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From: david@terak.UUCP (David Jayakaran)
Newsgroups: net.religion,net.religion.christian
Subject: A Voice in the Wilderness (quote at end)
Message-ID: <431@terak.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 7-Mar-85 13:24:05 EST
Article-I.D.: terak.431
Posted: Thu Mar  7 13:24:05 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 10-Mar-85 14:41:36 EST
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Organization: Terak Corporation, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
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Xref: pepe net.religion:1022 net.religion.christian:438

[]

You are right about witch burning.  It was done world wide and my naming
Salem was just a representative case, not meant as the sole occurrence in
history.  Nor am I implying that the real witches at Salem should have been
put to death.

Show me in the Bible about all these "rules" to decide who was a witch and
who was not.  If it is not in the Bible, why call it Christian?  You see
where I'm coming from....  Christian (to me) represents a very profound 
title that carries great responsibility, selflessness and commitment to
Jesus Christ.  Let's not sling it around to include people who couldn't
care less about God, but use "christian" to give a cloak of respectability 
to what they do.  Personally, I could find a lot of better things to do, 
than being in such people's shoes.  Like throwing myself off a 20 story
building.  Like skydiving...without a parachute.  Or walking out on the
freeway in rush hour traffic.  Sinners in the hands of an angry God
(shudder).....


A voice in the wilderness :
- ----- -- --- ----------
I personally KNOW my Lord and Savior (not just know ABOUT Him) well enough 
to realize that His Judgement is just as sure and relentless as His love is
and I live my life knowing that I will make an account to God for every
word that I have said and every action done.  No, I am not walking in
continual fear of a spiritual "big brother" but facts are facts.  Every
human being is going to make an account to Him, no matter how much they
may disbelieve, intellectualize, philosophize, debate, yell, kick or
scream.  What if the Bible is right and you are wrong, O unbeliever?  It 
may be too late for you when you find out.

Ever tried reminiscing about a life-threatening incident that happened to you,
where you barely escaped with your life?  Not pleasant, huh?  Why?  Because
it constantly reminds you of how easily it could have gone the other way.
In my time I was the heretic's heretic (shudder) and when I look at the
"intellectual" garbage of some of these people posting to the above-mentioned 
newsgroups I say to myself "There, but for the Grace of God, go I."  Then
I go home and fall on my face and cry out to God for more Grace.  

Four years a Christian....the joy and adventure keep getting more intense.
God, why isn't living for you drab and boring, like they tell me it is?  
Why don't I feel sick and demented, and needing psychiatric help, like they 
tell me?  Why are you so real to me, and not a mental trip, like they tell 
me?  Why don't I get migraines like everyone around me?  Why don't I feel 
like yelling and cursing when somebody steps on me on their way to the top?
Why do I feel this love for people who despise the ground I walk on?  Where 
are those recurring illnesses of my pagan heretic days?  Why have I been 
having such vibrant health these past few years?  Lord, whatever you have
been doing with me, I like it.  Let me have more of the same.

From the keys of David Jayakaran, ex pagan heretic.  

Quote from Martin Taylor's posting titled *Law and Christianity (sort of)* :
----- ---- ------ -------- ------- ------ --------------------------------
> Salem isn't the only place in the world to harbour Christians, you know.
> Thousands of people were burned as witches throughout the Christian world.
> I have a certificate (authentic) that says I am not a witch, issued in
> Oudewater (Netherlands).  Why do they issue such certificates? Because
> one of the tests of a witch was that s/he weighed less than a formula
> based on height dictated, and in many places the public weighmaster could
> be bribed to show that an unwanted person was as light as a feather on
> the scales.  At Oudewater, the weighmaster was shown to be incorruptible
> and the Emperor gave a permanent certification for the Oudewater scales.
> Anyone shown there to be not a witch was free of suspicion for life.

> Your definition of Christian conforms to mine (essentially to live as
> Jesus proclaimed), but it sure lets out most of the people who have
> historically believed themselves to be Christian, and moral and upright
> and dutybound to ensure that whatever happened to some poor unfortunate
> body, the soul would go to heaven.
-- 
David

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The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His
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