Beware the Memes on the Internet!

This Meme is Making the Rounds on Facebook. The charge is
that it was seen outside a mosque in Dearborn, MI.

My writing history as relates to Islam is pretty well chronicled here on Renegade's Rants, and it would not be hard for any reader of this article to see exactly what I mean. I should point out that while I am much less rabid than many writers of a Christian conservative viewpoint, I am nevertheless very much anti-anyone who is anti-America. It is not that I believe growing up in this country makes anyone more or less elite than anyone else in the world; it is the fact that to this day, the US is still one of the best places to be for religious freedom, personal freedom, and the overall protection of law.

With this being said, I also find the intentional misrepresentation of Muslims to be sickening. If anyone has an issue with Islam, that to me is fine; the issue is with an ideology, as opposed to a living and breathing human being. However, to take pot shots at people because they believe differently, live differently, and dress differently is absolutely and unequivocally the lowest, most despicable, undeniably vile thing anyone can do. Those who manufacture such gross lies and stories are the first in my proverbial crosshairs today.

Above is a picture which I have seen going viral on Facebook and on Google+ most of the day. It is certainly frightening to think that anyplace within the United States would have such a sign, and it is terrifying to think that there could be a group of people so brazen as to say place it in the first place. According to the various comments accompanying this image, it is seen outside a mosque in Dearborn, Michigan. Understandably, the picture is creating quite a stir.

However, the first thing I would like you to do is look at the title on the sign seen above: There is no such mosque in Dearborn, MI, and likely never would be. That is because even the most militant of Muslim extremists in the US (and there are radical Muslims living in this nation and seeking to create a caliphate here) would never blatantly advertise their goal. How do I know? Because there are far too many gun toting nutcases out there who would have no problem turning their attention from the basically defenseless people in abortion clinics to equally defenseless people in a mosque. The intention of the radical are not to get their own killed; sure they'll use suicide bombers and the like; but they need people who do not wish to commit suicide to populate whatever region they are intent on taking over. This is just one reason of several for why the sign seen above ought to raise eyebrows.

For my dollar (nickles are currently worthless), whoever created this meme in the first place ought to be paraded into the public spotlight to explain themselves, at the very least. Preferably, I'd like to see them tried on criminal charges. They do not deserve to live as though they are law-abiding citizens; nor do they deserve to believe they are patriots without having that self-aggrandizing notion severely challenged in a court of law. Whomever created this hoax ought to be caned. For that matter, anyone sharing and perpetuating this willful attempt at inciting violence; anyone who is doing so and knows it to be false; ought to be charged, convicted and punished as accomplices.

But, here I am, going off on a tangent again. I suppose it wouldn't be a rant without the occasional rabbit trail.

Note the URL seen at the bottom of this image.
Can you see the one in the first image? No? That's because
someone intentionally cropped it out of the picture.

Let me get back to why this sign is a hoax.  To the right, note that you can see the very same symbol at the top of the sign. The very same title can be seen on the sign. The very same building can be seen to the right of the sign, and the cars are exactly the same and in the same positions as in the image above. Note however that the slogan is not the same. How is this possible?

Anything is possible when you utilize a church sign generator, which is precisely what the perpetrator of this particular hoax did. What's more, he or she did so with the express purpose of creating hysteria. What's worse is that this meme was created around or long before 2014, which means some ignoramus decided to resurrect this specific zombie- And believe me, it is so evil that even Umbrella Corp would wash their hands of it.

In summary, if you value your own reputation as an intelligent, ethical and law-abiding individual, DO NOT repost this atrocity. It is beyond foolish. It is beyond childish. It is an absolute abomination that fully deserves to be forgotten. Feel free to tell the same to your friends... Or, if you're not sure how they'd react, then by all means; share this article with them. It's worth it to hopefully save someone from the shame of ignorantly following hate and fear mongers.

Renegade out.

Finding The Balance: or, Pick The Jesus In The Middle, Stupid

I had told myself that my next post would be the follow up to "My Hate Speech." Well, that has changed, and rather unexpectedly.

In all actuality, I have been much busier than I thought I would be, and the sequel to the blog mentioned above has taken on a life of it's own- Perhaps becoming a book! For this reason, it is being postponed indefinitely.

Instead, I'd like to spend some time sharing my thoughts which sprung to mind after reading the following comment from a dear, dear friend of mine. He stated:

"I just don't like the intellectualism that so many live in that seems to crowd out the working of the Spirit... ...I think there's a better way then a Sunday morning sermon and not much else."

Indeed, I too have seen this brain over God approach. Sadly, many who follow this way are being led astray. They study and study the Bible, but without the Spirit of God providing understanding, it becomes just another book, albeit a rather ornate, expensive one.

My initial thought, then, is that we must rush to the Spirit. I'm sure this is where some folks now stand, honestly. If you were hurt in the church of the Dry Word, than you must immerse yourself in the Holy Spirit River.

The issue with these approaches, however, is vast, it is large, and most importantly, it is exceedingly dangerous.

You see, each of these approaches takes a bit from the Word of God, and runs the full field, not realizing that they are scoring for the rival team. Intellectual study has a very firm place in the church, or we would not be encouraged time and again to do so. The oft quoted verse is "study to show thyself approved."
However, we are also told not to study too much, because, as it says in Proverbs, "Too much study wearies the body."

We are told several times to listen to the council and follow the instruction of the Holy Spirit. However, we are also cautioned against false prophets, and perhaps the most direct, brutal and shocking caution regarding taking things out of context is found in Galatians 1:6-9, which reads so strongly I simply MUST quote it directly:

Galatians 1:6-9 (New King James Version)

6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

As you can clearly see, changing the Gospel to say what it does not say is to be taken very seriously. From the very beginning, the words of God were considered sacred. Nowhere is it better shown than when Israel put the pieces of the tablets into the Ark of the Covenant. It was then carried by priests, defended by the nation, and by God Himself. He takes His word seriously, as should we.

What has this got to do with anything? Plenty.

You see, when people go to the other end of the spectrum and believe that the Spirit is the be all end all, certain issues arise. For one thing, the Holy Spirit is not the extension of God which is to be worshiped. When the Bible speaks of the Spirit, it speaks of a Helper and a Guide. All praise given the Spirit of God is deflected to God the Father.
The wonder working power which many are so earnest for is not meant for a special parlor trick or to tickle a fancy- It is meant for two things: Those who need it's touch, and drawing those folks to Christ, and through Him, to salvation. It is a physical manifestation of God's power.
Craving this power, to the exclusion of God, is not only wrong in that we seek the gift and not the giver, but also in that it GRIEVES the Holy Spirit. More to the point, dear friends, it is dangerous.

Take the example of Simon the Sorcerer. Here was a man who saw the wonders of the Spirit moving mightily through the followers of Christ. He saw it, saw what it did, and he wanted it. So, he went to Peter and said, "Give me also this power," and offered him money for it. He was refused, rebuked, and told that the reason the Spirit would not rest upon him was because of his heart condition.
Many of those who go actively seeking the Power without thought to the Giver do not have the right heart condition. This is the reason that, when the Spirit ministers to those it came to minister to, its physical manifestations leave and go where it is needed, even when those who are seeking the power are still claiming it.


The fact of the matter is that this life requires BALANCE.


Balance is not something that we as humans can do alone- We can balance a bike, we can balance to walk, we can balance our checkbooks... Most of the time. However, we cannot balance ourselves. As it states in the Word, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?" (Jer. 17:9) This fact is echoed throughout the Bible, such as in Mark 7:20-23, "...What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

However, YHWH is a God of order, of balance. It is through Him and His power that we are able to achieve balance. To seek one aspect of Him alone is to once again go out of balance, falling out of His will, out of His grace, and as such, out of His protection.

Seeking the Spirit of God is a wonderful journey- But it is not one to be taken without the Word of God to guide you. Furthermore, the study of the Word in one's own private time is glorious- But only when the Spirit is with you.

A gifted author by the name of Ted Dekker once stated in his book, THR3E that there are three persons in each of us- The good, the Evil and the soul caught in the struggle.

So it is with our search for God. We can seek His words, and die for lack of His Spirit. We can seek the Holy Spirit, and die for lack of guidance. Or, we can seek after and follow the example of Jesus the Christ, Jeshua, and achieve that balance which He embodied.

Scripture and Spirit; Works and Faith; Law and Grace- It is all modeled for us in the life of Christ Jesus.

I'd like to leave you with a quote from another good friend of mine, one who has walked some very dark paths in his life, and so is keenly aware of the Light:

There are three Jesus' out there.
The first Jesus is the one people invoke when in a theological debate.
{the Word alone}
The second Jesus is the one people invoke when their car won't start.
{the Spirit alone}
The third Jesus is the one who calls us out of darkness.
{the balance}

Which Jesus do you serve?