haiti,


'Serious Loss of Life' Expected

Updated: 7 minutes ago

Jonathan M. Katz


AP PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Jan. 12) -- The largest earthquake to hit Haiti in more than 200 years rocked the Caribbean nation Tuesday, collapsing a hospital where people screamed for help and heavily damaging other buildings. U.S. officials reported bodies lying in the streets and an aid official described "total disaster and chaos."

Communications were widely disrupted, making it impossible to get a full picture of damage as powerful aftershocks shook a desperately poor country where many buildings are flimsy. Electricity was out in some places.

Karel Zelenka, a Catholic Relief Services representative in Port-au-Prince, told U.S. colleagues before phone service failed that "there must be thousands of people dead," according to a spokeswoman for the aid group, Sara Fajardo.

"He reported that it was just total disaster and chaos, that there were clouds of dust surrounding Port-au-Prince," Fajardo said from the group's offices in Maryland.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said in Washington that embassy personnel were "literally in the dark" after power failed.

"They reported structures down. They reported a lot of walls down. They did see a number of bodies in the street and on the sidewalk that had been hit by debris. So clearly, there's going to be serious loss of life in this," he said.

An Associated Press videographer saw the wrecked hospital in Petionville, a hillside Port-au-Prince district that is home to many diplomats and wealthy Haitians, as well as many poor people. Elsewhere in the capital, a U.S. government official reported seeing houses that had tumbled into a ravine.

Kenson Calixte of Boston spoke to an uncle and cousin in Port-au-Prince shortly after the earthquake by phone. He could hear screaming in the background as his relatives described the frantic scene in the streets. His uncle told him that a small hotel near their home had collapsed, with people inside.

"They told me it was total chaos, a lot of devastation," he said. More than four hours later, he still was not able to get them back on the phone for an update.

Haiti's ambassador to the U.S., Raymond Joseph, said from his Washington office that he spoke to President Rene Preval's chief of staff, Fritz Longchamp, just after the quake hit. He said Longchamp told him that "buildings were crumbling right and left" near the national palace. He too had not been able to get through by phone to Haiti since.

With phones down, some of the only communication came from social media such as Twitter. Richard Morse, a well-known musician who manages the famed Olafson Hotel, kept up a stream of dispatches on the aftershocks and damage reports. The news, based mostly on second-hand reports and photos, was disturbing, with people screaming in fear and roads blocked with debris. Belair, a slum even in the best of times, was said to be "a broken mess."

The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 and was centered about 10 miles (15 kilometers) west of Port-au-Prince at a depth of 5 miles (8 kilometers), the U.S. Geological Survey said. USGS geophysicist Kristin Marano called it the strongest earthquake since 1770 in what is now Haiti. In 1946, a magnitude-8.1 quake struck the Dominican Republic and also shook Haiti, producing a tsunami that killed 1,790 people.

The temblor appeared to have occurred along a strike-slip fault, where one side of a vertical fault slips horizontally past the other, said earthquake expert Tom Jordan at the University of Southern California. The earthquake's size and proximity to populated Port-au-Prince likely caused widespread casualties and structural damage, he said.

"It's going to be a real killer," he said. "Whenever something like this happens, you just hope for the best."

Most of Haiti's 9 million people are desperately poor, and after years of political instability the country has no real construction standards. In November 2008, following the collapse of a school in Petionville, the mayor of Port-au-Prince estimated about 60 percent of the buildings were shoddily built and unsafe in normal circumstances.

Tuesday's quake was felt in the Dominican Republic, which shares a border with Haiti on the island of Hispaniola, and some panicked residents in the capital of Santo Domingo fled from their shaking homes. But no major damage was reported there.

In eastern Cuba, houses shook but there were also no reports of significant damage.

"We felt it very strongly and I would say for a long time. We had time to evacuate," said Monsignor Dionisio Garcia, archbishop of Santiago.

The few reports emerging from Haiti made clear the country had suffered extensive damage.

"Everybody is just totally, totally freaked out and shaken," said Henry Bahn, a U.S. Department of Agriculture official visiting Port-au-Prince. "The sky is just gray with dust."

Bahn said he was walking to his hotel room when the ground began to shake.

"I just held on and bounced across the wall," he said. "I just hear a tremendous amount of noise and shouting and screaming in the distance."

Bahn said there were rocks strewn about and he saw a ravine where several homes had stood: "It's just full of collapsed walls and rubble and barbed wire."

In the community of Thomassin, just outside Port-au-Prince, Alain Denis said neighbors told him the only road to the capital had been cut but that phones were all dead so it was hard to determine the extent of the damage.

"At this point, everything is a rumor," he said. "It's dark. It's nighttime."

Former President Bill Clinton, the U.N.'s special envoy for Haiti, issued a statement saying his office would do whatever he could to help the nation recover and rebuild.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti," he said.

President Barack Obama ordered U.S. officials to start preparing in case humanitarian assistance was needed.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said his government planned to send a military aircraft carrying canned foods, medicine and drinking water and also would dispatch a team of 50 rescue workers.

Brazil's government was trying to re-establish communications with its embassy and military personnel in Haiti late Tuesday, according to the G1 Web site of Globo TV. Brazil leads a 9,000-member U.N. peacekeeping force there.

Felix Augustin, Haiti's consul general in New York, said he was concerned about everyone in Haiti, including his relatives.

"Communication is absolutely impossible," he said. "I've been trying to call my ministry and I cannot get through. ... It's mind-boggling."

Associated Press videographer Pierre Richard Luxama in Haiti and AP writers David Koop in Mexico City, David McFadden and Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Matthew Lee in Washington; Alicia Chang in Los Angeles and Andrea Rodriguez in Havana contributed to this report.


Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?

In a day when every established custom is challenged, and every traditional institution defied, it is necessary to go back to the Bible for guidance. Today, the Same Sex Marriage issue is being reviewed in California's Supreme Court, challenging the current Proposition 8 restrictions.

What a waste of taxpayer money, and the court's valuable time?
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If gays or lesbians want to live together and pretend they are married is one thing; But, to try to impose their desires on the laws of the land is absurd. Why do they insist on assuming roles fundamentally belonging to people of opposite sexes? They have chosen a abnormal (deviant {outmoded}) lifestyle, yet, they want the rest of the world to conform to their delusions. This has got to be one of the final assaults upon what little decency their may remain in society. This is probably the last straw before the Lord finally decides mankind can descend no further, and He will not tolerate any more (further degeneration) abominations.

Let's not forget what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah!

We can see that the institution of marriage was established at the beginning of creation by God Almighty as a means of creating a family. I don't intend to be facetious, but He married Adam and Eve; Not Adam and Steve, or Adah and Eve. The first man and his mate did He wed.

~

21And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

22And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

23And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

24Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

25And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Genesis 2:21-25.

*
9Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

10Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

11And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

12All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

I Corinthians 6:9-12.

*

8But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;

9Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,

10For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

I Timothy 1:8-10.

*

18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

26For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Romans 1:18-32.

*

The worst case of all if that of those that while claiming to be faithful Christians participate in such sins, or excuse it.
What Bible are they reading? It certainly isn't the King James Version, or the Geneva Bible translation?

Photo above is from article:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8452859.stm

.

Amanda Simpson, formerly test pilot Mitchell Simpson, gets senior post in Commerce department

Michael Saul
Daily News Staff Writer
Monday, January 4th 2010, 7:23 PM


Undated photo of Amanda Simpson from the Transgender Workplace Diversity Network website. President Obama has appointed Simpson, a transgender woman, to be the Senior Technical Adviser to the Commerce Department.

Amanda Simpson, who used to be test pilot Mitchell Simpson, will make a bit of history Tuesday as she starts work as a senior technical advisor at the Commerce Department.

"As one of the first transgender presidential appointees to the federal government, I hope that I will soon be one of hundreds," Simpson said in a statement.

Simpson, 49, underwent a sex change about a decade ago while working in Tuscon for Raytheon Missile Systems, where she rose to the job of deputy director. President Obama named Simpson to the Commerce post.

It is not certain whether she is the first transgendered presidential appointee, but she appears to be the most prominent.

In 2004, Simpson became the first openly transgendered candidate to win a primary election in the U.S. in a bid for the Arizona state legislature.

A Democrat, she lost in the general election.


Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/01/04/2010-01-04_cmklzcxmxcz.html#ixzz0cQtXrGQ2
.

“Worlds Last Chance” The Modern Day Stumbling Block


January 10, 2010 – By Craig

“Worlds Last Chance”

The Modern Day Stumbling Block


Isaiah 8:20 “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them.”

Revelation 19:10 “… for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Revelation 22:18 “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and [from] the things which are written in this book.”

What they are preaching:

1. Revelation 17:10 “And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, [and] the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.”

Worldslastchance’s interpretation:

First, They asked “when did the Roman Catholic Church have any kings?”

Their Answer: “When they received a kingdom. The Lateran Treaty: The agreement signed in 1929 by Italy and the Holy See which recognized the Vatican City as a sovereign and independent papal state. On February 11 1929, Pius XI was the first Roman Catholic pope to become king of Vatican state.”

Revelation 17:10 “And there are seven kings, five are fallen and one is and the other is not yet come…”

1. Pius XI (1922-1939) – 1st fallen 2. Pius XI (1939-1958) – 2nd fallen 3. John XXIII (1958-1963) – 3rd fallen 4. Paul VI (1963-1978) – 4th fallen 5. John Paul I (1978) – 5th fallen 6. John Paul II (1978-2005) “…AND ONE IS…” Note: This one has now fallen.” 6th fallen 7. Benedict XVI (2005-?) “…and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.” 7th king has not fallen yet 8. Pope Paul John II (?-?) satan impersonates <— Revelation 17:11 “And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.” Worldslastchance’s interpretation: They say “What king do you think will be impersonated by the Father of lies (aka satan)? Their Answer: “Clue: ‘And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” satan impersonating Pope John Paul II



  1. wounded to death (May 13, 1991)

  2. deadly wound healed (22 days later)

  3. World wondered after the beast (wound healed)

  4. Pope John Paul II years later dies (Saturday April 2, 2005 at 9:37 pm GMT (2:37 pm EST))

  5. Pope John Paul II coffin is empty (3rd day coffin empty)

  6. Pope Ratzinger continues or rules for a short space (2005 – ?)

  7. Satan then impersonates John Paul II to deceive the world (? – ?)

Worldslastchance believes that satan will impersonate pope John Paul II. Hum!!! They fail to realize something here. The Bible does not say anything about this, neither is it found in the writings of Ellen G. White.

Beloved Sister Ellen White says

“As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan himself will impersonate Christ. The church has long professed to look to the Saviour’s advent as the consummation of her hopes. Now the great deceiver will make it appear that Christ has come. In different parts of the earth, Satan will manifest himself among men as a majestic being of dazzling brightness, resembling the description of the Son of God given by John in the Revelation. (Rev. 1:13-15).” Last Day Events 163

You must know, that satan knows scripture better than any human being. It is clear to me that satan has staged this entire event with the historical event of pope John Paul II near death experience when he was wounded by a gun shot. Satan planned and staged this event and executed it, then when time passed raised up worldslastchance to push this lie out there. This is a major “stumbling block” for those seeking the truth. This is very cunning and sly work by satan but again it will not deceive the very elect of God.

We believe that satan is using worldslastchance for one or two things:

1. satan has set this up to mix more error with truth to confuse, of course. It is Babylon (confusion). When these precious souls are searching for truth they will come across worldlastchance and be taken into satan snares. These searching souls get so close to the truth and find some of it at worldslastchance where they mix truth with error and these searching souls get so happy and believe they have found truth. Satan’s plan is that when these souls become so overwhelmed and excited that when they find out that the prophecies don’t come to pass, they then will become so discouraged like those in the “Great Disappointment of 1844.” Most of them will quit, give up and stop searching only to then find themselves back in the world where they came from. They simply fall at the wayside because they bought another lie from satan and they are tired of fighting and buying into lies. Satan and his angels then come in and take whatever truth was sown into these precious souls heart and then blinds them with pain and sorrow. It will make it hard to trust anyone else again. Then the “Hour of Temptation” becomes easy for satan to draw them into his next great deception of impersonating Christ.

2. The other one is that a demon may impersonate Pope John Paul II to lead those that have left the Catholic faith back and all other denominations and those that are not grounded into the present truth will follow as well and this strategy would organize the entire system of satan to gather the world under his banner. This effort will work to deceive the world into believing the Catholic Church is the true church. Then as we know, satan the most beautiful angel ever made will then follow after the arrival of pope John Paul II and impersonate Jesus. This would put the icing on the cake and then the hour of temptation is complete. Those whose names are not written in the Lambs book of Life will be consumed by the father of lies, satan. Satan will say that he has change the Sabbath and he will exalt the Roman Catholic Church and it will appear to be correct. Either way, one thing is true, worldslastchance is not of God and they are being used as the “Modern Day Stumbling” block for the children of Israel. You and those that preach this, Mr. Doss better REPENT and stop leading people away or you will find yourself in a greater awakening than most preachers when the plagues begin to fall. We love you all and are praying that you will see your errors.

TRUTH PROVIDED


Scriptural facts:

Symbol: = BEAST

Meaning: = KINGDOM, GOVERNMENT, POLITICAL POWER

Daniel 7:23, “Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.”

Note:

The antichrist (pope) is a man who is a part or a member of the beast (Rome), he is the head of the beast and satan is over him. This beast (nation, kingdom [Rome]) has a man who is at the head of this beast, as Daniel 7:8 calls the little horn with eyes that speak’s great things against the most high and the book of Revelation 13:18 says he has a number of 666. We know that there are over a dozen titles to the office of pope and they all add up to 666. Even their phone system does 666. <–click

Revelation 17:10 “And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, [and] the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.”

ANSWER: Daniel 2:32-33

“This image’s head [was] of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.” 1. Babylon – head [was] of fine gold 2. Media Persia – breast and his arms of silver 3. Greece - belly and his thighs of brass 4. Rome – legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay 5. Roman Catholic Church- persecuting power (Christian Crusades 538AD-1798AD) 6. Rome Catholic Church – receives deadly wound when pope was captured and then taken into captivity where he later died. Revelation13:10 “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity…” (Rome is wounded because the head of the church was captured. This made them a weak nation) 7. Roman Catholic Church revived – deadly wound healed in 1929 Lateran Treaty. Rome becomes a power again. Revelation 17:11

“And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.” Rome was a power, was not a power, yet is a power. Revelation 17:8 “… when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.” 1. Roman Catholic Church- persecuting power (Christian Crusades 538AD-1798AD) = was a power 2. Rome Catholic Church – receives deadly wound when pope was captured (weak nation) = is not a power 3. Roman Catholic Church revived – deadly wound healed 1929 Lateran Treaty. Rome becomes a power. = Yet is a power

Revelation 17:11 “…even he is the eighth…”

This is not difficult. This beast has seven heads. They all are members of this beast’s body. So they make up the beast.

When one of the heads was wounded to death then the entire beast was injured. The eighth is of the seven. Now that the wounded head has healed, the entire beast will stand up to fight again because the wound was healed. This makes up the entire complete beast that is of the seven. So the whole beast is the eighth beast. This is the beast that will enforce SUNday laws on the world and then pass a death decree on those that will not bow down to the demands of Rome and their god the pope and this new world order.

Sister Ellen White

“Satan will excite indignation against the humble minority who conscientiously refuse to accept popular customs and traditions. Men of position and reputation will join with the lawless and the vile to take counsel against the people of God. Wealth, genius, education, will combine to cover them with contempt. Persecuting rulers, ministers, and church members will conspire against them. With voice and pen, by boasts, threats, and ridicule, they will seek to overthrow their faith. By false representations and angry appeals, they will stir up the passions of the people. Not having a ‘Thus saith the Scriptures’ to bring against the advocates of the Bible Sabbath, they will resort to oppressive enactments to supply the lack. To secure popularity and patronage, legislators will yield to the demand for a Sunday law. . . . On this battlefield comes the last great conflict of the controversy between truth and error.”– Testimonies, vol. 5, pp. 450, 451. {ChS 158}

To those of you around the world and those that are stuck in worldslastchance we give you with love Revelation 18:4 “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.”

Matthew 24:11 “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.”

John 14:29 “And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.”

www.remnantofgod.org

www.lightministries.com

www.john1429.org <—free videos

www.sdaapostasy.org

OUR WEBSITE WILL BE READY HOPEFULLY IN A COUPLE OF MORE MONTHS


Source: http://cregen.wordpress.com/

NONE DARE CALL IT APOSTASY Part Two


NONE DARE CALL IT APOSTASY
Part one: Dr. John J. Grosboll
Part two: Dr. Ralph Larson

Part Two
Introduction

Since many have asked, the following is a statement that was prepared by Elder Ralph Larson to present to the “Prex- Ad” Council of the Pacific Union Conference on February 18, 1992. This is a group of about twenty administrators of conferences, colleges, hospitals and ethnic groups who consult together before meeting with the Union Committee.

Although Dr. Larson had been told that he would be given thirty minutes and had prepared his paper accordingly, he was cut off when fifteen minutes had passed and was told that the administrators could read the rest of the paper later. Yet the council made their decision to affirm their denial of his honorary ministerial credentials after Dr. and Mrs. Larson left the room, apparently without waiting to read the paper, a tragic lack of due process.

This information is being shared, not for purposes of malice or revenge, but so that others may understand what actually was said and what they may possibly encounter when placed in similar circumstances. Our trust must be wholly in the Lord and in His truth, and we must firmly resolve to stand for the right though the heavens fall.

Part two by Ralph Larson

We come before you today because we understand from the Lord's counsels that this is our Christian duty. We are sure all would recognize that a hearing conducted after judgment regarding my credentials has already been made, would not be described as justice in any judicial system in the world. We find this principle expressed in the question put to the Pharisees by Nicodemus: “Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?” John7: 51.

In our situation, the answer would appear to be, yes, it does. More troubling still, to those who are concerned about the principles of fairness, is the fact that this group is not the proper body to either conduct a hearing or make judgment regarding my case. Proper procedures would have required a hearing


We would do well to remember that in every' judicial proceeding, not only is the
accused on trial, but the court is also on trial.


before the Union Conference Committee, which has been empowered to issue credentials, and that such a hearing have been conducted before judgment was made.

And there is yet another cloud over these proceedings. Elder Castillo wrote to me:

“At our past Union Executive Committee, it was voted to deny your honorary ministerial credential.”

Yet, four members of the committee have stated that my name was not mentioned in their meeting, and so was neither discussed nor voted upon. Elder Mostert, while conceding that the minutes contain no record of an action denying my credentials, told me over the phone that my name was placed before the executive committee and the reasons for denying my credentials were fully explained. He suggested that the four committee members might have all happened to be out of the room at that particular time.

In any case, it would seem that basic principles of fairness would require that if a minister who has given his life to the service of the church, whose life and character have never been questioned, whose theology and preaching is the same as that presented in Seventh- day Adventists Believe, and whose ministry has resulted in more than five thousand persons being added to the church by baptism, is to be denied honorary ministerial credentials, this should be properly done by a duly authorized body, and the action and reasons for it should be fully and specifically stated in the committee records and announced to the church. This would, of course, require that a hearing be conducted before a decision is made, and that the accused be provided an opportunity to face his accusers and respond to their accusations.

This proper procedure has not been followed. Yet the editors of Ministry magazine have quickly seized upon the action that was taken, and in spite of the grievous irregularities, announced to its world- wide constituency that my credentials had been denied. Since no reason has been given, speculation is now arising as to whether I have been found guilty of financial fraud or gross immorality. Questions of this nature are reaching us and are very troubling, not only to us but also to our two children who are workers in God's cause. We do not believe the Lord appreciates this manner of dealing with one who has rendered Him a lifetime of service and whose present problem is simply that he has been found defending the principles of our faith as set forth in the book Seventh- day Adventists Believe.

We would do well to remember that in every judicial proceeding, not only is the accused on trial, but the court is also on trial. We do not believe that you ~‘ gentlemen have served yourselves well by the manner in which you have dealt with this case. Neither have you served well the church or the Lord. We believe this group has a moral responsibility to set this matter right, and it should be done now, not after my death, as in the case of Elder M. L. Andreason. We believe I am entitled to a fair trial regarding my theology and ministry before the Union Executive Committee. If that committee, after a fair trial has been conducted, votes to deny my credentials, we believe a full statement of the specific reasons for that action should be made, and the statement published in Ministry magazine.

But now may we suggest that we lift our eyes from the individual tree we have been examining and spend a few moments considering the forest as a whole. it is apparent that there is division in the church. We would like to offer a few thoughts regarding:

Division: Its Nature, Its Causes, and Its Cure.

Division is most easily defined as the opposite of unity. We all believe that unity in the church is precious. It is priceless. Unity was the great burden of the last recorded prayer of Jesus for His disciples (John 17). Unity was what made possible the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Unity was one of the major factors that gave power to the Seventh- day Adventist Church as it emerged from the Millerite Movement.

What is the basis of this precious unity? Paul calls it “the unity of the faith” Ephesians 4: 13. He further describes it as “speaking the truth in love,” verse 15, and indicates that those who have this unity of the faith will not be “carried about with every wind of doctrine” verse 14.

Ellen White describes the search for unity in 1844:

“We would come together burdened in soul, praying that we might be one in faith and doctrine; for we knew that Christ is not divided” TM 24. [All emphasis supplied.]

Their prayers were answered. They did become one in faith and doctrine, and they bestowed that legacy of unity upon us. Our church has enjoyed a phenomenal degree of unity throughout most of its history. We who have spent years in soul- winning work have found it an enormous advantage to be able


“No one has any Independent authority apart from Christ and His word” SDA‘s
Believe 146.


to tell our converts they were uniting with a worldwide church that had a oneness in faith and doctrine over all the earth.

But notice how God has warned us through His messenger that unity must be based upon faith and doctrine:

“Christ calls for unity. But He does not call for us to unify on wrong practices. The God of heaven draws a sharp contrast between pure, elevating, ennobling truth and fulse, misleading . . . . I urge our brethren to unify upon a true, scriptural basis” 1 SM 175.

“We are to unify, but not on a platform of error” Series B, “Freedom in Christ” 47. Our church has not unified upon a platform of error, but upon a platform of truth. Our doctrines have been the foundation of our unity, but if wrong doctrines are introduced, causing the foundation of truth to crumble, we will struggle in vain to preserve our unity. The wise man does not build his house upon the sand.

At various times in the history of Christianity, there have arisen tensions between Christians who had differing views of what constitutes sound declines. Instead of meeting this problem on the theological level, church officials have sometimes tried to resolve it on the basis of church authority. This has never been and never will be successful. Ecclesiology must be derived from theology. Theology cannot be derived from ecclesiology, lest it degenerate into ecclesiolatry.

Our doctrinal book states: “Christ exercises His authority through His church and its specially appointed servants, but He never transfers His power. No one has any independent authority apart from Christ and His word' SDA ‘s Believe 146.

“Whatever the church does that is in accordance with the directions given in God's Word will be ratified in heaven” 7T 263.

“The church . . . . must say about sin what God says about it. She must deal with it as God directs, and her action is ratified in heaven” DA 806.

This brings us immediately and specifically to the heart of our present problem. There is a wide- spread and rapidly growing conviction among many church members, especially in the North American Division, Australia and Europe, that some of our church leaders are emphatically not saying about sin what God says about It, but rather are saying that we will all keep on sinning until Jesus comes, at which time He will miraculously fix us so we will never sin again. This makes our sanctuary doctrine nonsensical and invalidates the Spirit of Prophecy, which repeatedly endorses the sanctuary doctrine.

These concerned church members recognize that this strange new doctrine is out of harmony with our historic faith, out of harmony with the Scriptures, and out of harmony with the Spirit of Prophecy in which there are literally thousands of statements affirming the reality of victorious Christian living, and at least forty- eight warnings against the idea that Christ will change our characters when He comes. (See our Tell of His Power.)

This is manifestly a theological problem, and it needs to be dealt with on a theological level. Church members do not see this as a minor issue. They see it as one which vitally concerns their eternal salvation. But when they question or challenge this strange new doctrine and ask, “Why is the church not saying about sin what God says about it as stated in Seventh- day Adventists Believe?” they often find, to their bewilderment, that they are accused of being divisive trouble- makers who are attacking the church.

More tragically still, the response of church officialdom to questions, appeals, and protests, consistently reflects a desire to ignore the theological dimensions of the problem and to issue appeals for unity, supported by stem admonitions about the authority of the church. Within the last thirty days I received a letter from a conference president which said frankly, “Most of my response will be from a practical point of view, rather than a theological approach,” yet the matter at hand was theological in nature.

Thus we see a tension between a concept of truth and a concept of church authority. When the disciples of Jesus were summoned to appear before the Sanhedrin, they went gladly, anticipating an opportunity to express their convictions of truth about Jesus. They found, however, that the Sanhedrin proposed one question only, Do you submit to our authority?

Result— the church was split.

When Martin Luther and his companions were summoned to appear before the emperor, they also went gladly, hoping for a discussion of the principles of scriptural truth. But they were confronted with the same question, Do you submit to our authority? Result— the church was split.

Today we find ourselves caught up in a similar situation, and we may well reflect about the past. It has been said that those who cannot learn from history are condemned to repeat history. Surely the lesson of history is clear that theological questions must be

There is a wide- spread and rapidly growing conviction. . . that some of our church leaders are emphatically not saying about sin what God says about it.


given theological answers, and that unity will result if the theological answers are sound and persuasive because they bear up well under scriptural investigation. The introduction of false doctrines into our platform of truth cannot but bring division. Fair- minded people everywhere will judge that the division is caused by those who introduce changes in our theology, not by those who prefer to maintain our historic theology unchanged.

It cannot be denied that, in a certain sense, truth is divisive. Note the words of Jesus on this point:

“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter- in- law against her mother- in- law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household” Matthew 10: 34- 36.

When truth and error meet, division may be the result, but should we blame the division on those who teach the truth?

This leads us to the questions of responsibility and guilt Jesus unquestionably created division when He came to this earth. But was this wrong? Should He have stayed in heaven in order to avoid creating division? Would the unity that might have resulted been desirable? Clearly the apostles created division wherever they went. But again we ask, Was this wrong? Would it have been better for them to have hushed their voices for the sake of unity?

One of the most bitter accusations hurled at us as a people has been that by preaching the Sabbath we created division among Christians. But has this been wrong and has not the accusation of divisiveness been hurled at all reformers? We read in Signs of the Times, January 28, 1886:

“Reformers of the present day will meet with the same discouragements as did their Master.”

Neither is there anything new about the same, strange misjudgment we meet today: “When controversy is awakened, the advocates of truth are accredited with causing disturbance” ST, 10- 17- 95.

The following counsel is timely: “Now as in former ages, the presentation of a truth that reproves the sins and errors of the times will excite opposition.... Elijah was declared to be a troubler in Israel, Jeremiah a traitor, Paul a polluter of the temple. From that day to this, those who would be loyal to truth have been denounced as seditious, heretical, or schismatic.... This spirit will increase more and more. . . .

“In view of this, what is the duty of the messenger of truth? Shall he conclude that the truth ought not to be presented, since often its only effect is to arouse men to evade or resist its claims? No; he has no more reason for withholding the testimony of God's word, because it excites opposition, than had earlier Reformers” GC 458- 459.

When truth and error meet, division may be the result, but should we blame the division on those who teach the truth?


Several months ago we received an urgent request to conduct a seminar in a church in this Union. The people there had many questions, which we answered from the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. As we were leaving, they gave us a tape and suggested we listen to it on the way home.

The tape turned out to be a message that had been presented to them by their conference president a few weeks before our visit. On several points, he had told them the exact opposite of what we had shown them. Here is a sampling of the president's opinion regarding perfection of character.

“Is it not extremely discouraging to us to discover, as we look back through the annals of history, to discover [sic] that no one except Jesus has ever reached that perfect standard, at least so far as we know? If Jesus is the only one so far who has reached that perfect standard, it doesn't give us a great deal of encouragement, does it, to be able to accomplish what the great spiritual giants of the past were not able to accomplish.”

We, of course, had known nothing about this, so we had walked right into trouble. We had shown them our research report entitled Tell of His Power, which contains 2,500 statements from Ellen White's writings, all of which strongly affirm the possibility of character perfection through the power of Christ. Worse yet, we had shown them a chapter in our book which records 48 warnings from Ellen White that there will be no change of character when Christ comes. We had also shown them a chapter which contains 37 statements from Ellen White regarding persons who have achieved character perfection. Jesus was not the only one, according to the Lord's messenger. Her list of champions includes the patriarchs, the apostles, Enoch, Elijah, Joseph, Daniel and John. She writes:

“Souls that have borne the likeness of Satan have become transformed into the image of God” AA 476.

“Thousands have set the Lord before them, and by beholding have been changed into the same image” COL 133- 134.

“Some few in every generation from Adam resisted his (Satan's) every artifice and stood forth as noble representations of what it was in the power of man to do and to be— Christ working with human efforts, helping man in overcoming the power of Satan” RH 3- 3- 74.

“In every phase of your character building you are to please God. This you may do; for Enoch pleased Him though living in a degenerate age. And there are Enochs in this our day” COL 332.

This is only a sampling. We had shown them many other Spirit of Prophecy passages that could not be harmonized with the opinions of the president. As we were driving along and listening to the tape, Jeanne turned to me and said, “This is it, Ralph. This is going to cost you your credentials.”

So— on that day we began to prepare our minds for the experience through which we are now passing. Yet, what else could we have done? Should we have

Elder Mostert wrote me a letter which began with these words:
“I despair with you over the fact that so many of our church members are finding It necessary to turn to independent ministries in order to hear basic Adventist teaching. ”


withheld the truth from the people in order to protect our position? No doubt the president's visit, followed by ours, created some division of thought in that district Who is responsible for that division? What would be a fair judgment? And what would be God's judgment?

We are not suggesting that this is the only dynamic working in the situation. We had earlier incurred the displeasure of the officers of the Division. Elders Bradford, Crumley and Dale had asked Dr. Frank Holbrook of the Biblical Research Institute to prepare a theological rationale to be used against independent ministry leaders. This paper was then sent to Ron Spear, along with warnings that he must submit to the authority of the church.

But, unfortunately, Dr. Holbrook had spread his net in such a manner that the first victim would have been Elder Bradford himself. After comparing independent ministry leaders with the rebel Satan and the rebels Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, Dr. Holbrook had set forth two theological aberrations that called for disfellowshipping members from the church, views we historic Adventists hold regarding 1) the human nature of Christ, and 2) righteousness by faith.

When this paper came into my hands, I wrote to the Division leadership, pointing out that on November16, 1988, Elder Bradford had written a letter to me containing the following lines:

. . . . my views on the human nature of Christ are almost identical with some that you and others have expressed. I have preached them at large gatherings and camp meetings around the world.”

This is precisely the fault for which Dr. Holbrook had recommended disfellowshipping— holding a “wrong” view about the human nature of Christ and disturbing church members in other countries about it. He had also argued that our view regarding righteousness by faith is not in the book Seventh- day Adventists Believe. It is actually stated in that book l40 times!

I pointed these things out in a letter to the officers of the Division, and they were most displeased. Therefore, when Elder Mostert told me that the Division officers were in favor of denying my credentials, I was not surprised.

This paper by a member of the Biblical Research Institute may be taken as a sampling of the incredible theological confusion that exists in the church today. It is beyond question a theological problem which urgently needs to be dealt with on a theological level. The longer this is delayed, the greater will be the damage to the church. Our people have historically had an orientation toward truth. Many have left other churches and united with our church for the sake of truth. They have recognized that placing confidence in church leaders above devotion to the truth is a danger to be avoided. They have accepted the principle of individual responsibility for studying and knowing the truth and have turned away from the concept that the church is the interpreter of Scriptures. They have accepted Ellen White's statement that:

“The Bible with its precious gems of truth was not written for the scholar alone” ST 331.

Therefore, it is a serious mistake to meet their urgent questions and concerns about our “truths that have been held sacred” with evasions and dissimulations. Suggestions by leadership that historic Seventh- day Adventists think they are the only ones in the church who know the truth, or that they are setting themselves up to be the judges of the church, or that they consider themselves to be the only holy ones, are recognized by many church members as simply throwing dust into the air. These tactics have a disastrous effect upon their confidence in leadership.

The historic Adventists, numbering in the thousands, are most emphatically not a group of crackpots and weirdos. They are not a group of malcontents and fanatics who turn to independent ministries simply as an expression of their rebellious spirit They are, for the most part, loyal, steadfast church members who have faced Sabbath tests, endured opposition from families and friends and have persevered in their devotion to the Lord and His sacred truth in the face of formidable odds. They turn to the independent ministries for a reason that has been well stated by our own Union president, Elder Mostert. On May 1, 1990, Elder Mostert wrote me a letter which began with these words:

“I despair with you over the fact that so many of our church members are finding it necessary to turn to independent ministries in order to hear basic Adventist teaching.”

Where will they go to hear basic Adventist teaching when the independent ministries have been destroyed, as seems to be the intention of the present church leadership? No doubt you have heard of the addresses given by our General Conference president at such places as the camp meeting in Hope, British Columbia, in 1991, which seemed to be a declaration of open season on the independent ministries and those who support them. I have tapes of those messages, and some of the statements are as awesome as they are inaccurate, intemperate and inflammatory.

But these messages have apparently set the pace, and in response, equally inaccurate and intemperate tirades have already been published by two Union presidents in their Union papers. I am finding it increasingly difficult to persuade the church members to whom I minister that these false accusations are made in ignorance and not in malice.

If the independent ministries are successfully destroyed, what can we expect to happen then? Can anyone seriously suppose that those church members who, as stated by our Union president, have had to turn to independent ministries in order to hear basic Adventist teaching will then meekly submit to authority and give their support to those who have destroyed the independent ministries? Can we expect them to just forget that their theological questions have not been answered? And, are we remembering a fact that was expressed to me recently by a retired Union Conference president:

“I hope that our brethren will remember that our conservative members are the financial backbone of our church.”

Which leads us inexorably to the question of tithe. As I have testified that the historic Adventists are not weirdos and crack- pots who support independent ministries simply as an expression of their rebellious spirit, I also wish to testify that neither do they send tithe to independent ministries because they prefer to do so. They would much rather send their tithe through church channels but feel they cannot conscientiously support the preaching of false theology.

I wish to address myself to an enormous misunderstanding that I regard as one of the major factors in our present problem. We hear much talk and many accusations about the independent ministries soliciting tithe. No independent ministry of my acquaintance has ever solicited tithe. Brethren, I plead with you to believe me when I say that the independent ministries do not solicit tithe, because they do not need to solicit tithe. It comes to them unsolicited, unbidden, unrequested. It is freely and voluntarily contributed by church members who are trying to relieve their consciences of a heavy burden.

This is the effect. What is the cause? The cause is the lack of preaching basic Seventh- day Adventist truths in their home churches and often supplanting them with either empty pablum or errors borrowed from Babylon. The cause is emphatically not the eloquence and trickery of a group of skillful con men who are leading independent ministries, as some seem to believe. To suppose that crushing the independent ministries and leaving the problem in the churches unresolved is a fearful mistake.

It was in response to the many urgent questions of such church members that I researched the matter and published my findings in the September, 1991 edition of Our Firm Foundation, in an article entitled, “The Tithe Problem, Who Is Responsible?” This article was a straight- forward and factual report of my findings on that subject. I stand ready to modify or correct my conclusions at any time evidence is presented to me that would justify such a modification or correction.

Unfortunately, some of the responses to that article have been something less than straightforward and factual, so much so that the office of the White Estate has made clear that the article on tithe published in the Review was a private project of Roger Coon, done entirely independent of either the White Estate Board or the White Estate staff. Of the many problems in the Roger Coon article, I would mention two. Coon argued that when Ellen White used the word “means,” this generally referred only to offerings and not to tithe. We are presently aware of 168 occasions when Ellen White went into print using the word “means” in a way that included tithe. Why did an officer of the White Estate not know this?

Again, Coon faults those who make reference to the “Watson letter,” since Ellen White had stated she did not desire her diversions of tithe to be widely

“God has a church. It Is not the great cathedral, neither Is it the national establishment . . . It Is the people who bye God and keep His commandments ” UL 315.


advertised. This overlooks the fact that the entire relevant portions of the Watson letter were published by the White Estate itself in 1981 (see Ellen G. White, The Early Elmshaven Years, 395- 396), and again in 1987 (see 2MR 99- 100). Why did an officer of the White Estate not know this?

In summary, may I quote the second sentence of the letter written to me by Elder Mostert on May 1, 1990:

“Obviously, one of the most unmet needs in the church at the present time is the lack of opportunity for leaders to dialogue with members in a meaningful way that does not create further frustration.”

I agree with and heartily applaud this statement It echoes the cries we hear from hurting and bewildered historic Adventists all across the continent: Why will not our leaders talk to us? Why will they not listen to us? Why will they not investigate our condition to determine whether our appeals are valid? Why are we considered trouble- makers because we are holding to the doctrines that are set forth in the book Seventhday Adventists Believe? Can our leaders not recognize that antagonistic doctrines are being preached in many of our pulpits, taught in many of our schools, printed in our publishing houses and circulated in the Review? Is it their intention to support these false doctrines?

Further, they ask, Why do our leaders identify us as evildoers and enemies of the church when we finally give up appealing to them and turn in despair to places where our historic faith is being defended? Why do they use their power and authority against a minister who is widely known as a defender of our historic faith, while the facilities of some of our largest churches remain open to one who is equally well- known as an enemy of our historic faith?

Jeanne and I are presently ministering, by their invitation, to thousands of historic Adventists in this country and in other countries. In the year 1991 we spent forty of the fiftytwo weekends conducting seminars in defense of our historic faith. (We pause to mention that we receive no remuneration whatever for conducting these seminars. The people pay only our expenses. We are sure you can understand how perplexed the historic Seventh- day Adventists are when they read in a Union paper that we are doing this for our own financial benefit.) We are presently fully booked for 1992 and into 1993.

We are able to report to you that the conviction is spreading among these historic Adventists that they are going to be hounded out of the church. They feel this is the only possible understanding of the inflammatory tirades that are being published against them. They are observing closely those situations in which illegal church discipline is being applied and disfellowshipping has already begun in flagrant disregard of the provisions in the church manual. One of the most evident characteristics of these actions has been and is continuing to be a lack of “due process.”

The historic Adventists remember that when Dr. Desmond Ford launched a vigorous assault against our sanctuary doctrine, the principles of “due process” were carefully followed. Every effort was made to ensure his case was dealt with in a fair and prudent manner, and rightly so. The historic Adventists are also noting that even though Dr. Ford is now attacking much more than our sanctuary doctrine and contributing very largely to the present apostasy in the church, the facilities of some of our largest churches remain open to him.

They are contrasting this with the fact that in a Pacific Union Recorder of 1991 an announcement stated Ralph Larson would conduct a seminar in the Beaumont Church on July 26 and 27 entitled “In Defense of the Sanctuary.” Before six weeks had passed, he had lost his ministerial credentials, without due process. This speaks volumes to the historic Seventh- day Adventists. Why, they are asking, is there so much patient tolerance toward those who attack our faith and so little toward those who defend it?

These developments are causing historic Adventists to consider carefully the proper relationship between the truth, the church and church authority. They are asking, Is it a valid theology of church authority that requires us to surrender the truth and accept false doctrines or is this a misuse and abuse of church authority? Is it a valid theology of stewardship that requires us to give financial support to the preaching of false doctrines? Is it a valid theology of church order that brands the preaching of truth as

The present division in the church Is a tension between our true historic faith, as described In Seventh- day Adventists Believe, and the Incompatible doctrines of modern Calvinism.


“divisive,” while tolerating the preaching of untruth? And, in the ultimate sense, what is the church? Let the Lord through His chosen messenger provide us with the answer:

“God has a church. It is not the great cathedral, neither is it the national establishment . . . it is the people who love God and keep His commandments.” UL 315.

We are directing your attention to the reality that the present division in the church is a tension between our true historic faith, as described in Seventh- day Adventists Believe, and the incompatible doctrines of modern Calvinism. We hold that it is unreasonable and unfair to charge this division upon those ministers and church members who wish to cling to our historic faith. The responsibility for division should be laid at the door of those who are promoting the false doctrines of Calvinism among us.

We believe that every administrator has a sacred obligation to encourage and support those who are defending our historic faith and not let himself be manipulated or maneuvered into an attitude of opposition toward them by camouflaged accusations of divisiveness, etc.

We are presently hearing that Dr. Desmond Ford is broadcasting that many of our scholars and administrators are now accepting his theology. This charge cannot be well met by silence and inaction, which will cause people to conclude that the allegation must be true.

Kenneth Sample, successor to Walter Martin, reports that when he took a survey of fifty- six ministers in a single conference in this Union, fourteen admitted to disbelief in the biblical basis of our sanctuary doctrine and thirteen more passed by that question while answering the other questions in the survey. Thus, about half of those surveyed could not bear a positive testimony in regard to the doctrine of which Ellen White wrote:

“The correct understanding of the ministration in the heavenly sanctuary is the foundation of our faith” Letter 208, 1906; EV 221.

Surely it is time for the officers of this Union to resolutely lead the way in ascertaining what persons, in the classrooms of our schools and the pulpits of our churches, are teaching the doctrines described in Seventh- day Adventists Believe, and what persons are substituting for those doctrines antagonistic and incompatible doctrines.

And it is time for a thorough investigation of my particular case, and a full and fair trial to be conducted by the Union Conference Committee. At that trial I will submit evidence that

1. I have appealed to our church leaders and scholars to recognize our theological problem by an investment of much time, many written appeals, and several thousand dollars worth of our two major research reports, The Word Made Flesh and Tell of His Power, that have been distributed among them.

2. I have sought no speaking appointments anywhere, but have simply responded to urgent requests for help from the suffering historic Seventh- day Adventists.

3. The evidence presented in our research reports has not been challenged by biblical or Spirit of Prophecy evidence from anyone. It has been met by sneers, jeers, and arguments against the man.

4. My theology is precisely the theology that is set forth in Seventh- day Adventists Believe.

Therefore, those who oppose my ministry and our doctrinal book are the ones who are divisive.

We are to unite, but not upon a platform of error.

NONE DARE CALL IT APOSTASY


Part one: Dr. John J. Grosboll

Part two: Dr. Ralph Larson

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