An apologetic excursus

I found this "out there", it's non-attributed. I have some theological issues with some of the statements, but I thought I'd repost it as it presents some good rejoinders to some common attacks.



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Professor : You are a Christian, aren’t you, son ?

Student : Yes, sir.

Professor: So, you believe in GOD ?

Student : Absolutely, sir.

Professor : Is GOD good ?

Student : Sure.

Professor: Is GOD all powerful ?

Student : Yes.

Professor: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to GOD to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn’t. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?

(Student was silent.)

Professor: You can’t answer, can you ? Let’s start again, young fella. Is GOD good?

Student : Yes.

Professor: Is satan good ?

Student : No.

Professor: Where does satan come from ?

Student : From … GOD …

Professor: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?

Student : Yes.

Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?

Student : Yes.

Professor: So who created evil ?

(Student did not answer.)

Professor: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?

Student : Yes, sir.

Professor: So, who created them ?

(Student had no answer.)

Professor: Science says you have 5 Senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son, have you ever seen GOD?

Student : No, sir.

Professor: Tell us if you have ever heard your GOD?

Student : No , sir.

Professor: Have you ever felt your GOD, tasted your GOD, smelt your GOD? Have you ever had any sensory perception of GOD for that matter?

Student : No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.

Professor: Yet you still believe in Him?

Student : Yes.

Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?

Student : Nothing. I only have my faith.

Professor: Yes, faith. And that is the problem Science has.

Student : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?

Professor: Yes.

Student : And is there such a thing as cold?

Professor: Yes.

Student : No, sir. There isn’t.

(The lecture theater became very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.

(There was pin-drop silence in the lecture theater.)

Student : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?

Professor: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?

Student : You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light. But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and its called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it is, well you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?

Professor: So what is the point you are making, young man ?

Student : Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

Professor: Flawed ? Can you explain how?

Student : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good GOD and a bad GOD. You are viewing the concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.

Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?

Professor: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student : Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shook his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument was going.)

Student : Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor. Are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?

(The class was in uproar.)

Student : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain?

(The class broke out into laughter. )

Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?

(The room was silent. The Professor stared at the student, his face unfathomable.)

Professor: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.

Student : That is it sir … Exactly ! The link between man & GOD is FAITH. That is all that keeps things alive and moving.

Does Voddie Baucham think Mark Driscoll is a false teacher?

I was listening to an old Voddie Baucham message where he states that anyone who says, "God told me ________" and really means it, particularly someone in a preaching role, is a false teacher, a false prophet, a wolf, someone who is essentially trying to add to the canon of Scripture. So let's consider Mark Driscoll ...

I've been struggling with how to deal with Driscoll, especially as I credit him with being the catalyst for bringing me into Reformed Theology and waking me up after sleeping through church for 30 years. Unfortunately, I've heard several things from him that have concerned me, and with the above in mind from Baucham, to hear Mark state, "God spoke to me audibly and told me to marry Grace, plant churches, train men, and preach the Bible."

Then there's the "pornographic divination" that Phil Johnson talks about here: http://teampyro.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/pornographic-divination.html

I'm really struggling with this. As Mike Abendroth said, "Intro level stuff. Basically true; mostly biblical. Graduate from it."

My biggest challenge is in thinking about all the people I've introduced to Mark's preaching. Do I go back to them and tell them hey you need to move on from this guy and start listening to Macarthur and S. Lewis Johnson?

John Ankerberg Show gripe

Is it just me, or do others find that the John Ankerberg Show can be relied on for its ability to take a break just when things get interesting and then fail to come back to the point that would have been really good to get an answer on?

Does "homophobic" redefine "phobia"?

Does "homophobic" redefine the use of the word "phobia"? I certainly don't have an irrational fear of people who are attracted to the same sex, but I stand by the Bible's definition of sin. I have no doubt that there are practising homosexuals who are more morally upright by the world's standards than I am, who probably have done less "bad things" than I have. But we're talking about a condition of the heart when we talk about our attitude towards sin. I hate my sin. I often struggle to with hating myself because of my sin, but then I take hope, my only hope, in the risen Christ, whose mercy and grace covered my sins with his shed blood.

It is in this hope that I continually strive for sanctification, to put aside the old self and look ahead to the hope of being with my God and Saviour eternally. Any sinner can have the same hope. Any sinner could be transformed by God, a heart of stone turned into a heart of flesh. The Good News is preached to all mankind, without exception.

Homosexual activity is a sin, just as my failure to lead my household as a Christian father is a sin, my bad attitude towards others, my anger, my thoughts of violence, all these are things I battle against every day. I know of alcoholics, gluttons, murderers, child molesters, liars, cheats, adulterers, any manner of sinners who have trusted in Christ alone for their eternal hope, who battle every day to lay aside their sinful desires to satisfy their flesh and maintain their hope in a risen Saviour. No sin is too great that Jesus could not pay for it with his blood, no sinner so dead in sin that Jesus could not reach down and breathe life into them.

We remain sinners our whole lives, alcoholics remain alcoholics, as much as child molesters remain child molesters, sexual sinners remain lustful and adulterous at heart, and homosexuals too, who remain homosexual, who suffer under terrible stress to deny "who they are", their “natural condition”, who are in a position where they need to call on God every day for the strength to not give in to sinful desire, each sinner retains the “natural condition” of their sinful hearts. Sin is sin, and whatever your sin is, no matter how small, YOU know what it does to your heart. Whether it's something as small as that thought you had today when that pretty girl walked past, or the thought you had when that person cut you off in traffic, or something as horrific as a desire to harm another, it's SIN, and it remains the natural condition of the human heart as long as we live. Each of us suffers from different natural desires, so we judge others to be “better”, or “worse” than ourselves. Jesus laid bare the hubris of the religious by pointing out that lustful thought is the same to him as actual adultery, that hateful thought is the same as actual murder. Just because your sin might not send you to jail in the country you live in doesn't mean it isn't SIN!

'Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it.'
- Saint Augustine -

So are we going to redefine "phobia"? I think we must, for if my love for sinners, my love for people that is based on a recognition that in them lies the same basic sin nature that I have in me, if that love causes me to to open my mouth and say, "you are a sinner, and you need God", if that expression of love for another is to be called "phobic", then we must surely redefine the word.

If we are going to redefine "phobia", then we must also redefine "marriage", for if marriage suddenly means something other than the union of one man and one woman, then the term itself has lost its meaning. These topics are incredibly difficult to discuss without being accused of the aforementioned offence, but I think any fair discussion needs to evaluate points raised without descending into invective and vitriol.

Further to what I wrote above, the unregenerate sinner who is committed to his or her sin does not want to confront it, does not want to deny it, and above all does not want to admit that it is wrong. In this sense, the sinner will seek every opportunity to have their sin affirmed. The adulterer might have a psychologist diagnose him with sex addiction, or will say, “we're two consenting adults, who are you to say this is wrong?”. The person stealing music or movies off the internet might say, “I'm not hurting anyone, and besides I can't afford to buy it”. The person speeding down the road might say, “I'm late for work, and anyway I'm a safe driver, those limits are just guidelines for idiots.” A person might seek advice on their sinful lifestyle from their pastor, and when they don't hear what they want they'll go to a church that will say they're doing nothing wrong and they can continue to worship the god of their own making.

In this sense, it is my assessment that people who are pushing for “gay marriage” do not actually want marriage as the Bible defines marriage. They might think they do, but practising homosexuals, deep down, feel convicted of their sin, and they want to redefine the term marriage so they can stop being reminded every day that they are in sin, and feel affirmed. Strong words? Yes they are. At the heart of this discussion about “gay marriage” is, quite simply, the desire to normalise sin.

Now we're getting somewhere. Society today wants to normalise sin. Just turn on the television to see what's being promoted to our society, our children today as being normal, right and good. Chuck Swindoll had this to say about normalising sin:

“You need to recognize how the enemy of our faith encourages us to:

• “Notice another person’s sin more than our own.

• “Define sin as less heinous than it really is—perhaps regarding it as understandable, in some cases even desirable.

• “Explain sin as a legitimate reaction to life’s disappointments and therefore, worthy more of compassion than judgment.

• “Treat sin as something merely naughty, like a childish prank.

• “Evaluate sin as a merely regrettable path to legitimate relief from pressure and pain—a path made necessary by whoever designed the world.”

When we start defining morality by popular vote, we start to head down a very slippery slope. The issue here is not one of human rights, or legalities, or fairness, even though many good arguments have been based on those points. The issue here is sin. As Christians, we must be prepared to stand on what the Bible says about sin. That includes our own sin. We must be prepared to examine ourselves, and be examined, in light of what the Bible says about sin. That might be really uncomfortable, but if we're not prepared to put up our hands and say, “by God's standard of perfection, my sin is just as bad as yours”, then we are not only deluding ourselves, we are denying the truth, and we may be suffering from a serious case of Religion.

So where to from here? Well, first of all if we are going to engage in this discussion we need to be aware of the two levels we're going to be operating on. One is the level the world is coming from—they don't and won't acknowledge the sin aspect, so we need to try to look at it from their perspective, which pretty much boils down to “it's not fair”. And guess what—I think they're right. There. I said it. I think in a post-Christian society, discriminating against people on the basis of their particular choice of sin is not fair, or nice. I don't recall reading anything in the Bible that says, under the New Covenant, that we are to set aside the grace that we have been shown and be downright mean to other sinners because they haven't been convicted of their sin. Look around you. How many other sins do you want to start getting upset about? The horse has well and truly bolted, and guess what … your sins would make you a candidate for persecution if the right Pharisee came along. You know what? I think it's actually pretty unlikely that “gay marriage” will lead to rampant paedophilia, polygamy, polyandry and bestiality. There are bigger issues for the Christian community to deal with than those. I'm open to input on this, feel free to point out where I'm wrong!

So what's the other level? The other level is the one that any sinner saved by grace through faith needs to be operating on every day. Gratitude, thankfulness, and prayer for other sinners. Show people you love them and care about them. Share with them that you yourself are a sinner, saved by grace, and that even though you can't and won't affirm their sin, you love them as people and are willing to be friends with them, to be there for them in their own hard times, to walk with them and just be a fellow human being with feelings, struggles and, yes, sins.

When the laws get changed to force places of worship to allow any sinful activity to take place within its walls in the name of “anti-discrimination”, it may be time to go back to house churches, and it may be time for people to start going to jail for what they believe, but in all that we need to be very careful that we don't lose sight of the big picture, which is the great leveller … true equality before God.

What is true equality? Sin. Death. Judgement. It happens to everyone. Where are you going to stand?

Fierce Tornadoes and the Fingers of God

John Piper - Fierce Tornadoes and the Fingers of God

Why John Piper hates the prosperity gospel

John Piper and the Prosperity Gospel - Popular Christian Videos After being part of a family funeral in a Third World country, where Cargo Cult is thinly veiled in the expectation of "blessings" that will come from God as a result of a level of faith that places an obligation on God like He's become a divine slot machine, where a wife and mother and community leader was taken at a young age by cancer, this video that uses a message from John Piper has suddenly taken on a whole new relevance to me.

God is perfect. We are not.

God is perfect. We are not. We are on the opposite end of the infinity spectrum of perfection. It's like a light switch - on/off. A binary switch - 0/1. Colour - inside-a-cave black vs. blinding white light. Therefore if God is infinitely good, then by definition we are infinitely bad. That means, on the scale of "good vs. bad", we really aren't that far apart from Hitler or Dahmer or any other "bad" person you want to be compared to, because the only comparison that matters is how we compare to God. If you draw a line on a piece of paper and put Satan on one end and God on the other, then put the worst person you can think of somewhere down the "bad" end, then put yourself somewhere on that line, you might be thinking you're pretty much okay, right? Well, guess what? You didn't draw the line long enough. Get someone to hold the piece of paper and then start backing away from it, imagining that you're drawing the line that goes toward God. Can you still see "your" dot? Does it seem like it's a bit closer to Hitler than you'd like to think? Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Can you still see your dot? Can you even see the piece of paper? Keep going. Are you starting to get the idea? God's perspective is that when he looks at your sin from HIS standard of perfection, he really doesn't see any difference between "your" dot on that piece of paper and anyone else's.

So, because he is so perfect, he simply cannot have imperfection sharing Heaven with him. The only way for us to share Heaven is to be made perfect, and the only way the Bible tells us that happens is through the legal declaration of perfection that is imputed to us through Jesus' blood. When the Bible says we are "in Christ", that we have "put on Christ", we can think of this as meaning that when God's eye falls on us, he doesn't see our sin and imperfection, he only sees Jesus' perfection. As Paul Washer has so eloquently said, if I encounter God's judgement without Jesus' blood covering me, I would be like a birthday candle in front of a blast furnace. There is no "good enough". There is no "working it out with God". You are either made perfect, or you aren't.

Our good deeds - filthy rags? Why get out of bed?

God has no respect for our good deeds done to gain His favour - "All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" - Isaiah 64:6 - and we are saved in SPITE of them - "He saved us, NOT because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy." - Titus 3:5

Ever wondered why? I have, for a long time - why doesn't God respect my efforts? Then it hit me tonight for the first time, probably as a working through of my previous update - God is perfect. We are not.

We all agree that none of us IS perfect. We also agree that nothing we DO is done perfectly. Well, in God's eyes, any imperfection, any sin, is abominable. Therefore even our BEST EFFORTS are like filthy rags - the Hebrew actually refers to filthy menstrual rags, the epitome of uncleanness in that society.

So what's the point in trying, right? I mean, if nothing is EVER good enough, then why even get out of bed? Well, the Bible also tells us that we were "CREATED in Christ Jesus to do good works"! - Ephesians 2:10. There's that phrase again - "IN Christ" - so again, the only way that our filthy rags will look like good works in God's eyes is if we, and therefore our good works, are IN CHRIST! Anything else is a "stench in his nostrils" - Isaiah 65:5.

Random thoughts on life

Not so random, really. These came out of some very real issues I've had with someone at work ...


1. "Random thoughts of life: Until proven otherwise, it is usually a good idea to begin any interaction with the basic attitude that each party has an intrinsic intent towards good will, and mutually beneficial outcomes. In other words, don't assume someone is out to get you."

2. "Random thoughts of life: Being offensively defensive doesn't get you anywhere. Learn to let things slide. Let other people think awful things about you without comment, the truth will out."
 

3. "Random thoughts of life: Unless there's immediate danger of life or limb, let other people be wrong. If they're ready, they'll ask for help. Offering it before they realise they need it will only make them feel stupid, potentially causing them to become offensively defensive. Refer to previous."

4. "Random thoughts of life: If someone's watching you do something and you don't *really* know what you're doing, invite them to speak up if they have a better way of doing things. It will save time, create an environment of positive interaction and provide a learning/teaching opportunity that will benefit both parties. Conversely, if you know the person watching you doesn't have a clue, take the opportunity to talk through what you're doing and invite questions. Again with the learning/teaching."

5. "Random thoughts of life: If someone has spent considerable effort on a task, it's probably not a good idea to walk in and ridicule them mercilessly for not doing as good a job as you could have done. You might find a distinct lack of interest the next time you assign a task."

Deity of Christ supported by the NWT

I used theWord Bible software to produce this. New World Translation quotes are from the jw.org website and therefore the most current version.

This is not an exhaustive list. It is relatively easy to show the deity of Christ, even though the WBTS has tried to edit it out of their abomination of a work they call a translation of Holy Scripture.

Jesus' name

Matt 1:21-23  21 She will give birth to a son, and you must call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this actually came about for that to be fulfilled which was spoken by Jehovah through his prophet, saying: 23 “Look! The virgin will become pregnant and will give birth to a son, and they will call his name Im·man´u·el,” which means, when translated, “With Us Is God.”  NWT

-Note- "Jesus" came from the Latin form of the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua, or Yeshua.  In Hebrew Yeshua means both "Salvation," and the concatenated form of Yahoshua, is "Lord who is Salvation." The Old Testament person Joshua was given that name as a type of the one to come, and Joshua took the people into the Promised Land.

Jesus is the First and the Last

Rev 1:17-18  17 And when I saw him, I fell as dead at his feet.  And he laid his right hand upon me and said: “Do not be fearful. I am the First and the Last, 18 and the living one; and I became dead, but, look! I am living forever and ever, and I have the keys of death and of Ha´des. NWT

Rev 2:8 “And to the angel of the congregation in Smyr´na write: These are the things that he says, ‘the First and the Last,’ who became dead and came to life [again], NWT

- Jesus is the First and the Last, as He is the only one who became dead but is living forever.

Isa 44:6 “This is what Jehovah has said, the King of Israel and the Repurchaser of him, Jehovah of armies, ‘I am the first and I am the last, and besides me there is no God. NWT

- Jehovah is the first and the last, and besides him there is no god. Note the NWT is the only translation to capitalise God in this verse. 

Rev 22:12-13  12 “‘Look! I am coming quickly, and the reward I give is with me, to render to each one as his work is. 13 I am the Al´pha and the O·me´ga, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. NWT

Rev 1:7-8  7 Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, and those who pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in grief because of him. Yes, Amen.  8 “I am the Al´pha and the O·me´ga,” says Jehovah God, “the One who is and who was and who is coming, the Almighty.”  NWT

- The Alpha and the Omega is Jehovah, the Almighty.

John prepares the way for Jehovah

Mark 1:1-4  1 [The] beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ: 2 Just as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “(Look! I am sending forth my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way;) 3 listen! someone is crying out in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of Jehovah, YOU people, make his roads straight,’” 4 John the baptizer turned up in the wilderness, preaching baptism [in symbol] of repentance for forgiveness of sins. NWT

John 1:22-23  22 Therefore they said to him: “Who are you? that we may give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said: “I am a voice of someone crying out in the wilderness, ‘MAKE the way of Jehovah straight,’ just as Isaiah the prophet said.” NWT

- Who was John preparing the way for but Jesus?

Who can forgive sins?

Mark 2:5-7  5 And when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic: “Child, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now there were some of the scribes there, sitting and reasoning in their hearts: 7 “Why is this man talking in this manner? He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins except one, God?” NWT

- Good point, who can forgive sins except one, God?

Who raised Jesus from death?

John 2:19-21  19 In answer Jesus said to them: “Break down this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 Therefore the Jews said: “This temple was built in forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was talking about the temple of his body. NWT

John 10:17-18  17 This is why the Father loves me, because I surrender my soul, in order that I may receive it again. 18 No man has taken it away from me, but I surrender it of my own initiative. I have authority to surrender it, and I have authority to receive it again. The commandment on this I received from my Father.”  NWT

Acts 2:22-36  22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus the Naz·a·rene´, a man publicly shown by God to YOU through powerful works and portents and signs that God did through him in YOUR midst, just as YOU yourselves know, 23 this [man], as one delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, YOU fastened to a stake by the hand of lawless men and did away with. 24 But God resurrected him by loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to continue to be held fast by it. 25 For David says respecting him, ‘I had Jehovah constantly before my eyes; because he is at my right hand that I may never be shaken. 26 On this account my heart became cheerful and my tongue rejoiced greatly. Moreover, even my flesh will reside in hope; 27 because you will not leave my soul in Ha´des, neither will you allow your loyal one to see corruption. 28 You have made life’s ways known to me, you will fill me with good cheer with your face.’  29 “Men, brothers, it is allowable to speak with freeness of speech to YOU concerning the family head David, that he both deceased and was buried and his tomb is among us to this day. 30 Therefore, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath that he would seat one from the fruitage of his loins upon his throne, 31 he saw beforehand and spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he forsaken in Ha´des nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God resurrected, of which fact we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore because he was exalted to the right hand of God and received the promised holy spirit from the Father, he has poured out this which YOU see and hear. 34 Actually David did not ascend to the heavens, but he himself says, ‘Jehovah said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, 35 until I place your enemies as a stool for your feet.”’ 36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know for a certainty that God made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom YOU impaled.”  NWT

Acts 4:10-12  10 let it be known to all of YOU and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ the Naz·a·rene´, whom YOU impaled but whom God raised up from the dead, by this one does this man stand here sound in front of YOU. 11 This is ‘the stone that was treated by YOU builders as of no account that has become the head of the corner.’ 12 Furthermore, there is no salvation in anyone else, for there is not another name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get saved.”  NWT

Translation of proskuneo and shachah in the New World "Translation"

I used theWord Bible software to produce this. New World Translation quotes are from the jw.org website and therefore the most current version.

Proskuneo - προσκυνέω - "To worship" - Strong's No G4352 - is used 54 times in the Greek New Testament and 172 times in the Greek Septuagint. Shachah - שׁחה - "to bow down" - Strong's No H7812 - is used 266 times in the Hebrew Masoretic text.

Almost without exception in the New Testament, the word is translated "worship", "bow down", "kneel before", or some tense variation thereof, in every known English translation.

There is ONE instance of the use of "obeisance" in the NWT Old Testament, and it's in 2 Chr 20:18. Interesting that the WBTS would use obeisance in this case, but who said they're ever consistent?
 18 At once Je·hosh´a·phat bowed low with his face to the earth, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem themselves fell down before Jehovah to do obeisance to Jehovah.

In the NWT, almost without exception only when it applies to Jesus, it is translated "do obeisance to". Here are the verses in the NWT that have proskuneo in the Greek. I haven't bothered with the OT references at this point, but it would be an interesting study to look at the passages that Christians understand to be referencing Jesus as Jehovah, and where worship is ascribed to Him, particularly the "The Angel of the LORD" passages.

Matt 2:2 saying: “Where is the one born king of the Jews? For we saw his star [when we were] in the east, and we have come to do him obeisance.” NWT

Matt 2:8 and, when sending them to Beth´le·hem, he said: “Go make a careful search for the young child, and when YOU have found it report back to me, that I too may go and do it obeisance.” NWT

Matt 2:11 And when they went into the house they saw the young child with Mary its mother, and, falling down, they did obeisance to it. They also opened their treasures and presented it with gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. NWT

Matt 4:9 and he said to him: “All these things I will give you if you fall down and do an act of worship to me.” NWT

Matt 4:10 Then Jesus said to him: “Go away, Satan! For it is written, ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.’” NWT

Matt 8:2 And, look! a leprous man came up and began doing obeisance to him, saying: “Lord, if you just want to, you can make me clean.” NWT

Matt 9:18 While he was telling them these things, look! a certain ruler who had approached began to do obeisance to him, saying: “By now my daughter must be dead; but come and lay your hand upon her and she will come to life.”  NWT

Matt 14:33 Then those in the boat did obeisance to him, saying: “You are really God’s Son.” NWT

Matt 15:25 When the woman came she began doing obeisance to him, saying: “Lord, help me!” NWT

Matt 18:26 Therefore the slave fell down and began to do obeisance to him, saying, ‘Be patient with me and I will pay back everything to you.’ NWT

Matt 20:20 Then the mother of the sons of Zeb´e·dee approached him with her sons, doing obeisance and asking for something from him. NWT

Matt 28:9 And, look! Jesus met them and said: “Good day!” They approached and caught him by his feet and did obeisance to him. NWT

Matt 28:17 and when they saw him they did obeisance, but some doubted. NWT

Mark 5:6 But on catching sight of Jesus from a distance he ran and did obeisance to him, NWT

Mark 15:19 Also, they would hit him on the head with a reed and spit upon him and, bending their knees, they would do obeisance to him. NWT

Luke 4:7 You, therefore, if you do an act of worship before me, it will all be yours.” NWT

Luke 4:8 In reply Jesus said to him: “It is written, ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.’”  NWT

Luke 24:52 And they did obeisance to him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. NWT

John 4:20 Our forefathers worshiped in this mountain; but YOU people say that in Jerusalem is the place where persons ought to worship.” NWT

John 4:21 Jesus said to her: “Believe me, woman, The hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will YOU people worship the Father. NWT

John 4:22 YOU worship what YOU do not know; we worship what we know, because salvation originates with the Jews. NWT

John 4:23 Nevertheless, the hour is coming, and it is now, when the true worshipers will worship the Father with spirit and truth, for, indeed, the Father is looking for suchlike ones to worship him. NWT

John 4:24 God is a Spirit, and those worshiping him must worship with spirit and truth.” NWT

John 9:38 Then he said: “I do put faith [in him], Lord.” And he did obeisance to him. NWT

John 12:20 Now there were some Greeks among those that came up to worship at the festival. NWT

Acts 7:43 But it was the tent of Mo´loch and the star of the god Re´phan that YOU took up, the figures which YOU made to worship them. Consequently I will deport YOU beyond Babylon.’  NWT

Acts 8:27 With that he rose and went, and, look! an E·thi·o´pi·an eunuch, a man in power under Can·da´ce queen of the E·thi·o´pi·ans, and who was over all her treasure. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship, NWT

Acts 10:25 As Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell down at his feet and did obeisance to him. NWT

Acts 24:11 as you are in a position to find out that for me it has not been more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem; NWT

1Cor 14:25 the secrets of his heart become manifest, so that he will fall upon [his] face and worship God, declaring: “God is really among YOU.”  NWT

Heb 1:6 But when he again brings his Firstborn into the inhabited earth, he says: “And let all God’s angels do obeisance to him.”  NWT

Heb 11:21 By faith Jacob, when about to die, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped leaning upon the top of his staff.  NWT

Rev 3:9 Look! I will give those from the synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews, and yet they are not but are lying—look! I will make them come and do obeisance before your feet and make them know I have loved you. NWT

Rev 4:10 the twenty-four elders fall down before the One seated upon the throne and worship the One that lives forever and ever, and they cast their crowns before the throne, saying: NWT

Rev 5:14 And the four living creatures went saying: “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.  NWT

Rev 7:11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell upon their faces before the throne and worshiped God, NWT

Rev 9:20 But the rest of the men who were not killed by these plagues did not repent of the works of their hands, so that they should not worship the demons and the idols of gold and silver and copper and stone and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; NWT

Rev 11:1 And a reed like a rod was given me as he said: “Get up and measure the temple [sanctuary] of God and the altar and those worshiping in it. NWT

Rev 11:16 And the twenty-four elders who were seated before God upon their thrones fell upon their faces and worshiped God, NWT

Rev 13:4 And they worshiped the dragon because it gave the authority to the wild beast, and they worshiped the wild beast with the words: “Who is like the wild beast, and who can do battle with it?” NWT

Rev 13:8 And all those who dwell on the earth will worship it; the name of not one of them stands written in the scroll of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered, from the founding of the world.  NWT

Rev 13:12 And it exercises all the authority of the first wild beast in its sight. And it makes the earth and those who dwell in it worship the first wild beast, whose death-stroke got healed. NWT

Rev 13:15 And there was granted it to give breath to the image of the wild beast, so that the image of the wild beast should both speak and cause to be killed all those who would not in any way worship the image of the wild beast.  NWT

Rev 14:7 saying in a loud voice: “FEAR God and give him glory, because the hour of the judgment by him has arrived, and so worship the One who made the heaven and the earth and sea and fountains of waters.”  NWT

Rev 14:9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the wild beast and its image, and receives a mark on his forehead or upon his hand, NWT

Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever, and day and night they have no rest, those who worship the wild beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name. NWT

Rev 15:4 Who will not really fear you, Jehovah, and glorify your name, because you alone are loyal? For all the nations will come and worship before you, because your righteous decrees have been made manifest.”  NWT

Rev 16:2 And the first one went off and poured out his bowl into the earth. And a hurtful and malignant ulcer came to be upon the men that had the mark of the wild beast and that were worshiping its image.  NWT

Rev 19:4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God seated upon the throne, and said: “Amen! Praise Jah, YOU people!”  NWT

Rev 19:10 At that I fell down before his feet to worship him. But he tells me: “Be careful! Do not do that! All I am is a fellow slave of you and of your brothers who have the work of witnessing to Jesus. Worship God; for the bearing witness to Jesus is what inspires prophesying.”  NWT

Rev 19:20 And the wild beast was caught, and along with it the false prophet that performed in front of it the signs with which he misled those who received the mark of the wild beast and those who render worship to its image. While still alive, they both were hurled into the fiery lake that burns with sulphur. NWT

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and there were those who sat down on them, and power of judging was given them. Yes, I saw the souls of those executed with the ax for the witness they bore to Jesus and for speaking about God, and those who had worshiped neither the wild beast nor its image and who had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand. And they came to life and ruled as kings with the Christ for a thousand years. NWT

Rev 22:8 Well, I John was the one hearing and seeing these things. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel that had been showing me these things. NWT

Rev 22:9 But he tells me: “Be careful! Do not do that! All I am is a fellow slave of you and of your brothers who are prophets and of those who are observing the words of this scroll. Worship God.”  NWT

Truth

Truth. Without it the world devolves into an amorphous chaos where everyone's preferences describe a personal reality disconnected from everyone else's. In that dark place no decision is good or bad, no action is right or wrong. But in the presence of truth - we are exposed for what we are. Therefore we need truth as the divine measuring rod of our identities. "I am the truth" - Jesus The Christ.
http://www.stilltruth.com/

Political Correctness

"Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end." - R. J. Wiedemann LtCol. USMC Ret