And who is the greatest saint?

The greatest saint in the world is not he who prays most or fasts most; it is not he who gives most alms or is most eminent for temperance, chastity, or justice. 

It is he who is most thankful to God and who has a heart always ready to praise God. This is the perfection of all virtues.

Joy in God and thankfulness to God is the highest perfection of a divine and holy life. 

-- William Law (1686-1761), English cleric and theological writer.

 

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.  Psalm 100:4

 

Prayer Within a Festive Christmas

The Bold Pursuit

R.I.P. Robert Heron Bork

.

Brilliant legal scholar Robert Bork died Wednesday at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va., from heart complications.
AP Photo/Charles Tasnadi

Famous Words given by Robert H. Bork

Atheism doesn't equal intellectualism:
"The major obstacle to a religious renewal is the intellectual classes,
who are highly influential and tend to view religion as primitive superstition.
They believe that science has left atheism as the only respectable intellectual stance."

Morality needed for stability of a nation
"A society deadened by a smothering network of laws while finding release in moral chaos is not likely to be either happy or stable."

Against Court changing meaning of the Constitution:
"The notion that Congress can change the meaning given a constitutional provision by the Court is subversive of the function of judicial review;
and it is not the less so because the Court promises to allow it only when the Constitution is moved to the left."

"Those who made and endorsed our Constitution knew man's nature, and it is to their ideas, rather than to the temptations of utopia, that we must ask that our judges adhere."

"When a judge assumes the power to decide which distinctions made in a statute are legitimate and which are not, he assumes the power to disapprove of any and all legislation, because all legislation makes distinctions."

Slouching towards Gomorrah, click here.
Kagan says she loved "borking" of Bork, click here.

'That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.' -- Psalm 26:7

 

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication

with thanksgiving

let your requests be made known unto God. 

Philippians 4:6

 

 

O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence

with thanksgiving,

and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. 

Psalm 95:1-2

 

 

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,

giving thanks to God

and the Father by him.

Colossians 3:17

 

 

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.

Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.

Now, our God,

we give you thanks,and praise your glorious name.

1 Chronicles 29:11-13

 

Enter into his gates

with thanksgiving,

and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Psalm 100:4-5

 

 

 

Nineteen nostalgic Thanksgiving images, click here.

 

Thanksgiving Proclamation

 

In 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise." An annual day of Thanksgiving was to be "held on the same day, in all the States....to become permanently, an American custom and institution." The following is a segment taken from his order of praise to God for America's blessings:

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People.

 

 



 

“O Lord, that lends me life, Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness!”

-- William Shakespeare

Hal Lindsey: Obama win and transformation of America

To find video, 11/16/2012, Hal Lindsey Report, click here.

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations has been 200 years.”  — Alexis de Tocqueville

Ayn Rand:  Moochers and Looters versus Workers, Inventors, and and the Rich.

Haves versus Have Nots





 


Jindal Blasts Romney's 'Gifts' Comment: 'Absolutely Wrong' "Louisiana GOP Gov. Bobby Jindal blasted Mitt Romney’s assertion that he lost last week’s election largely because of policy 'gifts' to minorities and young voters from President Barack Obama....

'I think that’s absolutely wrong. Two points on that: one, we have got to stop dividing the American voters. We need to go after 100 percent of the votes, not 53 percent. We need to go after every single vote.
And, secondly, we need to continue to show how our policies help every voter out there achieve the American dream, which is to be in the middle class, which is to be able to give their children an opportunity to get a great education...'”

Mark Basseley Youseff thrown into prison after insulting Islam in video.




^{Revelation 3:15} I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
¹⁶ So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
¹⁷ Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
¹⁸ I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

 

World Net Daily, 2008 election by Hal Lindsey



Four Horses of the APOCALYPSE

THE 4 HORSES OF THE APOCALYPSE by ~outofmypen on deviantART


 Revelation 6

 "And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
 
² And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

What do the horses and their colors represent? 

I listened to a spellbinding lecture the other day by a prominent "end of times" preacher.  Though his interpretation of the apocalyptic horses was much different than that of other preachers I had heard and accepted, I found his reasoning very sound and thought-provoking. Let me share what I remember.

(left) The Four Horsemen

Of The Apocalypse

Albrecht Durer

.

 

The horses signify strong belief systems throughout the world.

 

The white horse represents Catholicism.  It is true, the Pope traditionally wears white; and if the Pope were to ride a horse today, what color do you think his choice would be? 

 

The red horse represents communism. 

 

The black horse represents capitalism.

 

For years, the preacher said he had been puzzled by the pale horse.  Then one day, he looked up the Greek word that had been translated into "pale."  He found it was "chloros," a word which can also be translated as green.  "Pale" was selected as the more sensible choice for the English interpretation because whoever heard of a green horse?  And if the future horse is indeed green, then the preacher believes that horse represents Islam. 

 

"Nearly one-fourth of the world’s population today is Muslim." 

*******

 

See "Rapture Ready," which warns about I.Baxter to "use great caution regarding his very personal interpretations of Bible prophecy."

 
Morning Bell:
 Remembering 9/11 in a Volatile World


"Eleven years ago today, terrorists shattered America’s sense of safety. Generations who did not remember Pearl Harbor suddenly knew the shock of an attack on U.S. soil.
Brothers, fathers, cousins, wives, and daughters were lost. And more sisters, mothers, husbands and sons would give their lives in the years that followed as they fearlessly joined the fight against terrorism around the world...."












Atheists sue over ‘cross’ at Ground Zero  
"The atheists say they are suffering both physical and emotional damages from the existence of the cross. That’s the right. The mere existence of this memorial has brought on headaches, indigestion, even mental pain. They even make a bizarre suggestion about erecting a “17-foot-high A for Atheists” to promote their non-beliefs at the site." by Jay Sekulow

72,000 Americans Supporting the Cross at Ground Zero

All eyes on London

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games was a major international multi-sport event that took place in London, England, from 27 July to 12 August 2012.



Gabby Douglas won the most prized possession in women's gymnastics, the Olympic all around gold medal!

See also:

American high jumper Jamie Nieto is putting God first in his life

Ryan Hall clings to his faith despite disappointing finish at Olympics

Usain Bolt gives God glory: 'Nothing possible without him'

Marlen Esparza is giving glory to God instead of her accomplishments

Allyson Felix proclaims, 'my faith is the reason that I run'

Also: America's Leonel Manzano won Olympic medal and he holds up Mexican flag?



Chick Fil-A Appreciation Day

God Bless America - Happy Independence Day!

"Liberty is the great parent of science and of virtue; and a nation will be great in both always in proportion as it is free.”

-- Thomas Jefferson

"Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom.”

-- Albert Einstein

"Under the law of nature, all men are born free, every one comes into the world with a right to his own person, which includes the liberty of moving and using it at his own will. This is what is called personal liberty, and is given him by the Author.”

-- Thomas Jefferson

      “Every good citizen makes his country's honor his own, and cherishes it not only as precious but as sacred. He is willing to risk his life in its defence and is conscious that he gains protection while he gives it.”

-- Andrew Jackson

"You can protect your liberties in this world only by protecting the other man's freedom. You can be free only if I am free.”

-- Clarence Darrow

“A country cannot subsist well without liberty, nor liberty without virtue.”  -- Jean-Jacques Rousseau

"The real democratic idea is, not that every man shall be on a level with every other, but that every one shall have liberty, without hindrance, to be what God made him”

-- Henry Ward Beecher

“Only our individual faith in freedom can keep us free”

- Dwight D. Eisenhower

50th anniversary of Supreme Court decision against prayer in school

In 1962 in a landmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that it is unconstitutional for state officials to compose an official school prayer and to then promote its recitation in public schools, even if the promotion is not coercive.

The voluntary prayer in question at the time read:

Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our country. Amen.

The ruling, through the eyes of many Christians, is unreasonable and even nonsensical.  Will the National Day of Prayer fall prey to the same mindset that banned prayer from school and then become the next religious observance deemed unconstitutional?

National Day of Prayer
The National Day of Prayer (36 U.S.C.§119) is an annual observance designated by Congress to be held on the first Thursday of May. It is a time when people "may turn to God in prayer and meditation."

Each year, in honor of the National Day of Prayer, the President signs an official Proclamation. Although this formality was first acknowledged in 1952, in actuality the observance has been a part of our history since its mandate by George Washington.

The Continental Congress issued a proclamation recommending "a day of publick humiliation, fasting, and prayer" be observed on July 20, 1775,

"The Honorable the Congress having recommended it to the United States to set apart Thursday the 6th of May next to be observed as a day of fasting, humiliation and prayer, to acknowledge the gracious interpositions of Providence; to deprecate [to pray or intreat that a present evil may be removed] deserved punishment for our Sins and Ingratitiude, to unitedly implore the Protection of Heaven; Success to our Arms and the Arms of our Ally: The Commander in Chief enjoins a religious observance of said day and directs the Chaplains to prepare discourses proper for the occasion; strictly forbidding all recreations and unnecessary labor.” —George Washington, First President of the United States. Source. See also the Library of Congress.

National Day of Prayer 2012
As 2012 is the 50th anniversary of Engel v. Vitale (no prayer in public schools), efforts against the National Day of Prayer will likely be stepped up.

Groups such as the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) or American Atheists (AA) will once again take sides to say, in effect, that the Federal proclamation first signed by George Washington shows he, either out of disrespect or out of ignorance, was flagrantly violating the establishment clause (in bold below) to the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

They (FFRF, AA) will say that since the clause prohibits the establishment of state-endorsed religion and that there can be no preference shown for one religion over another, then the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional because it is a religious endorsement.

The National Day of Prayer proclamation doesn't endorse a particular religion so evidently the FFRF objects to its acknowledgement of any religion at all.  In other words, atheistic groups such as the FFRF would like America to simply be "one nation under atheism."

According to Greg Magarian, Professor of Law at Washington University Law, there is no truly authoritative resolution to the question of policies favoring religion over non-religion and vice versa,

“..... the court tends to grow more concerned about official policies that favor religion when the policies entail some kind of actual observance. Official recognition of a National Day of Prayer, without more, doesn’t make anyone do anything.”

Magarian further explains that if a public school required students to pray in conjunction with the National Day of Prayer, then that would be a violation to the establishment clause. He clarified,

“But arguably official recognition of the day, without more, simply amounts to the sort of ‘ceremonial deism’ that the court has long tolerated, for example, in allowing the words ‘In God We Trust’ to appear on money."  

Even though arguments will likely come forth suggesting that official acknowledgement of religious practices treats non-believers as second-class citizens, Magarian is one attorney who opines that the current court would reject an establishment clause challenge to the National Day of Prayer.

Prayer for Peace Among Nations
O Almighty God,
the Father of all humanity,
turn, we pray, the hearts of all peoples and their rulers,
that by the power of your Holy Spirit
peace may be established among the nations
on the foundation of justice, righteousness and truth;
through him who was lifted up on the cross
to draw all people to himself,
your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.--- William Temple (1881-1944)

"There has never been a spiritual awakening in any country or locality that did not begin in united prayer."

Pastor Arthur Tappan Pierson

Original article, click here.

Too good not to share

A New Orleans lawyer sought an FHA loan for a client. He was told the loan would be granted if he could prove satisfactory title to a parcel of property being offered as collateral. The title to the property dated back to 1803, which took the law...yer three months to track down. After sending the information to the FHA, he received the following reply.

(Actual reply from FHA):
"Upon review of your letter adjoining your client's loan application, we note that the request is supported by an Abstract of Title. While we compliment the able manner in which you have prepared and presented the application, we must point out that you have only cleared title to the proposed collateral property back to 1803. Before final approval can be accorded, it will be necessary to clear the title back to its origin."

Annoyed, the lawyer responded as follows,
(Actual response):
"Your letter regarding title in Case No.189156 has been received. I note that you wish to have title extended further than the 206 years covered by the present application.
I was unaware that any educated person in this country, particularly those working in the property area, would not know that Louisiana was purchased by the United States from France in 1803, the year of origin identified in our application. For the edification of uninformed FHA bureaucrats, the title to the land prior to U.S. ownership was obtained from France, which had acquired it by Right of Conquest from Spain. The land came into the possession of Spain by Right of Discovery made in the year 1492 by a sea captain named Christopher Columbus, who had been granted the privilege of seeking a new route to India by the Spanish monarch, Queen Isabella. 

 The good Queen Isabella, being a pious woman and almost as careful about titles as the FHA, took the precaution of securing the blessing of the Pope before she sold her jewels to finance Columbus's expedition...Now the Pope, as I'm sure you may know, is the emissary of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and God, it is commonly accepted, created this world. Therefore, I believe it is safe to presume that God also made that part of the world called Louisiana. God, therefore, would be the owner of origin and His origins date back to before the beginning of time, the world as we know it, and the FHA. I hope you find God's original claim to be satisfactory. Now, may we have our loan?"
The loan was immediately approved.

From a post by Roger Pol

"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." 

 John 1:3

"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."

Hebrews 11:3

"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:"

Romans 1:20

  

Children's Bible Study, Creation: Click here.

Happy Easter!

Resurrected!

by Kara L. Kraemer

The dawn's sun sparkled on that day of days
Smiling a secret as it sent its first rays.
Lilies of white swayed to pleasant chants very rare
As harmonizing angels sweetly blest the air.

One angel of lightening bright visible to see,
Told that Jesus had already gone to Galilee.
Stunned and afraid to believe, the women were amazed
That Jesus could utterly walk away from His grave.
Long ago was a sign served within God's plan of harmony
When Jonah illustrated Jesus in the dark days of three.
The day had come when the sign became understood as prescribed.
Adam brought death, while Jesus its antidote is alive!

Peter and John saw linens left in the tomb;
Hope in their souls replaced previous gloom.
Witnesses to the miracle, then they were given
The power of courage on high straight from heaven.
About repentance and forgiveness they went out to proclaim
Throughout the east, west, north, and south the glory of His name,
That He alone is the way and the key to salvation
And remembered above all during Easter's celebration.

Poems, MD: Resurrected, Click here.
Video, Did it really happen? Click here.
Eggs are a celebration of new life, Click here.
Easter hunt photo, Click here.
Eggs Benedict, Click here.
Finest Easter Classics, Click here.
Snoopy, Happy Easter, Click here.

Good Friday

Crucifixion

by Kara L. Kraemer

A dreary night, a fateful night, cold winds were mourning.
Torches held, lanterns waved, weapons flashed their warning.
Soldiers guided to the man they had been seeking.
Trembling trees, ill at ease, roots and branches creaking,
Swaying hard, whimpering low, trying to trill free.
What cup is this? Something's wrong! This cannot be!

Rocks on the hillside, deep inside rumbled murmurs unheard,
Waiting to whirl around, crash the ground, for the Master's one word.
Dismal was the air, thick with dark despair, Dread was busy with its weaving.
Disciples in dismay, mental disarray, Jesus was leaving.
Bound in chains, dragged away, quiet as a lamb.
Long harbored in palest light, the nightmare began.

The Temple held Him captive by abusers with accusations stern
Who mocked Him, then struck Him for the Truth they wouldn't learn.
Grueling on, well past the dawn, 'til Passover's bell in heaven sings--
King of kings, Lamb of lambs, to be the sacrifice God brings.
All conscious life relates this time when authority He forgo,
As was His plan before the world began so very long ago.

Hardened men flogged Him, pushed thorns in around His head.
Men shouted, "Crucify!" not knowing why, they wanted Him dead.
Angels hovered up above watching frantically should He call.
The One adored as their Lord might refrain His death to befall.
The plight of mankind on His mind, Abba's spirit permeating,
Weak and wobbling, stumbled He with the cross to Golgotha awaiting.

Officials grabbed Son of Man, pounded feet and hands upon the wood with nails,
Raised the cross with Him embossed as the crowd continued with their gales.
"Say, King! Save Yourself," jeered the wild and cheer-mongering squad.
"Come down from that cross if You truly are the Son of God!"
Smug centurions cast lots for His garments, acting cocksure, not afraid.
Too aware of the man betrayed whom they couldn't break or persuade.

Bones in agony, soul in anguish, sneers heard through the haze,
"You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days!"
A repentant man with weary heart turned to Jesus, humbly grieved,
"Remember me in Your kingdom," for on that hour in Jesus he believed.
Without reason, in that season, the sun bestowed its duty at a loss.
Jesus became iniquity for us as though then a serpent on a cross.

The earth darkened, angels disappeared, Jesus endured all as foretold.
On the cross He stayed, to His God He prayed, as penalty was doled.
The sky remained silent. God turned away, the Son so alone and forsaken.
"It is finished." Into God's hands He gave up His spirit to be taken.
Rocks were loosed in wild free fall while the earth shook and rolled.
Centurions were terrified as they watched another dimension unfold.

The proof of Christ evermore of that day haunts the souls of men in denial--
Could this man truly be "I AM HE," the Son sent for man with God to reconcile. 

"Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.' Jesus answered him, 'I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in Paradise.'"

Luke 23:42-43

 A Sermon Concerning Meditation on the Holy Sufferings of Christ 

by Martin Luther, click here.

Catholic church vs Obama

“Sedition”: Obama Says Catholic Church Encouraging Military Rebellion Against Him, Orders Chaplains Not To Read Letter

"The emerging conflict between the Catholic Church and the Obama administration may have a new front: in the U.S. military itself.
The Catholic Church is fighting mad about an HHS ruling that would have them buy insurance for things they consider sinful–contraception, sterilization and abortion."

http://patdollard.com/2012/02/obama-says-catholic-church-engaging-sedition-encouraging-military-rebellion-against-him-orders-chaplains-not-to-read-church-letter/

(From Business Insider): Here Is The Anti-Obama Administration Letter That Was Read To Almost Every Catholic Sitting In Church On Sunday:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

I write to you concerning an alarming and serious matter that negatively impacts the Church in the United States directly, and that strikes at the fundamental right to religious liberty for all citizens of any faith. The federal government, which claims to be “of, by, and for the people,” has just been dealt a heavy blow to almost a quarter of those people — the Catholic population — and to the millions more who are served by the Catholic faithful.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that almost all employers,

including Catholic employers, will be forced to offer their employees’ health coverage that includes sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs, and contraception. Almost all health insurers will be forced to include those “services” in the health policies they write. And almost all individuals will be forced to buy that coverage as a part of their policies.

In so ruling, the Obama Administration has cast aside the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, denying to Catholics our Nation’s first and most fundamental freedom, that of religious liberty. And as a result, unless the rule is overturned, we Catholics will be compelled to either violate our consciences, or to drop health coverage for our employees (and suffer the penalties for doing so). The Obama Administration’s sole concession was to give our institutions one year to comply.

We cannot—we will not—comply with this unjust law. People of faith cannot be made second class citizens. We are already joined by our brothers and sisters of all faiths and many others of good will in this important effort to regain our religious freedom. Our parents and grandparents did not come to these shores to help build America’s cities and towns, its infrastructure and institutions, its enterprise and culture,

only to have their posterity stripped of their God given rights. In generations past, the Church has always been able to count on the faithful to stand up and protect her sacred rights and duties. I hope and trust she can count on this generation of Catholics to do the same. Our children and grandchildren deserve nothing less.

And therefore, I would ask of you two things. First, as a community of faith we must commit ourselves to prayer and fasting that wisdom and justice may prevail, and religious liberty may be restored. Without God, we can do nothing; with God, nothing is impossible. Second, I would also recommend visiting www.usccb.org/conscience,to learn more about this severe assault on religious liberty, and how to contact Congress in support of legislation that would reverse the Obama Administration’s decision.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

+Alexander K. Sample

Most Reverend Alexander K. Sample

Bishop of Marquette

Obama rejects exemption

Statement of the Archdiocese of Washington on HHS Mandate Upheld by Obama Administration, January 20, 2012, click here.

Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, click here.

Catholic Exchange

Obama's separation of church and state, 2008, before he was elected President.

 

The Perversion of the Words of Our Lord Jesus Christ by the Sinner Barack H. Obama
http://www.redstate.com/erick/2012/02/05/the-perversion-of-the-words-of-our-lord-jesus-christ-by-the-sinner-barack-h-obama/

".....the President went to the National Prayer Breakfast and quoted Jesus Christ himself to defend a tax increase. The President paraphrased Luke 12:48, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” (ESV) He said it was because he was a Christian that he thought the rich should pay more in taxes."...
"The President this week chose to pervert God’s Word to make the case for a tax increase, but he also chose to ignore God’s word on life and is ordering Christians, while he claims to be one, to violate their Christian conscience on abortion — requiring Christian organizations to provide health insurance that will cover the cost of drugs that induce abortions.
He is trying to have it both ways. He is trying to use God’s Word to defend a tax policy that dissuades individuals from giving gladly and charitably to the poor as God instructs and is ignoring God’s Word in order to force fellow Christians into violating their Christian conscience — something about which God cares a great deal."