stokesnotes "think on these things"

2006-11-14T11:18:00.000-08:00

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON?

It has been a while since I wrote my last blog and a lot has been going on, both in my personal life, and in the world. Allow me to vent...

TRIP TO ITALY

First off I must say that the recent trip Pat and I made to Malta and Italy was one of the most interesting we've been on. We flew to Malta and boarded a beautiful Yacht named Le Ponant in Valette and sailed to Sicily where we visited Syracuse, Taormina, and Palermo before sailing to the island of Lipari in an archepelago that included 7 islands one of which, Stromboli, gave us a wonderful fiery display as it erupted while we were passing it on our way to the Amalfi coast of Italy.

From Amalfi we drove to Naples then after a day there on to Rome. We stayed over in Rome for a few extra days to be able to visit the sights we wanted to see by ourselves; the Forum and Museum on the Capitoline hill, The Etruscan museum in the Villa Borghese and of course the Vatican museum where I had the opportunity to view some of the old Greek manuscripts in the Vatican Library just off the Sistine chapel. We had dinner on the Via Imperiali a short way from the Colosseum and did some shopping on the the Via Venetto.

We met some wonderful people on this trip and spent many hours in enlightened conversation with most of them. Joe and Marie from California, Sandy and Judi and Don and Audeen from New Jersey just to name a few. The French crew aboard the ship were especially nice as were our hosts, Kristen and Genevieve. All in all it was a wonderful trip.

MORE EDUCATION...DUMBER PEOPLE

A recent report by the University of Connecticut's Department of Public Policy found that Seniors in some of our best known Colleges scored only 1 and 1/2 percent better than Freshmen on multiple choice questions about American History, Government, Economy, and Foreign Relations. If the questions had been formulated into a test the Seniors would have failed because the score would have had an average of just 53.2%. Eye opening!!

ALL RELIGION NEEDS TO BE BANNED!

A self appointed expert on Religion, Morality, and Human Affairs recently told the press in Great Britain all religion should be banned for the benefit of humanity because religion has failed. That expert is Elton John icon of millions and openly an advocate of homosexuality as a normal life style.

Forty years ago not only would he not dare declare such a belief, but he would remain where the homosexual community was, behind closed doors and out of sight in a society that viewed such behaviour as aberrant and abhorrrent. We've come a long way as a society haven't we? Not only have we accepted deviant and abnormal behaviour we have turned our backs on the only place from where we can get consistent definitions of morality; the Bible and a Judaeo Christian heritage. This begs the question...from where do secularists get their morality? The answer is easy...the consensus of opinion of the majority. Small wonder the Founding Fathers feared "The Tyranny of the Majority".

Oh my friends...Think on these things!!

2006-07-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

A JOURNEY BACK IN TIME--OUR TRIP TO HUNGARY

Four years ago my dear wife Wanda died. We had been together for 48 years. She was a faithful companion throughout all the years spent raising our three sons and my acquiring the extensive education I received, as well as standing by my side as I Pastored Churches throughout the country. I owe so much to her. I do miss her.

Nearly three years ago God brought another wonderful lady into my life and we were married. Pat lost her husband at the same time I lost Wanda. We have so much in common. She attended The University of Michigan, my alma mater, and is a Genealogist. She is also a Daughter of the American Revolution having traced at least 9 of her ancestors to that war. She is also related to Capt. Thomas Graves who was a member of the First House of Burgesses in Virginia in 1619. He was on the 2nd. supply ship that came to Jamestown in 1608.
Needless to say we both enjoy history and travel to places where history took place years ago.

One of the blessings of getting old and being semi-retired is that now I can spend time doing what we both love doing...travel to far off places. Last month Pat and I went on a cruise up the Danube river. We flew to Bucharest, Romania, and, after spending two days in Romania we boarded a ship at the Black Sea for our cruise. While in Romania we visited some very interesting places including Transylvania in the Carpathian mountains. Yes Dracula's castle and grave are really there. He is buried face down in the Monastery cemetery, but his head is in Turkey. But that's a different story.

Our trip took us to ports in Bulgaria, Serbia, and Croatia. We met some very nice people and saw some interesting sights including the bombed out buildings in Vucovar, Croatia. The Serbians, under Milosivic, were indiscriminate in their destruction of the Croats. We learned quite a bit from all sides, and were able to visit Monasteries, Citadels, and eat with the good people of each country. But Hungary was my passion. I was getting close to my mother's city of Budapest and I was excited.

On my mother's side I am pure Hungarian. Both her parents were Hungarian. Her mother came from the Buda side of the Danube and her maiden name was Borbely. My mother's father, Joseph Lakics, was from the Pest side of the Danube. Interestingly two brothers, my grandfather and Uncle Vincent, his brother, were from Pest. My grandmother Borbely and her sister, Erzebet...my Aunt Betty...were from the region around Veszprem on the Buda side of the river.

Before my mother died she gave me a treasured document. It was her grandfather Borbely's discharge paper from the Austro-Hungarian army. It was issued in 1890 and was awarded by the King, Franz Joseph. It was entirely in Hungarian. I had it partially translated by a banker friend in Fairfax, Virginia who happened to be from Hungary, so I was able to understand a little more of my family history. My grandfather was a "Magyar Hussar" , or Hungarian Calvary Soldier. He held the rank of Major and had been wounded numerous times. His last wound, a Sabre wound from his left shoulder to his right hip had to be cauterized and was so severe it brought his discharge after 12 years and 3 months of active service. He received numerous awards bearing the image of the King. I have two of them. As a young child living in Michigan I remember Mr. Borbely showing the wound to my brother Jim and me before he died.

Our cruise vacation ended on Sunday, but my ancestral search would last for a few more days. One of our Tauck tour directors lined me up with someone who was able to provide us a private car and driver to take us where we wanted to go in the countryside of Hungary. The driver, whose name was Tamas, or Tommy, was a bright young man who had recently graduated from the University of South Carolina and spoke fluent English. This proved to be a great blessing because he immediately was able to determine where we needed to start our search...in the town of Papa in the Veszprem Megya region of Transdanubia. I had brought a copy of the discharge paper with me and he read it fluently even though it was nearly 120 years old.

We left the Kempinski hotel in Budapest at 9:00 in the morning on Monday. Crossing over the Danube via the ancient Chain Bridge we drove southwestward through the Buda hills into the sprawling plains region of Megya Veszprem as we headed to the town of Papa. Papa is a 13th. century town of 35,000 people. It is in the center of the countryside still owned by the Esterhazy family who were given the 1500 square mile region by Maria Teresa after the 1648 defeat of the Ottoman Turks by the Hapsburgs. Today it is the home of the Reformed Church in Hungary. A large church and Seminary are still there and very active. The Ferenz Esterhazy Palace is also still there but unfortunately the Russians all but destroyed it during their Cold War occupation of Hungary.

We visited the Palace. Most of it was closed on Monday, but fortunately for us we found a wing open in which a very kind lady opened a section that housed a wonderful library. We had been told by the people in the town hall that they only kept records from 1898 forward and so received no help there. However, the lady in the library was very helpful. She pulled cardfile after cardfile for us of books about the Magyar Hussar's. All in Hungarian of course. It was finally concluded that the birthplace of my grandparents was only about 35 Km away. The lady also told us that there were only two Churches in the town; one Catholic, and one Evangelical. The name of the village was Bakonytamasi, a village of 700, mostly farmers.

On my grandfather's discharge he was listed as Evangelical. It was easy, therefore, to know which church to contact to find any birth and baptismal records. Tommy called the Evangelical church and the Pastor invited us to come to the church where we would have complete access to the records. How exciting this news was. Even Tommy was amazed at what we were able to accomplish in such a short time.

As we drove to Bakonytamasi I took in the entire countryside tree by tree, bush by bush, field and stream, farm by farm. All the while thinking, "this is where it started"! Somehow I felt very much at home. It was strange. I had never in my life been in that place but I felt like I belonged there. Before long we entered the small village. Very clean red roofed homes lined the one main street of the town. Other streets crossed left and right. There was a postal building and some stores and shops along the way. I even noticed a small restaurant with some tables outside. People were walking but seemed to stop and look at us as we passed. The church we wanted was at the far end of the town. It was next to the Village Hall of Bakonytamasi.

The young pastor, whom I will call Janos because I did not write his name down when we met, greeted us as we drove up. A gracious man who carried his young daughter in his arms as we met. He showed us the church before we went to his office. It is an old church. Built about 180 years ago on church property dating back to the 17th. century. A white building with a tall bell tower and steeple. Everything is the same as it was then with the exception of the bell tower. During WWII it was destroyed by the Russians in 1945. It appears the Germans were using it as a snipers nest and a machine gun placement when a Russian tank blasted the Germans and destroyed the tower. It has been rebuilt.

In the office the pastor brought the books dating back to 1731. He and Tommy went through those with the dates of my grandparents birth etc. and gradually pieced together a wonderful genealogy of my family. They found the birth, baptismal and marriage records of both the Borbely family and the Nyari family, which was my grandmother's maiden name. They further found other family members with the names, Vas, (my great, great grandmother's family), and Niemeth ( related to the Nyari family).

The Pogomester (Mayor) of Bakonytamasi, Karoly Neimeth (possibly a relative) let Tommy and the pastor copy what they found. A wonderful gesture by this nice man. Tommy is in the process of translating each document for me line by line and word for word. The pastor has also agreed to continue searching the records for me to see if I have any living relatives still in the area. I am sending him a liberal offering to assist in the building of a meeting place for the church in the winter that will have heat. The old church has none and is too old to install any.

As we left Bakonytamasi Tommy want to take us to a favorite restaurant by Veszprem to the village of Csopak overlooking the Lake Balaton; largest inland lake in Eastern Europe. The drive there took us through some beautiful mountains and rolling hills into the vineyard country around the Lake. The restaurant turned out to be a quaint family owned place nestled in the middle of a vineyard. We sat outside under an arbor of vines surrounded by cherry trees. Tommy picked a bowl full of cherries for us. They were so good. The view of the lake was spectacular.

For dinner ( it was now after six in the evening) we had some Husleves, (soup), some salad and then some roasted Paprika pork skewered with onions, potatoes, green peppers, squash, and tomatoes. It was delicious. Finally, with coffee, we had some Palochinta, a Hungarian crepe filled with fruit. Something I have craved for a long time. I cannot began to explain how exciting it was to eat some of the food I had eaten as a youth in Michigan. My uncle Vince was a wonderful cook. I have fond memories of the meals I had with him and so many others of my Hungarian heritage, especially my mother.

After our fine meal Tommy took us around the lake to visit a 12th century church and then back to the hotel. We got back after 10:00 in the evening. Pat and I were very tired. Tommy was also, but he was so considerate. We agreed to meet the next morning. He had some special places he wanted to show us.

What a wonderful time we spent in Hungary. We learned so much, and I was able to find out so much about my family. Truly our Journey Back in time was one of the most exciting times of my life. And just think, when I get it all written my oldest great grandson, David Vaughn, will have a history of his great, great, great, great, great grandfather Itzvan Borbely who worked as a private policeman for the Esterhazy family in the early 1800's. Pretty neat eh?

Gerald Stokes...Think on these things!

2006-04-13T18:38:00.001-07:00

WHEN THE UNITED STATES BECAME SECULAR

Consider this! America was founded as a secular nation! I know this is shocking to say, but historically it is true. This is not to say that America was not undergirded and profoundly influenced by Christianity, and that many of its laws and precepts reflected this influence, it was and they were. However, as a Representative Republic (not a Democracy), designed to last throughout the ensuing years, the grand experiment was one of a secular nature, not religious.

The "Establishment Clause" states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." This was the framers way of insuring that government would have absolutely no control over any religious denomination or organization. This was a secular move included in a secular document by a secular government to insure that religion would in no way be either infringed upon or withheld from exerting its influence over the people of the land. Actually here we have a two part clause not two separate clauses, as is commonly understood, and the parts are mutually inclusive. They need each other.

The first meaning of a clause is that it is a statement of stipulation; an article of stipulation. With this understanding we note that the two part "establishment clause" stipulates first, that there be no establishment of a particular religion, and secondly, that the purpose of part one is that there be no infringement upon the "free exercise" of any religion. Put differently the clause stipulates that "the free exercise of religion requires the non establishment of any particular religion". It is quite evident that the religion clause is entirely a check upon government, not a check on religion. The clause is not meant to protect the state (the people in the public domain) from the incursion of religion, or a church, it is to protect people of all religions who want to practice their beliefs according to their conscience, from the state!

Therefore, while it is true that our Republic was created "novus ordo seculorum", " a new secular order", it is not true that the Founding Fathers meant to exclude the influence of divine providence in the form of monotheistic religion from either government or public life. A case in point is found in the Northwest Ordinance passed the same year as the Constitution. This ordinance was the instructive guide for the new territories along and westward from the Ohio Valley. Article III of the ordinance reads:
Religion and morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government
and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall
forever be encouraged...

It must be noted that "morality" is presented as being part of "religion", (no comma). It seems evident that the framers of this document understood that true morality comes from religion and is not the invention of men nor by consensus of opinion. Morality is rooted and grounded in religion and from their perspective, Christianity, which presents the Word of God, the Bible, as the sole source as guide to man's moral conduct. We must conclude that when we look at what we see today described as "moral conduct" it is evident that the Word of God has been discarded as that vital guide.

When we understand that only a secular government could insure religious liberty we have no problem accepting the fact that America was established as a secular government. If it had been founded as a religious nation it would have been a theocracy, a Christian theocracy. But according to which theological interpretation? Calvinist? Arminian? Protestant? Catholic? Which Bible would it use as its sacred text? This is not to say, of course, that this nation was not tremendously influenced and guided by Christianity and the divine principles found in the Word of God. It was, and profoundly so. That is why it prospered; that is why the experiment worked for so long.

The problem is not that we have a secular government. The problem is that the influence of Christianity and religion has been discarded as irrelevent and even a hinderance in a progressive world. This is why you see so great an attack on all forms of Bible based religion. Ungodly secularists are afraid of its inherent moral influence. Being Humanistic and believing the "man is the [true] measure of all things" most politicians and academicians reject any morality they can neither define or dissiminate.

Christ taught us that the greatest way Christianity could move forward and captivate the world was through the "influence of Christian character". Like leaven Christianity was to change the nature of the body in which if found itself; family; town; nation. Like salt and light. It is encumbent upon believers to develope Godly Christian character. Christians were "predestinated to be "conformed to the image of Christ", the Apostle Paul would teach the Romans. You cannot stop corruption from happening, but you can stop its spread. That is the asceptic nature of salt; it does not kill germs but it does stop their spread.

Again, the problem is not that America is a secular nation, the problem is that Christianity has no real influence over this country as it once did. Christianity has the appearance of total confromity to the world in the way it looks and acts. There is no difference in its dress (or lack of it), its music, and its overall indifferent attitude towards presenting a positive image of who Christ really is.

Christians, by that I mean true believers, not they who accept Christianity as a philosophy but do not know Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord, must stop their frontal attack against all the evil and corruption in the world. Our strength is spiritual not carnal. Our warfare must be spiritual not carnal. We must pray and learn what God wants us individually to become then allow that influence to be the dynamic within whatever group we are in to affect God's purpose. Our conduct will be guided by God's Spirit. Our citizenship and our daily deportment will reflect this. This is not easy. We will be ridiculed and often castigated, but our Lord promised "pursecution" and "suffering" as our lot. We can expect it, but always remember that "we are more than conquerers through Christ, our Lord". The victory has already been won by Him! We do know the ultimate outcome!

Think on these things!

Gerald W. Stokes
Revivalist
Jacksonville, Florida

2006-04-09T09:59:00.000-07:00

WHEN THE UNITED STATES IS NO MORE

The long standing belief of Evangelical Scholars is that the Word of God is the full and final revelation of the Will of God to man. We also believe that it is the single standard by which all of man's thoughts and actions must, and ultimately will, be judged.

The Humanist believes that man is the measure of all things, according to the author of Humanism, Protagoras, a Greek Sophist of the 5th. century B.C. The Humanist Manifesto of 1932 authored by Dewey and Huxley, drew from that philosophy. Our secular world is Humanistic. The United States is a secular Humanistic Country. Its roots are Christian, but it ceased being either guided or influenced by Christianity long ago. This is easily seen in its culture, habits, language, lack of self restraint and discipline, and the current irreligious political posturing by the "self annointed" in Washington. Forget the rhetoric; that's just word speak!

Biblical Prophecy is defined as Eschatology, which is the Christian "dctrine of the last things, or last days" It is a Cardinal Doctrine of the Word of God. Hermeneutics is the Science of Biblical interpretation. Interpreting the Bible is not easy. Theologians study for years the languages of the Bible, the Historical Grammatical and Cultural background of the Bible and its people, as well as Manuscript Evidence of Sacred texts, in very Scientific ways in order to arrive at correct interpretations of Scripture. It is simply wrong for anyone to make the statement "I believe Jesus would do this or that" without a serious intelligent study of the Life of Christ. It is never "what do you think the Bible says", that is subjective, existential, and dangerous.

Biblical prophecy, in regard to the last days of things as we now know them, always centers round Israel, the Church, and the Lord Jesus Christ. The only reference to Nations found in Scripture at the time of the end, has to do with those Nations who are either aligned with or against Israel.

A nation is either significant or insignificant in the last days depending on where it stands with Israel. Many nations can be identified; Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Germany, Russia, BUT THE UNITED STATES IS NO WHERE TO BE FOUND! How can this be? Isn't America the most powerful and richest nation on the earth today? Yes, it is. Then why this anomaly? When does this ceasing to exist as an all powerful political influence take place and Why? These are good questions; important questions; hard questions. Especially in light of the Doctrine of the "Imminent Return of Jesus Christ" to this earth in what is called the "Second Coming of Christ", a teaching, simply stated, that means that Jesus could return to earth at any given moment in history.

THE ALIGNMENT OF NATIONS AGAINST ISRAEL
Jews have always been reviled and held in contempt by nations of the world. I remember as a youth over sixty years ago memorizing Shylock's soliloquy from the third act of The Merchant of Venice and being awakened to the anti semitism existent even during the time of Shakespeare. Today this hatred is at perhaps an all time high. Not just in the Arabic world, but also in every nation on earth. America has stood with Israel since its nationhood in 1948 in spite of the fact that Harry Truman was opposed to its charter. However the support of Israel has dramatically lessened over the years so that today, if it were up to the voters or liberal politicians, our support would end abruptly.

Theologically there is a fundamental reason for this hatred, and this reason is carried over into political and sociological realms. The reason is Satanic. Satan is alive and well in the world. He is in Scripture "the God of this world" and "the Prince of the power of the air". He has ever been anti Christ and anti Israel. He is the "Father of lies" and behind every evil concept and action man has ever committed. He wants to destroy Israel, and he wants to destroy the Church. He would like to have "established his throne above the stars of God" but was thrown out of heaven eons ago. His ultimate fate is the eternal "Lake of Fire". But before that happens he will foster an all out rebellion against Israel. There will be a northern confederation and a southern confederation of nations pitted against Israel and America is nowhere to be found standing by Israel. So what happened to America?

There is no simple answer because what has happened to America to bring it to the place it is took many years. There are, however, two factors I see quite evident: first there is no fear of God and reverence for sacred things, and secondly, America has lost all sense of shame. America discarded the influence of the Bible, God's Holy Word, long ago, and when that happened America opened the barn doors and let in all manner of ungodly habits and immoral influences. Today America has been effectively de-sensitized morally. A Latin phrase identifies it well; "conseutudo pecandi tollit sensum pecatti", "the custom of sin takes away all sense and feeling of sin". Every nation or empire of history ceased in its power and influence when it ceased to govern its morals and lost its original sense of why it became great.

It seems reasonable to conclude, therefore, that the reason the United states is not found in scripture is that it has no relevant influence any longer in the world, especially in regard to Israel, the Church, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Surely we should "think on these things".

Gerald W. Stokes, Revivalist
Jacksonville, Florida
www.geraldstokes.blogspot.com

Be sure to view my next article on WHEN THE UNITED STATES BECAME SECULAR.

2006-03-12T11:52:00.000-08:00

Is America committing suicide?

Jim Nelson Black, in his excellent book, The Freefall of the American University, writes that there are a "large number of symptoms that are early indicators...warning signs...that can be seen as evidence of [the] imminent decline" of all civilizations." Among the subsets he lists are "loss of respect for authority;" "an increase in promiscuous behavior;" and "a loss of curiosity among the sons and daughters of the aristocracy." These led to a "...collapse of education and the knowledge of history that was essential for national survival." The result was "the loss of a moral vision [which] altered the framwork of order..."

In addition, the evident obsession with all forms of entertainment, sports, and lascivious hedonistic living must be viewed with great concern otherwise I believe this country will soon become only a footnote in the historical sceme of things. In fact as I have been a student of Biblical prophecy for fifty years I have come to the conclusion that Eschatologically America is nowhere to be seen in the end times. But this is for a future blog.

I have now been alive in america for the better part of eight decades. In that time I have seen and experienced an awful lot of the best and the worst of what this country has gone through. The Great Depression was a time of hopelessness and dispair for the most part. The War years of the Forties, including the Korean War in which I had my tour of combat duty, were times of real revival of patriotism and optimism, and importantly, a turning to God in massive numbers. The fifties produced an almost euphoric sense of peace and good feelings in spite of the spread of Communism and the failure to "win" in Korea. The pendulum had certainly swung upward in a positive way.

Then came what I call the "Horrible Sixties" during which we saw produced the seeds of a kind of self immolation on the twin altars of "civic rebellion" and "cultural revolution." The fruits of which we see in full bloom today in every part of society. Politically, Sociologically, Academically, Psychologically, and yes even Religiously, we are feeling the devastating effects of the rebellious revolution that began in the terrible Sixties. We seem to be hell bent toward suicide as a nation.
The trouble is most people do not realize it, and those who do are not sounding the warning trumpet loud enough to do any good.

In my study of History I've discovered, as have many others, that every past civilization ceased in its greatness and was ultimately defeated from without because it first decayed from within. As Rene Grousset, in his "Bilan de L'histoire" wrote "In general, no civilization is destroyed from without unless it has first brought about its own ruin; no empire is conquered by a foreign foe unless it has first committed suicide. And a society ...perishes by its own hand only when it has ceased to understand its own "raison d'etre" (reason to be what it is where it is).

We have lost our understanding of who and what we were all about. Congress plays fast and loose with the vulnerable minds of the masses and makes stupid decisions based, not on facts, but on what they want the masses to believe is best for them. We used to be able to say it was only the "elite" liberal who believe they are, as Thomas Sowell writes in his book, The Vision of the Anointed, the "... anointed elite," but not anymore. What used to be called the Conservatives in congress, have now entered the arena of the self anointed so that you cannot tell the difference between the two.

Politicians are motivated by polls. The term used as the guidepost for determining which way to go is "consensus." The "consensus of opinion is..." We must consider that "the consensus of those polled is..." What they do not tell you is that "consensus" is dictated by what is presented by the "elite" media and "elite academia" as they repeatedly drum positions the masses are told is the correct way to think, in spite of a serious lack of substantiating facts or logical support.

A case in point to show suicidal tendencies is the dangerous idea that a group of States, whose electoral votes combined together would total 270 (the number needed to elect a President), enter into an interstate compact where the electors of each State pledge to cast their votes, not for the candidate who wins their State, as has been the case for 230 years, but the candidate who gets the most votes nationally. Molly Ivins, Syndicated collumnist in Dallas advocates this "end run" around the Constitution. A move David Broder recently deemed a "curious election reform idea" because it "ignores the implication of a direct election plan for two of the fundamental characteristics of the American scheme of Government, the federal system, and the two party system.

The United States is a Federal Sysyem...A Representative Republic. It is not a Democracy. In fact the Founding Fathers feared what they deemed "The Tyranny of the Majority." It was because of this they founded a two party system and an Electorial College. This was seen as the way this country could maintain the sovereignty of each of the several states and not allow those most populous states to control the Presidency. This, of course is exactly what the self annointed elite in this country; the Media, Liberal Politicians, and the very Liberal Academia of our Universities, desire to do.

Surely we must "think on these things!"

2006-02-08T14:23:00.000-08:00

IS THE A.C.L.U. REALLY ABOUT FREE SPEECH?

The A.C.L.U. has consistently positioned itself, mostly pro-bono, into the defense of a myriad of cases involving what it deems free speech issues. Of course the "free speech" defended has been expanded to mean "freedom of expression". As such it covers just about everything from flag burning to bare bosoms. All in the name of and defended as "Constitutional rights" guaranteed by the First Amendment.

To herald the truth that the framers of our Constitution strictly meant freedom of speech as a right of dissent and debate in the political arena, and not freedom to act indecently or in any manner of physical expression one feels led to perform, is almost an impossible task due to the fact that society as a whole has been progressively programmed to believe just that. However, we can look more closely at the underlying motivations of the A.C.L.U. when it first appeared and it is easy to see that free speech is not the real purpose for its existence. It never was.

In the 1920s and early 1930s when Communism was infiltrating this country through student and labor movements, such as the "Young Pioneers of America", and "Trade Unity League", which had over seventy five organizations affiliated with communism including all the leading industries at the time; clothing workers, sheet metal and iron workers, miners, railroad workers and rubber and textile workers; the A.C.L.U. had its beginning.

Two of the prominent labor defense organizations of that period were the "International Labor Defense", and the "American Civil Liberties Union". Both were funded to a great extent by a group called "the Garland Fund". One of its directors was a man named Roger Baldwin. In 1931 a congressional investigation was undertaken of these organizations. Hamilton fish Jr. led this investigation which came to be known as "Report 2290 of the Seventy first Congress, 1931. Its findings are revealing.

Quoting from page 52 of that report we note that "the American civil Liberties Union is closely affiliated with the communist movement in the United States...It claims to stand for free speech, free press, and free assembly; but it is quite apparent that the main function of the A.C.L.U. is to attempt to protect the communists in their advocacy of force and violence to overthrow the government...

Of Roger Baldwin it has this to say: "Roger N Baldwin, its [the A.C.L.U.] guiding spirit, makes no attempt to hide his friendship for the communists and their principles. He was a former member of the I.W.W. and served a term in prison as a draft dodger during the [WWI] war. Additionally the report quoted the conclusions of "A committee of the New York Legislature back in 1928...in regard to the American Civil Liberties Union: "The American Civil Liberties Union, in the last analysis, is a supporter of all subversive movements; its propaganda is detrimental to the interests of the State. It attempts not only to protect crime but to encourage attacks upon our institutions in every form."

The conclusion of the report reads: "Your committee concurs with the above findings. The principles of free speech, free press, and free assembly are worthy of an organization that stands for our republican form of government, guaranteed by the Constitution...instead of an organization whose main work...is to undermine our American institutions and overthrow our Federal Government".

While for now Communism has been defeated, it has to be noted that the purpose of the A.C.L.U. has not changed. It is anti-American and will continue to destroy every patriotic, moral, and religious institution it can through its activist posturing. It was identified as subversive early on, and when one traces its case history through the decades following its establishment, it is plain to see it is subversive still. Claiming to be a champion of the right of free speech it is interesting that, other than token cases used to cover its true image, the vast majority of cases it defends are cases that lead to a further errosion of moral, religious, and patriotic values held dear by Americans. It, like other groups determined to subvert the historic American way of life, has discovered that the best way to do just that is to use the laws of the land against it. Of course it is able to do this because of its greatest ally; 50 years of liberal activist Supreme court decisions that have redefined America into its own progressivly liberal image.

The reader is referred to the book "The Conflict of the Ages", by Dr. Arno C. Gaeblein, published by Pickering & Inglis, London; and Our Hope Publications, New York, N.Y.; 1933. Dr. Gaeblein was a widely known and well respected religious leader who held the attention of politician and scholar alike. Information included in this article was gleaned from this book and other sources. Further reading of the Congressional Record over the years under the heading A.C.L.U. would be quite beneficial also.

I'm Gerald Stokes, and these have been the stokesnotes!

2006-01-31T16:45:00.000-08:00

The Last Days....How close are we?

Victor David Hanson, author of the book "A War Like no Other: How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War", recently wrote an article in the Washington Times titled "End of days Worldview". In it he cites the rantings of the present President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who states "the skirmishes in the occupied land [Palestine] are part of a war of destiny" with him as the destined leader in the obliteration of Israel.

Mr Hanson posits two obstacles to Ahmadinejad's objective. First is the impotence of European diplomats who will rule out force to stop the nuclear developement of a bomb by offering "money and trade deals if Tehran will just act sanely". Second is to change Europe's concept of the Holocaust. He is attempting to do this by citing who was to blame and shifting the focus so that Palestine and not Europe is suffering at the hands of Israel. The Palestinians, therefore, become the victims, not Israel and thereby increasing anti-semitism dramatically and "preparing the world for Israel's demise".

Without knowing Mr. Hanson's Eschatological position on the End Times, I found it interesting that before positing his obstacles he writes "barring divine intervention, Mr Ahmadinejad's task poses two small hurdles." This is precisely what will happen, according to Biblical Prophecy. God will intervene at the very point of the attempt at wiping Israel out of existence.

Biblical scholars and teachers of Biblical Eschatology, which is "the doctrine of the last things, or days" have long taught that the last days will be notable in many ways. The days will be called "Laodicean", as in the Church at Laodicea; one of the seven churches of Asia Minor written about in the Revelation of John. The name can be interpreted as "the rights of the people". A time when everyone everywhere is asserting their "rights" at the expense of what is right and what is moral. Of course it is also a time of "moral relativism"! Secular humanism will be the religion of the day with its basic philosophy of "contradictory assumptions are equally true" therefore all things are relative, and there is no dogmatic right or wrong. Morals and right or wrong are determined by "consensus". Clearly we are in those days.

Two other factors in Prophecy also loom quite close to the horizon. First is the reunification of what was called the old "Roman Empire". The European Union could be just that. I am not saying it is, but it could very well be. True in the Bible there are only 10 nations in that alignment but the second factor could satisfy that. This is the factor of a Northern confederation of nations formed of Persia, Iraq, Russia and Germany and others which will unite specifically to invade Israel from the north while a Southern Confederation led by Egypt will provide the other half of this pincer movement. This will be the final attempt to totally eliminate Israel.

Sound incredible? No more than the fact that the world is now having to deal with the reality of a nuclear holocaust at the hands of what 50 years ago was a third world country incapable of their own defence let alone presenting an offensive danger of any kind. The changes that have occured in world history in the last 50 years, while seemingly subtle to the casual observer, have actually been rather dramatic. It's time to stop looking at the trees and realize there is a forest out there.

Oh, by the way, this coming invasion will not succeed. Jesus christ will come again at that time and rescue God's chosen people, Israel. Read the Biblical books of Daniel, Ezekiel, and the Revelation for the rest of the story. Do not scoff until you do.

Something to think about!

2006-01-28T11:28:00.000-08:00

Item: The narrows I knew! What ever happened to Detroit?

Detroit, which in French means "the narrows", was once a proud and elegant city. I was born and raised there long before it became "Motown". The city I remember was truly the Motor City. From the Ford Rouge in far Southwest Detroit (Dearborn) , to the General Motors plants in the north and East (Pontiac and Flint) and the Plymouth, Chrysler, Dodge and Desota plants, Lincoln-Mercury, Cadillac, Packard, Ternstead and Fisher Body plants scattered throughout the city to name only a few, the Motor City was vibrant and bustling with activity.

I remember the terrible days of the depression when more than 25% of those workers were out of a job. Just a kid still the scenes of those days are vivid memories. Mother remarried in 1939 to a man who had a job. A good job. Actually a foreman at Cadillac Motor Car company, as it was known then, on Clark St. off Michigan ave. Did our lives ever change. He had a car, and we moved into a house of our own. It wasn't much, but it was in an area near some of the most beautiful homes I had ever seen. Elegant homes, Brownstones with formal dining rooms and large Porches.

By the time the war came the city was teeming with people; over 2 million by 1943. And a city whose streets could be walked in safety and whose neighborhoods boasted of small shops up and down all the major arteries...Michigan Avenue; Grand River; Gratiot; West and East Jefferson, that were open evenings for those who walked by doing their window shopping.

I do not discount the disturbing riot of the summer of 43. It was bad, but in reality by 45 it was pretty much past history and the city overcame it. At least until the mid fifties when the small towns to the southwest, and northeast began to beckon with the building of nice small single family, relatively inexpensive homes. Homes returning GIs could afford with their low 4.3% G.I. loans fixed for 30 years. I bought one.

Some label the time as "White Flight"! I do not. Why? Because it afforded a wonderful opportunity for home ownership both in the City and in the small towns out of it for all races.

Before the war, when the population of the City was much less than the over 2 million it grew to become, there were a limited number of existing homes available and very few new ones were built. The people moving into the city gravitated into ethnic areas. Hamtramck for the Polish; Delray for the Hungarian; Corktown for the Irish; Oakwood for the Italian; Highland Park for people of color.

What happened? The Automobile plants continued to boast of plenty of work for all races, in fact a very high percentage of workers, perhaps 25 to 30%, were not white. In addition more and more City and County jobs went to people of color. Was it a diminishing of the tax base? Perhaps in part, but not entirely. No, I think one must turn elsewhere for the answer. Neighborhoods, like the one I described earlier, began to deteriorate and lose their elegance. The once grand schools: Eastern, Western, Northeastern, Southwestern, Cooley and so many others began to sink into becoming educational malfunctioning buildings, nothing more. It took years for the Motor City to become Motown.

Now Detroit is hosting the Superbowl and the warnings are flowing from every corner of the country. Watch your back! Hold onto your wallet! Avoid this area and steer clear of that area. Comedians, speaking on the recent auto burnings in France, remark that "we haven't seen so much burning since the Pistons won the NBA title". Are the remarks fair? Probably not, but it causes one to think. What happened to this fine elegant City that once was an inspiration to a nation moving toward its destiny of greatness?

2006-01-25T13:02:00.000-08:00

2005 was such an interesting year for me. While it is always true we never know "what a day may bring forth", last year was astonishing to say the least. Three weeks in Turkey; two weeks in Ireland; and in between a quadruple by-pass heart operation.

I also had the opportunity of speaking in a number of churches around the country, which is what I really like to do, since it has been my calling for over fifty years. In all of it, God has certainly been outstandingly good to me. I must praise His name publically and loudly.

In Turkey my wife, Pat, and I visited the sites of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor found in the Bible in the Book of Revelation. I spoke at most of these sites, which was in itself a great blessing. Ephesus was magnificent as was Nicea, both of which offered a wonderful opportunity to speak on Paul's ministry and the significance of the first church counsel under constantine.

Perhaps the most interesting site during the trip was that of Laodicea. We had stayed overnight in Colossae and went to Laodicea the next day. Truthfully there is not much there. The ruins, evidence of the earthquake that destroyed Colossae and Laodicea, are great and yet not very spectacular. I found myself thinking, as we walked the uneven slab marble streets, "how fitting!" Let me explain.

The Church at Laodicea was the last of the Churches to which John, the Apostle, wrote in the Revelation. In it we see the attitude of the Lord expressed toward that historical church in particular and I believe Christianity as a whole, both then and now. They were "neither hot nor cold" [luke warm] and turned God's stomach so that He said He would "spew them out of His mouth".

I believe the days in which we now live are the last days of Biblical prophecy. They are, what I call "the Laodicean days of prophecy", and I believe God is very much displeased with what is happening in the world and in the church.

Laodicea, by definition, means "the rights of the people". An apt description of the times in which we live. This is true in the secular world and in the Church. Individual and personal rights supercede collective orderly systems or organization. The result is that discipline is unheard of and order has become a taboo. In the world, especially in the U.S. the cry is constantly for the 1st. Amendment right of "freedom of speech" which to the progressive means freedom of any kind of expression. Flag burning, nudity, cursing in the media and in film, to name a few, are some of the many expressions individuals claim as "personal free speech rights".

What is missed in all this is that it will eventually lead to chaos and destruction. Everybody can't be right at the same time and all the time. This lie of the secular humanists will result in the destruction of civilization. There must be the recognition of authority somewhere.

Walter E. williams has it right. In a recent article printed in the Jacksonville Times Union he wrote, "The way our Constitution's framers used the term, a right is something that exists simultaneously among people and imposes no obligation on another. For example, the right to free speech, or freedom to travel, is something we all simultaneously possess. My right to free speech or freedom to travel imposes no obligation upon another except that of non-interference.

Governments do not give rights to people. Yet that is exactly what people want and what politicians clamor to supply. They are called "entitlements". A politician's lie. No where in the constitution do we find that any American is "entitled" to food, or clothing, or medical care. A college education is not only not a right it is not something all Americans should even pursue because it is not essential in many labor fields that provide excellent wages. The trades; masonry, plumbing, electrical; sheet metal, just to name a few, offer good pay and advancement for skilled labor, and apprenticeships are there for the asking.

When Thomas Jefferson inserted John Locke's phrase, "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness [actually Locke wrote "estates", meaning property] into the Declaration of Independence as unalienable rights he was presenting basic human rights afforded to everyone by a divine benevolent creator. However, that is the end of the list. The "pursuit" of happiness obviously means that Americans can work for whatever makes them happy within an environment where freedom reigns.

As time marches on Nations get more and more embroiled in great controversies over the demand for rights. Human rights, women's rights, gay rights, racial rights, and sadly, religious rights. All of which impose obligations on others who have their rights trampled upon. Obligations to accept cultures and a society they actually are opposed to yet cannot fight because their rights are not demanding enough.

The result: eventually we will have anarchy and chaos and the destruction of civilization as we know it.

In the Church we will become so self absorbed we will lose the fire and fervor as well as the holiness we once strived to achieve as we sought to submit ourselves humbly before our Lord. This self absorbtion has already begun. The popular theme is "its all about me Lord"! Songs are about me and what I will do, and what I am doing. Sermons are about what can make me better able to cope with myself and rise above whatever it is that holds me down, and how I can prosper in this present world.

Is it time to realize that we are on a slippery slope headed for certain destruction? I think so. I will have more to say on this subject...

This has been a blog note from:
Dr. Gerald Stokes, Revivalist
Jacksonville Florida