Are you a newsflash nightingale?

There are some of those people who reach for their smartphones as soon as they wake up to see if someone has sent them a message and to see what their news apps have to say for news.

Do you turn to your news apps as soon as you wake up, or do you prefer a leisurely read of the papers over Sunday brunch?

Or are you someone who still wishes to peruse the paper newspaper over breakfast?

Do you feel overwhelmed by news in the digital age, or do you relish the chance to sample a variety of news and features throughout the day?

So much is happening in this world that we cannot follow it all closely. But it is almost impossible to go through all the news sources to get a clear picture of the main issues that should concern us. It is also not possible to have our own news aggregator, though such online platform or software device that collects news stories and other information as that information is published and would organise that information for us in a specific manner, would be very practical.

Gathering news from all over the world is not a cheap business. It would also become too costly to have subscriptions to a multitude of daily and weekly newspapers and magazines.

But do you know, that for those who are curious about what is happening in the world, we provide a news platform so that everyone can freely get an overview of the day’s events. We try to present  some views from all sorts of ‘political’ directions and from different newspapers to give a broad aspect of information that can be compared with the different ideas. The editor in charge of this blog and of Some View on the World, Marcus Ampe, is convinced that one should be able to juxtapose several opinions, thus creating a dialogue but also allowing everyone to form their own opinion.

With Some view on the World, a variety of news reports are presented, with some reports perhaps being reported a little later, because we feel it is necessary to be able to check them for truth each time, so that no false reporting would be sent further into the world through our fault. So do not expect to find regular “Breaking News”, because such news can not always be directly verified. We also do not look to social media to stay up with breaking news, and have a critical and suspicious eye for such social media. You will be able to notice on Some View on the World, that it calls on a whole team of reporters to uncover news events and present them to you.
Furthermore, we will not shy away from putting forward our personal views on certain events. Here we then admit that this will be from a Christian point of view, which we also inform our readers about. Regularly, therefore, we will make room to approach or address some spiritual aspects more deeply.
The difference with our other spiritual or religious websites, like our Ecclesial website, is that on Some View on the World, we are rather more responsive to current events and will further provide responses to church articles that are out there at the time published on other channels and brought forward by other denominations, a.o. shedding light on people their religious life.

We further admit that for news coverage, a choice is made from what touched us during the course of the day as we recorded talking points, watched news broadcasts on television, had conversations, and so on.

We may be of the old breed and therefore not followers of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or Picodash as they are also very time-consuming, this is while we are convinced that instead of engaging with social media, we can use our time more usefully. Because our time is very limited – provided, we experience every day that we lack time.

Instead of continuing to publish on the slow opening Blogspot, “Our World” has been transferred (at the end of 2021) to WordPress so that a person now can easily access the website through Firefox, Google Chrome and Internet Explorer or Edge, hoping that now a faster loading site shall attract more visitors because no one wants a page that takes more than 30 seconds loading.

Whatever your style of gathering news, we hope we can charm you into signing up to follow our news blog Some view on the World.

°°°

To be honest, we are convinced that our work can still be a useful contribution to getting people thinking here and there.

If you also appreciate what we are doing here and on our other websites, it shall always be appreciated by us when you would not mind letting others know about our existence.

Furthermore, you can also always indicate your appreciation of texts and mark them with the “Like” button.

Gossip is free and anyone can create it. There is no talent required other than to have no respect for facts and truth. Quality content is usually more costly because it takes time and expertise to create. A lot of time and energy is invested in publishing our articles here and on our other websites. Both time and expertise however cost money.

To cover our costs, you can also help us move forward. Indeed, financial contributions are also always welcome.
Deposits can be made to the Belgian bank account, for example, BE37 9730 6618 2528, BIC ARSPBE 22

 

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Preceding

1. Do you still look out for your morning or evening paper
2. Lots of news demanding attention
3. Mountains of information, disinformation and breaking away
4. The Age of Disinformation
5. Mass Media’s Deception Causing Division
6. Do Governments and Nations Lie?
7. Seasonal Writing
8. Holiday season and BBC being questioned
9. Holiday time reading time
10. Consequences of our digital environment
11. Facts: Why they matter and how to check them
12. Readers, likes and comments
13. What 2022 brought to us and looking forward to 2023
14. Invitation to the news platform that brings a view of the world

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Additional reading

1. Study Guide: Definition of Journalism
2. Why social media presence matters in journalism
3. The Ever-Evolving Industry of Journalism: its Quest to Survive in a Digital World
4. Traditional News Turns into The Journalism We Know Now
5. The news that travels the fastest and the farthest
6. What do we know about the future of journalism?
7. Mississippi journalists discuss the evolution of daily newspapers
8. Joseph Pulitzer’s Retirement Speech & The Traits of Journalism
9. Newspapers: Dying or Changing
10. Journal for and from bothered citizens
11. Eyes on pages and messages on social media
12. Presenting views from different sources
13. 2022 towards its end
14. Entering the last month of the year 2022
15. Thoughts tinged with triviality
16. To protect our democratic system #1 Danger of fake and malicious social media accounts
17. Gossip and fake news, opposite fact checking and facts presenting
18. Texts, writers, accesibility and willingness
19. Changing screens

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Related

1. Four reasons game dynamics are vital for networked journalism
2. Toward A Free and Accurate Media
3. The economics of news – a critique
4. Google for Media Day: Using the internet for news gathering and storytelling
5. University Newsgathering
6. Networking and newsgathering: Breaking stories via social media.
7. BBC News Moves to Broadcasting House After Dramatic Over Spend
8. Why Twitter is essential for Journalists
9. “Why Journalism?”
10. Newsgathering: The Inside Story
11. Print Publishing: Yesterday’s News?
12. Finding myself with Immersion Journalism
13. Making the News: Behind the Scenes
14. Network News Anchors: Please quit commenting on stories…
15. Press Coverage of DOJ Lacks in Analysis and Objectivity
16. Online newsgathering, Illuminati, Media and Truth
17. Why (basically) unlimited Twitter lists are amazing
18. Free press? The problem with the DOJ’s ‘new’ rules
19. LUTV Reporter Log VI
20. News Gathering.
21. Why amateur corporate newsletters generally fail
22. Mobile Newsgathering and News Consumption
23. Journalism and Politics
24. The Journalist as a Hunter-Gatherer
25. Patch me in
26. 10 News Outlets to Test Drones for Journalism – Bloomberg
27. Journo tips: Newsgathering
28. Winning the Internet
29. The three most effective things to tweet
30. Where News Comes From
31. Supporting Writers & Readers on Giving Tuesday
32. Use your Eyes!
33. When spurious ‘hacking’ claims chill journalism
34. Story Sources
35. The Case for DailyMe
36. Twitter is a taxi (and newspapers are Metro Transit)
37. All About the Buzz
38. New Newsrooms
39. There have been some very interesting initiatives to bring news events in the picture and to inform the public in a serious way > Hash Internship > Back in 2014, two driving factors led to us creating Hash – firstly, Twitter’s lack of a logged-out experience left a vast amount of awesome content inaccessible to a large audience. Secondly, the online news industry had long been an overwhelming and frustrating place – we wanted to create something that would let people catch up on important events quickly. Hash was our answer: aggregating tweets about the day’s most topical stories in a simple, visual way.
40. Follow The Leaders: Mozilla, New York Times And Washington Post Collaborate

Young Christian pastors achieving superstar status through the magic of social media

Now, thanks to the wonders of social media,
many young Christian pastors are achieving superstar status through the magic of Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and the like.
Many of them are using their influence to spread (what they call)  the ‘good news’ of the Gospel
— or at least their particular spin on it.

The Age of Disinformation

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Preceding

Do Governments and Nations Lie?

Facts: Why they matter and how to check them

Consequences of our digital environment

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Additional reading

1. A busy 2017 #3 Fake, gossip and real news
2. To protect our democratic system #1 Danger of fake and malicious social media accounts
3. Here is the truth or the lie
4. Defeating populism in the EU by education of the young people
5. 2019 was #3 a Year of much deceit in the News World
6. Manipulated content on social media
7. Hollowness of democracy
8. Undermining security and democracy via the Internet
9. Safeguarding freedom of expression
10. Gossip and fake news, opposite fact checking and facts presenting
11. Conspiracy theories in plenty-fold
12. Media Literacy

Ava Henseler's blog

In our day and age, information can be accessed from any place or any time. The ability to look up the answers to our greatest questions, see news from around the world, and connect with friends and family from wherever has bestowed on our lives with the gift of connectedness and knowledge. But, it is not always a blessing. The internet can be filled with hate and misinformation. In a jaunting post from The Atlantic, “The Grim Conclusions of the Largest-Ever Study of Fake News”, it was found that in the last 10 years, fake news stories reached and impacted more users on Twitter than true ones. As alarming as this study is, I am not very surprised by the result. From a young age, I have always been taught to question everything I may see online. From fake news stories on instagram to major news sources with…

View original post 301 more words

97-Year-Old Holocaust Survivor scoring high on TikTok

Tik Tok a youngster gadget

We know already of Hadassah Tirosh who has amassed over 2 million followers on TikTok, where she proudly and openly shares about her Jewishness. She is not only Jewish, but also a Mexican Israeli trans content creator. whose early content, which begins in December of 2019 was posted under her previous name, David, who she remembers fondly and has taken the time to thank for helping her become the person she is today — she’s seen proudly wearing different colourful kippahs, her Star of David necklace and being generally proud and open about her Jewishness.

In 2021 Tik Tok is the seventh most used in the world, with the majority of its users being millennial and Gen Z. But it might be a very high surprise to find a 97-year old lady being a “hipster”.
Lily Ebert isn’t your typical 97-year-old. In June, after only joining the platform earlier this year, Ebert reached 1 million followers on Tik Tok and has now amassed over 1.2 million in total.
How?
Ebert is a Holocaust survivor and, together with her great-grandson Dov Forman who runs her account, is teaching the internet about her remarkable life and experiences as a survivor of Auschwitz and how she made a life for herself after liberation.

Lily Ebert from the camps

Lily Ebert, born in Bonyhád, Hungary on 29th December 1923

Originally from Hungary, Lily Ebert, the eldest of six children in a happy and loving family. When the Nazis invaded Hungary in March 1944, her family got to face the worst nightmare one can wish for.

Shortly after Germany invaded Hungary, Lily, her mother and her siblings were sent to the ghetto, and soon after were put on a train, crammed into dark and almost airless cattle wagons, to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Lily at the age of about 4 or 5 had received from her mother a small gold pendant. Even then it wasn’t very expensive or unique but young Lily was very pleased with her present and now in the camp she did not want it to be taken by the Nazis. The small pendant had gone hiding, safe inside the heel of her mother’s shoe. Lily and her mother wore the same size of shoe and as they arrived at the camp her mother asked Lily to swap shoes with her.

Although this happened over 70 years ago Lily can still remember her arrival at the camp. After the long and terrible journey, ‘everyone was half-dead’. They were ordered to climb out of the train and stand together five in a row. There was a man with a stick in his hand. It was Dr Mengele, the notorious Nazi doctor who became known as the Angel of Death for his brutal experiments on inmates, though at the time Lily didn’t know who he was. With one movement of his hand Dr Mengele sealed the fate of the people before him. He sent people right or left — to life or to death. When they had arrived, Lily and her two sisters Renee and Piri were sent in one direction, while her mother Nina, brother Bela and sister Berta were sent to the left, the way to the gas chambers and crematorium. Lily never saw them again.

Lily had put on her mother’s shoes and was ordered to take a shower, whereafter her hair was cut, and their remaining belongings were stolen. It was her only remaining possession and a reminder of her happy childhood. It was a link to her murdered mother and a symbol of defiance. The Nazis would not be allowed to steal it! The Nazis left them with only their shoes, not having any idea of what was hidden in the heel of Lily’s shoe, the tiny pendant Lily’s last link with her mother. When the shoes wore out, she placed the pendant in her daily ration of bread. After about four months in Auschwitz, the sisters were transferred to an ammunition factory near Leipzig. The pendant went with them.

March to liberation after a human and a viral war

When the Front started closing in on the area, they were forced to leave Leipzig and sent on a two-day march. After seeing and suffering unimaginable horrors, on the second day of the march, April 13, 1945, they were finally liberated by Allied forces.

Lily tried to rebuild her life. She wore the pendant every day in memory of her murdered family. Eventually, she married and had children. In 1953 she was reunited with Imre, one of her brothers, who had been imprisoned in a Nazi labour camp. In 1967 she came to London with her husband and three children.

Having become a proud grandmother she came to face another life-threatening struggle: COVID-19. In January, she struggled with a brutal bout of the virus, but true to her nature, she fought through. For her it was her second chance to be alive.  It was then that her great-grandson Dov Forman decided to share a photo of his great-grandmother to Twitter celebrating her miraculous recovery.

Dov Forman

My 97-Year-old Great Grandma, Lily Ebert BEM – Auschwitz Survivor, has just recovered from Covid- 19. Today she went on her first walk in a month after making a miraculous recovery. A fighter and survivor

The response was extraordinary; the photo has since been retweeted over 17,000 times and has received more than a quarter of a million likes, with people from all over the world responding to send their well-wishes and express their admiration for Lily’s strength and bravery.

Finding viral fame

On the back of this unexpected reaction, Dov set up a TikTok account for Lily. At first, their videos mainly consisted of Dov introducing his great-grandmother and encouraging people to follow the account in order to have her story reach as many people as possible. But once they started building up a following, people quickly began expressing an interest in the details of Lily’s extraordinary life.

Soon enough, the account became dedicated to answering followers’ questions about the Holocaust and Lily’s experiences of it, with questions ranging from asking what they ate in the camp, to what happened to babies that were born there, and what the sleeping conditions were like.

She also remembered some Hungarian poems and recites them on the application.

No human anymore, but just a number

Though it is not always easy to answer all the questions she gets, she finds it a necessary act:

“Of course it is hard but if I could survive it, I can talk about it. And for the future, to ensure that something similar [to the Holocaust] cannot happen again, I have to talk about it.”

Lily’s most viewed video, now with over 20 million views, shows her answering the question,

“How did it feel to get your number in Auschwitz?”

Revealing a faded tattoo on her left arm, Lily confidently tells her followers:

“My number is A-10572. That is what I was, they did not call us by our name. We were no longer humans. We were only a number and we were treated like numbers.”

The video now has over 29,000 comments from people expressing their solidarity with Lily and gratitude for her honesty and strength.

Downsides of Tik Tok and Twitter, also platforms of hate talk

However, despite the overwhelmingly positive reactions and encouraging words of support, like all social media platforms, TikTok comes with its downsides, too. For Jewish creators on TikTok, the fun comes with a hefty dose of antisemitism.

It seems as if the kids on TikTok are churning out a new trend nearly every week. The never-ending scroll of the “For You Page” sends users on a twisting path of all sorts of niches and topics. The app truly has something for every interest, from sea shanty challenges to tortilla wrap hacks to — antisemitic caricatures?

In May, around the time when violence was escalating between Israel and Palestine, Ebert’s account received a slew of hateful antisemitic comments. In one particular instance, under a video of Lily simply wishing her followers “a lovely, peaceful weekend”, and by a repeated similar wish in Hungarian, her native language, she added “Shabbat Shalom,” despite the mundanity and kindness of this video, it quickly became the subject of a swarm of hateful comments. it went even so far that she was called to be responsible for the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Another said, “Happy Holocaust,” while another said,

“Ask her if she thinks the treatment of Palestinians reminds her [of] the treatment she got in the camp.”

Another response was

“Peace be upon Hitlar [sic]”

to one which asked if she believed the treatment of Palestinians reminded her of her treatment in the camps. All of this for a grandmother’s simple greeting. Sadly, this experience of antisemitic hate isn’t exactly unique.

Although these comments were clearly abhorrent, unjustified and unacceptable, like everything else Lily and Dov handled them with the utmost dignity. Posting to Twitter, Dov wrote:

“Over the past few days my great Grandmother (Auschwitz survivor) and I have continued to receive messages of hate on Tiktok and Twitter… We will not allow this to stop us from educating about the horrors of the past, and what hatred can lead to. Hate only breeds hate.”

Hero Magnus, a university student and TikToker, explains how her Judaism-related content would often get slammed by offensive comments.

“The really vicious comments are usually from actual Nazis, and I just block and delete. When I was making a ton of Jewish content, I would get a couple of those on practically every video,”

she explains.

“I often also got casually mean stuff from Christians or culturally Christian atheists who wanted to tell me that Judaism is backwards, cultish or stupid.”

Additionally, Jews of Colour on TikTok experience vitriol both from outside the Jewish community and within.

Shekhiynah Larks, a Black Jewish TikTok creator, describes that, in fact, most of the antisemitism she experiences on the app comes from white Jews and Black non-Jews, not Neo-Nazis.

“When I do receive antisemitic comments, it’s more coded with anti-Blackness at the same time,”

Larks says.

“It’s more people posting ‘free Palestine’ on my page and asking me how I can be Black and a Jew, I’m being brainwashed by white Jews, and that I don’t care about Black people.”

She also notes that many white Jews comment on her videos asking her invasive questions that probe into her Jewish identity and conversion, showing they don’t really view her as Jewish enough.

Aviva Davis writes:

There are many white and white-passing Jews using their platforms to share information and educational resources about systemic racism and anti-Semitism and how one’s identities intersect and influence the way one is treated in society. This is great! Better yet, share resources created by Jews of Color (hint hint, nudge nudge).

Aviva Majerczyk remarks

While the invalidation of Jews of Color is rampant throughout the Jewish community in real life as well, on TikTok, these racist commenters may feel more empowered to voice their backwards views behind anonymous accounts.

Still going strong

Lily Ebert keeps going strong. She still wears the tiny gold pendant and shares its remarkable story with all those who have time to listen.

As part of their mission to teach people about the Holocaust and its devastating effects, Lily and Dov have now co-authored a book together called “Lily’s Promise: How I Survived Auschwitz and Found the Strength to Live.” to come out coming September.

Moeten Christenen over zich heen laten walsen

Flirters met de Christelijke cultuur

De predikant/pastor Gereformeerde Kerk (vrijgemaakt) Matthijs Haak die op jonge leeftijd heet ervaren dat God er is en daarom ook zelf voor de Hem heeft gekozen, kijkt in zijn artikelen op de geloofsbeleving van onze maatschappij. Hij beweert sinds ongeveer 1993/4 in de ban van Jezus te zijn, maar ziet nog steeds in hem zijn god, in plaats de woorden van God aan te nemen dat het Gods zoon is. Maar hij geeft wel toe dat Jezus volgen voor hem betekent dat de (op Jezus gerichte) gemeente centraal staat.
Hij ziet in dat wij in een tijd gekomen zijn waar het gaat over identiteit, normen en waarden. Deze worden heen en weer geschud. Voor Christenen is er echter een belangrijk gegeven dat zij niet mogen verwaarlozen. Hij schrijft

Een christen dankt God voor het goede in een cultuur. Maar in de eerste plaats richt een christen zich op Christus. Hij zegt dat hij alleen de weg naar de Vader is (Johannes 14). {De (af)goden van onze tijd}

Een grote meerderheid van Christenen neemt Jezus echter nog steeds als hun god en zien in Jezus dezelfde persoon als de Vader, wat het voor hen ook moeilijk maakt en Jezus niet de weg naar God maakt, zoals het volgens de Bijbel is en voor alle Christenen zou moeten zijn.

Verder schrijft de predikant:

First book printed in slovenian language – Catechismus from 1550/51 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Wat geeft deze tijd veel kansen en (geloofs)ruimte om dat nieuws te laten zien en daarvan te getuigen. De Catechismus heeft als polemiek de strijd tegen Rome (Catechismus 34 en 35). Het toneel is veranderd maar de strijd blijft: afgoden, beelden, eigenzinnige manieren om (God) te vereren zitten wijd verspreid en diep in onze tijd en cultuur. Jezus helpt ons om van hem te getuigen en het goede te doen in onze samenleving, op de plek waar Jezus je roept (1 Petrus). {De (af)goden van onze tijd}

In zeer veel christelijke kerken, tegenwoordig zelfs in zeer veel protestantse kerken, kan men afgodenbeelden vinden; Men vindt er kruisbeelden, beelden van Bijbelse figuren en zogenaamde heiligen die er ook worden aanbeden. Hij mag het eigenzinnige manieren noemen om God te vereren, die diep verspreid en verankerd zitten in de westerse cultuur. Maar naar de eindtijd nadert moet men inzien dat die Keltische gebondenheid of die heidense tradities verwerpelijk zijn voor de ogen van God en dat wij er ons moeten van ontdoen.

In deze tijden gaan, zoals in de bijbel voorspeld, heel wat geestelijke groepen – verenigingen of kerken – zich keren tegen elkaar. Meerdere geloofsgroepen gaan heftig tegen elkaar in en sommige groepen beweren een religieuze oorlog te voeren in naam van de Allerhoogste Allah of God. Hierdoor gaan anderen zich verzetten tegen Allah of God alsook tegen ware gelovigen van die ene Ware God.

Zogenaamd Islamieten slagen er in om het Islamitisch geloof zwart te maken en iedereen bang te maken voor elke Moslim die zich uiterlijk als Moslim wil definiëren. Hier bij kan men wel stellen dat de Moslim veel te laks is geweest en veel te laat is gaan duidelijk maken tegen anders gelovigen dat ISIS of Daesh geen ware Islamieten zijn en zelfs de satan of tegenstanders van God zijn.

Het zijn verscheidene geloofsgroepen die ver afgedwaald zijn van het geven van glorie en eer aan de Allerhoogste Schepper van hemel en aarde. Nochtans is Hij de enige die al die glorie verdient. Niet aan enig mens of enige geloofsgemeenschap maar aan de Ene Ware God – Jehovah – horen wij Zijn Naam alle eer te geven, om Zijn liefde en trouw (Psalm 115:1).

Predikant Haak schrijft

niet ons, HEER. Niet ons. Nee. Want het is al zoveel over ons gegaan: over onze strijd, ons onvermogen te geloven, onze tekorten, onze inspanning en geweldige resultaten – en noem maar op. Nu richten we de blik op God. Op God alleen. Hij gaat het maken. In die toonsoort, met die verwachting, eindigen de Psalmen. {Alle eer aan God. Preek Psalm 115}

Zelfs niet aan Christus komt alle eer toe. Indien God de offergave van Jezus niet aanvaard had, stonden wij nergens. Zonder de aanvaarding van Jezus dood als losgeld voor onze zonden zouden wij nog steeds niet vrijgekocht zijn van de vloek des doods voor de beleden zonden.

Elke ware gelovige in de Schepper van hemel en aarde zou moeten zeggen

Nu richten we de blik op God. Op God alleen. Hij gaat het maken. In die toonsoort, met die verwachting, eindigen de Psalmen. {Alle eer aan God. Preek Psalm 115}

Maar christenen moeten als volgelingen ook hun ogen gericht houden op hem die hen is voorgegaan: de Joodse Nazareen, die zijn leven voor ons heeft gegeven na een voorbeeldfunctie waargenomen te hebben hier op aarde. Hij heeft God geopenbaard en de Weg naar God getoond.

Tegenwoordig zien wij heel wat mensen die zelf voor god willen spelen. Zij dwingen hun god ook in hun straatjes en willen wel dat hij hun dilemma’s zal oplossen en steeds bij hen zal zijn wanneer zij maar willen. Maar dan is het wel die god die zich zal moeten aanpassen aan hen.  Doch, zullen zij tot het besef moeten komen dat Dé God niet door een mens in een hoekje kan geduwd worden of gevormd worden. God is het die de mensen vormt. Hij is het die hen wijsheid geeft en kracht. Maar dan moeten zij die zulke dingen (gaven) van God willen ontvangen zich ook bereid tonen om zich door God te laten vormen. Zij moeten God in hun hart toelaten.

Als je God God laat zijn, weet je je gekend en hoef je je voor God en een ander niet anders voor te doen dan hoe je bent. En dan maakt God je ook tot een zegen in heel je leven (vers 12, 13 en 17 en 18). {Alle eer aan God. Preek Psalm 115}

schrijft de dominee terecht.

Het wordt hoog tijd dat mensen zich eens afvragen wie hun heer eigenlijk is. Men kan best zich eens afvragen “wie/wat beheerst mij?” alsook eens stellen “Waar doe ik het voor?” of “Waar leef ik voor?”

Onze tijd hier op aarde is beperkt. Wij kunnen hem zo laten voorbij gaan en van niets aantrekken dan alleen ons zelf. Maar wat betreft het gene wat er rondom ons gebeurd? Moeten wij er onze ogen en oren voor sluiten? Moeten wij doen alsof onze neus bloedt?

Horen wij onze stem niet te laten horen als er iets verkeerd aan de gang is?

Om een voorbeeld aan te halen. Deze weken lag de Belgische Ecclesia der Vrije Christadelphians weer onder vuur. Op het net waren verschrikkelijke leugens over hen verteld. Moesten zij dit zo maar ter zijde laten liggen, of waren zij in hun recht om er op te reageren, zoals zij op hun interne Facebook account ook hun leden op de hoogte brachten van de valse beschuldigingen en van de oneerlijke figuren die van de ecclesia leden geld trachtten af te dwingen. Vreemd genoeg waren er enkele personen die vonden dat zulks niet in het openbaar mocht gebracht worden. Misschien vergaten zij dat zij op een gesloten Facebook account, als vriend toegelaten waren, zulke waarschuwingsberichten en interne nota’s van de ecclesia konden lezen. Ons inzien is het de verantwoordelijkheid van de ouderlingen om hun gemeenteleden te waarschuwen voor gevaren en zodoende was zulk een nieuwsverspreiding belangrijk voor eenieders veiligheid en om een duidelijk beeld te scheppen wat er omging en verspreid werd in de media.

Maar ook buiten het gemeenteleven is het belangrijk om op nieuwsberichten te reageren of om valse beschuldigingen te ontkrachten.

In vele landen kunnen wij zien dat politici flirten met de christelijke cultuur terwijl ze ondertussen de barmhartigheid als kernwaarde van die cultuur met voeten treden (ND, 20 februari). {Zet Jezus niet in voor culturele doeleinden} Ook gebruiken ze het als dekmantel om zich te verzetten tegen anders gelovigen en om aan populariteit te winnen bij de meer conservatieve christelijke gelovigen. Zij zijn er bewust van dat meerdere christenen een heilige angst hebben voor de moslim cultuur. Hier weten zij dan ook handig op in te spelen vooral daar zij beseffen dat velen geen benul hebben van die andere cultuur, noch van een degelijk woord besef. Zo wordt bijvoorbeeld een ‘burkini‘ door velen op dezelfde voet geplaatst als een ‘burka‘, al hoewel zij totaal iets anders zijn.

Inquisitie verhoor met foltering

Vele Christenen ontkennen al het vroeger geweld van zogenaamde christenen, die zoals Daesh (of Islamitische Staat) nu, ook in hun tijd de kans zagen om in naam van geloof, te verkrachten en op rooftocht te gaan. Anderen maakten gebruik van hun geloof om weer andere van het eigen christelijk geloof uit te schakelen, omdat ze te veel macht of geld hadden. Zo heeft de inquisitie heel wat mensen onterecht van het leven beroofd. Christenen mogen dat verleden niet ontkennen of negeren, alsook moeten zij ook zien wat er vandaag nog steeds in Afrika gebeurt alsook in het Midden Oosten waar ook niet steeds alles kosher verloopt voor de bekering tot het christelijk geloof.

Haak schrijft

Christelijke bezinning kan zich alleen maar richten op het evangelie. Dat vertelt dat uitgerekend God zelf zich in Jezus liet terroriseren en afslachten. In dat licht kunnen christenen zich er niet vanaf maken met de gedachte dat zij geen terroristen zijn. Zij hebben zich iets anders af te vragen: of zij werkelijk zonder geweld of dwang zijn. Dat is helaas niet zo. Ik denk dan bijvoorbeeld aan de opluchting die in 2013 bleek toen de wet op de smalende godslastering werd afgeschaft ten gunste van de vrijheid van meningsuiting. Het debat daarover gaf blijk van een gevoel van bevrijding van een christelijk, wettelijk vastgelegd dwangmiddel. {Christendom niet vredelievender dan islam}

Press Freedom Index 2013, rangschikking van landen naar persvrijheid gepubliceerd door Verslaggevers Zonder Grenzen

Vandaag de dag zien wij dat velen gesprekspunten uit de weg willen gaan door bepaalde zaken niet te willen aankaarten. Men gaat zelfs zo ver vandaag dat men het grondwettelijk recht van meningsuiting, dé basisgarantie van een samenleving, wil gaan ondermijnen, ook al is het de cruciale voorwaarde en waarborg voor godsdienstvrijheid, persvrijheid, academische vrijheid en de vrijheid van elke individuele burger om kritiek te mogen uiten of om een eigen geloof er te mogen op na houden.

Het is niet omdat wij Christus willen navolgen dat iedereen die man moet navolgen of het zelfde moet geloven als wij. Maar andersom ook. Niet omdat anderen er anders over denken moet onze gedachte niet de mond gesnoerd worden. Wat sommigen wel trachten te doen.

Tegen tegenspraak kan men of mag men niets hebben. Dat maakt deel uit van het democratisch proces. Dit betekent echter niet dat wij alles zo maar moeten laten zeggen over ons of over een ander. Elk onrecht moet bestreden worden en alles moet deel kunnen uitmaken van een open en fair debat. Debat en tegenspraak zijn een inherent deel van een democratie. En wij in onze westerse maatschappij moeten er zorg voor dragen dat deze lang bevochten warden en vrijheden niet opnieuw ingedijkt worden. Want indien wij niet opletten gaan wij daar wel weer toe.

Vandaag zien wij bepaalde groepering het recht in eigen handen nemen en zien wij dat zij de anderen het zwijgen willen opleggen. Meerderen zijn er van overtuigd dat zij het bij het rechte eind hebben en dat de ander zich naar hen hoort te schikken. In plaats van ruimte te laten voor allebei of voor meerdere vormen, met het besef dat wij heden ten dagen in een multiculturele samenleving moeten aarden.

In meerdere landen zien wij dat politici gretig gebruik maken van de angst door onwetendheid van de mensen, om nog meer verdeeldheid te zaaien, en om meerdere beperkingen door te voeren, die uiteindelijk later als een boemerang op henzelf ook terecht zal komen.

Niet enkel valt er een radicalisme op islamitisch vlak vast te stellen. Het Christelijk radicalisme was in Noord Amerika al een hele tijd voor kopzorgen aan het zorgen. Indien wij niet opletten zal dit ook verder in Europa gaan uitgroeien zoals de wortels van citroenmelisse zich vlak onder het grondoppervlak verder uitbreiden.

Diegenen die echter enige kritiek geeft met de vinger wijzen, helpen ook mee om tot beknotting van de vrijheid van spreken. Op allerlei platformen worden de lelijkste woorden naar elkaar toe gesproken of beter gezegd, dikwijls zelfs geschreeuwd.

Terwijl wij elkaar ‘stenigen’ op Twitter, is verbinding nodig in onze maatschappij. {Zet Jezus niet in voor culturele doeleinden}

Kan men wekelijk gaan zeggen

Juist nu de angst voor de opkomende (politieke) islam het maatschappelijke debat beheerst, realiseren christenen zich dat zij een uniek getuigenis hebben. {Zet Jezus niet in voor culturele doeleinden}

Is het wel zo dat Christenen wel beseffen dat Jezus niet allereerst van hen is, maar een geschenk aan ons?

… zo lief had God de wereld dat Hij zijn enige zoon gaf. {Zet Jezus niet in voor culturele doeleinden}

Het grootste deel van de Christenen aanvaard nog steeds niet dat God Zijn enige zoon gaf, maar willen geloven dat God naar de aarde kwam om te doen alsof hij verleid werd en om te doen alsof Hij door mensen kon gedood worden. Het komt er op aan dat meerderen zullen komen in te zien dat er eerst en vooral slechts één Ware God is, de God van Israël. Die God van Abraham, Isaak, Jakob, Jezus en zijn leerlingen is één eeuwig alleswetend Geestelijk Wezen dat een vredelievende wereld wil zien onder Zijn schepselen.

Joden, christenen en moslims zouden allen die Ene Ware God moeten aanbidden en zouden zichzelf niet als vijanden maar als broeders in het geloof moeten aanschouwen.

Zij die beweren Christen te zijn zullen ook moeten beseffen dat er meerdere manieren kunnen zijn om het geloof te belijden en dat er zodoende ook meerdere geloofsgroepen kunnen zijn die zoals onderdelen van een lichaam zeer verschillend kunnen zijn, maar toch deel uit maken van dat ene lichaam van Christus. Van hen die zich dan ook Christen noemen verwachten wij dan ook dat zich als volgeling van Christus zullen gedragen.

Als christenen dat geloof dat Jezus hen heeft voorgedaan leven, zullen zij altijd en overal tot zegen zijn en zal God hen ook tot een gave maken. Ook al zal men er dan moge over vals spreken, zullen zij indien zij op een waardige manier daar tegen in gaan en bewijzen dat het leugens zijn die over hen verteld worden, zullen zij er ook in slagen om de waarheid aan het licht te brengen en zullen anderen hun ogen hierdoor open kunnen gaan., waardoor van het slechte er toch noch iets goeds kan uit komen.

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Voorgaand

Republikeins congreslid boycot paus wegens klimaat

Het gevaar om niets te doen tegen de oorzaak en de kwaal

Politici handig gebruik makend van immigranten en jihad angst

Religieuze feesten in mei 2016

Respect for all

Fatsoensnormen Online

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Aanverwant

1. Religie en samenleving één geheel
2. Werk maken van Godsdienstvrijheid
3. Europese kerkleiders steunen bouw moskeeën
4. Christendom meest vervolgde godsdienst
5. Staat Europa voor vrijheid van godsdienst
6. Motie over Godsdienstvrijheid
7. Gezin in postmoderne samenleving meer in verdrukking
8. Voor- en nadelen van internetspiritualiteit
9. Stichters van de Nieuwe Wereld en Godsdienstvrijheid
10. China langzaam naar wettelijke status religie
11. Bij de opheffing van de Vereniging voor Bijbelstudie
12. Russische Hooggerechtshof oordeelt tegen Jehovah’s Getuigen en religieuze vrijheid
13. Spanje verstrengt Godsdienstwet
14. Overdracht van mening te vrijwaren
15. Europa berispt de godsdienstvrijheid beperkers
16. Waar staat Obama tegenover religieuze vrijheid
17. Noodzaak om geweld tegen moslims ook in kaart te brengen
18. Pakistaanse schoolhandboeken voeden op tot Discriminatie
19. Kardinaal Danneeels te gast in ‘De Keien van de Wetstraat
20. Angst voor ouderwetse regels en verlies van christenen
21. Koran tegenover veel oudere Heilige Geschriften
22. Focussen op Christus
23. Door Christus’ dood kunt u worden aangenomen als een kind van God
24. Kerkshoppen: “Arrogant tegenover kerklidmaatschap”
25. Een vergadering omtrent aan te houden gedrag en te houden handelingen
26. Vertraging door ongehoorde moeilijkheden
27. Lam van God #1 Sprekers voor God
28. Vertrouwen, Geloof, Roepen en Toeschrijving aan Jehovah #3 Stem van God #5 Meditatie en transformatie
29. Vertrouwen, Geloof, Roepen en Toeschrijving aan Jehovah #18 Volbrenging
30. De Falende mens #1 Voor en na zondvloed
31. 2015 het jaar dat ISIS duidelijk maakte dat het ook in Europa is – Vervolg 2
32. Fundamentalisme en religie #6 Versplintering
33. Mens en leed
34. Wrok verwerpen
35. Belang van rechtvaardigheid gekend bij Nederlanders

 

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Verder verwant

1. Het Democratisch deficit
2. Vrede is de vijand van onze vrijheid
3. Het Oost-Europees Anti-Populisme is openlijke terugkeer naar de dictatuur
4. #Nationalisme is een reactie op ongewenste prikkels
5. Ook in het Oost-Blok haat men ons
6. #Democratie of #oligarchie?
7. Gewoon
8. Statenloosheid is beter voor de samenleving (& economie)
9. Wat er mis is met het concept natiestaat
10. Zwemles Zwitserse moslimmeisjes verplicht
11. De Europese Volkspartij – de foute collegas van het cda
12. Het heeft geen zin
13. ‘Christendom is meer dan paasei’, zo stelt dagblad @Trouw terecht, maar is de waarheid is multi-interpretabel #religie #vrijheidvangodsdienst @gertjansegers
14. Een heel nuttige herinnering van staatsrechtelijke beginselen door Erik Jurgens @volkskrant #godsdienstvrijheid #kledingvoorschriften
15. Het verband tussen én het geheim van de scheiding van kerk en staat als de formalisering van de begrippen tolerantie en verdraagzaamheid in ons land en de betekenis hiervan voor de groeiende aanhang van de islam alhier
16. Laffe EU staat niet principieel achter Turkse #persvrijheid, zo stelt een Volkskrant-opiniebijdrage terecht vast @eu
17. Amerikanen zijn nu ook de weg kwijt als een Democraat zijn hele leven politiek al blijkt te wisselen @volkskrant #a-politiekpoliticus #wegmethetbestel
18. De florerende antidemocratie in Nederland
19. Asielopvang – suggesties
20. A Paris, la révolution égyptienne sort du silence et défie la répression
21. Bientôt il sera trop tard !
22. Démocratie directe: Fausse bonne idée?
23. La Thérapie Sociale : un projet de vie pour les temps d’aujourd’hui
24. Rationalité ou irrationalité du terrorisme ?

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• Pride in London condemns Islamophobia in ‘Allah is gay’ row
• Iraqi military reclaims city of Tal Afar after rapid ISIS collapse
• Mayor of Florence apologises for yelling ‘Allahu Akbar’ at Venetian counterpart during terrorism debate
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• ISIS and its terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week

From Guestwriters 2016 in review

Each day million articles are published, looking to find a reading eye. Every day thousands of new articles appear on WordPress. In 2016 one hundred seventeen billion nine hundred thirteen million one hundred forty-eight thousand three hundred fifty seven words got published on WordPress. {Automattic WordPress year-in-review-2016}

2016 in view

The year that David Bowie and Prince passed away, like several very well known figures of the arts world, it looked like some people who made it in their life did not want to stay here any longer. It was also the year of lots of terrorism and political correctness, where those who are different than the mainstream (disabled, transgender, refugees, extreme religious and non religious groups, jihad fighters,) got lots of attention.
In the United States of America Obama Care which at last had become a reality came back under threat. North America saw in Boston in November, the Disability Policy Consortium accepted proposals and held a Disability Intersectionality Summit. Presentations included topics on the intersections of being undocumented, being LGBTQ+, being a person of colour, having mental health disabilities, on #DisabilityTooWhite – the hashtag and movement around the the disability community’s failure to represent racially diverse voices – and more. Lots of things came on the American roller-coaster, having Michigan banned non-emergency restraint and seclusion for disabled students and Georgia’s governor speaking in favour of Employment First policies for disabled people in Georgia.

Route of the attacker from west to east at the Promenade des Anglais, Nice

With the 15th anniversary of 9/11 the jihadi‘s made sure they would not be forgotten; ISIS/ISIL and BokoHaram being the new strongholders. In Europe the fear took so many people that politicians saw the opportunity to fuel the extreme right and come with absurd laws, like banning burkini‘s. All the fearmongering having fueled by the March 22 suicide bombings at Brussel’s Zaventem airport and Maelbeek metro station, leaving around 35 victims dead and 360 seriously injured, ISIS claiming responsibility.
America also got its portion of  ISIS-madness with a gunman claiming allegiance to the Islamic State opens fire at gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killing 49, injuring 53 – one of the bigger mass shootings in the U.S.A.. September 17 a terror bomb in Chelsea, New York injured 29 people. Lots of Americans got so frightened of Muslim people, looking at them if they all would be terrorist, though they under their own white Christian population had more victims by weapon violence this year than by terrorism. Several times the world could see how racism is still a big problem in the States and how police can not keep themselves in control when arresting black people. (African American Alton Sterling shot by Louisiana police in Baton Rouge and Philando Castile shot by police in St Paul Black on July 6; American Keith Lamont Scott September 20)
The Islamic militants for sure where very active all over the world. Some events called for more attention worldwide, having foreigners also under the victims or by being considered the country’s worse terror attack for the year, like at a cafe in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where a fighter killed 20 hostages and 2 police on July 1. The next day (July 2) a large lorry bomb in Baghdad killing at least 125 people and wounding 150, Islamic State claiming once more responsibility.  On December 11 a bombing at a chapel in Cairo, Egypt, killed 25 and wounded 45. December 19 again a truck was used to kill many people, like in Nice on the 14th of July now the target was a Christmas market in Berlin killing 12, injuring 48.

Aftermath of the 2016 Berlin attack

In the States of America on January 17 the Fourth Democratic presidential candidates debate showed how Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders clashed over healthcare and gun control in Charleston, South Carolina, and gave us an idea that though perhaps the best candidate of all Bernie Sanders would not going to make it to president elect. Two days later Sarah Palin officially endorsed Donald Trump‘s presidential bid at a Trump rally in Ames, Iowa. What nobody thought possible occurred when this man made it to the preselections, then to the selection to finally become what nobody would ever dreamed possible, him becoming president elect. November 8 Republican Donald Trump became elected President of The United States of America, defeating democrat Hillary Clinton despite Clinton winning 2.9 million more votes. Europe fell on its back for the second time, the first one having been the vote for the Brexit (June 23), who nobody had thought would come through. These two unexpected events show clearly how careful we must be when we think it not necessary to spend time on such personalities and situations.

Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

For that reason we should much more react on what is going on on ecological level. The Paris Agreement on climate change signed in New York (on April 22) binding 195 nations to an increase in the global average temperature to less than 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C is only the beginning of a long road to run. Global warming is not only blamed the cause of many people having to flee for the rising water-level. On August 1 there was an anthrax outbreak in the Russian district Yamalo-Nenets, Siberia killing one and infecting 8 others, also killing 2,300 reindeer. Indian government declared levels of air pollution in Delhi an emergency situation, closing schools and construction sites on November 6.

Though 2016 seemed to be the year that people where more concerned about the whereabouts and the look of their friends on Facebook and Twitter. Social media being the major interest gainer of the year. Most people more concerned about their outfit, fashion, style and strangely enough books and films again.

Astronaut Scott Kelly

Lots of people running with their heads in the skies did not notice that US astronauts Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko returned to earth, on March the 2nd, after nearly a year (340 days), setting an ISS record. For the earthly matters it became time that the U.S.A. did something positive to restore the relations between them and Cuba. March 20 Barack Obama became the first US President to visit Cuba since 1928, arriving for a 2 day tour.

The ‘Big Joke of the year’ (in April) was to see how many politicians who said something had to be done against fraud and how people had to pay honestly their taxes, their names could be found on the 11.5 million confidential documents from offshore law firm Mossack Fonseca , the Panama Papers exposing widespread illegal activities including fraud, kleptocracy, tax evasion and the violation of international sanctions by the world’s elite in the world’s largest ever data leak.

On April 11 UN-backed ceasefire came into effect in Yemen conflict between Iranian-backed Houthis rebels and government forces.

June 7 with a car bomb attack on a police bus in central Istanbul killing 11 was just a beginning of a whole series of bombings in Turkey of which there is no clarity if they are orchestrated by some political forces to have Erdogan in an even stronger dictatorial position. June 28 presented again a suicide bombings and gun attacks, at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport killing 42 and wounding more than 200. We have no idea if the coup d’etat was something set up by Erdogan himself. It gave him way to hold a big clean up and to get rid of all those who stood in his way.

In Colombia more than 50 years of conflict came in its last stadium, the governement and Farc rebels signing a ceasefire agreement on June the  23rd, followed by many talks to have the rebels not being sued.

2016 for this platform

WordPress Administration (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Of the 595,795,035 posts written on WordPress we only presented a mere 358 articles, hoping our humble little site could catch some interest by the many people who are scanning the worldwide internet for something interesting to read. From our tiny country not having any funds, not having serious backing and not able to afford much money on writers, designers or even having our own publishing space, just using the private limited funds of the editor and responsible publisher Mr. Marcus Ampe, we sincerely try to find some interesting literature on the net and present it to our readers and visitors. Because not having much GBites we are limited in re-blogging because pictorial content eats our internet data space, but when a must read is found with lots of photos we still do hope to be able to discuss it or to present it in one of our articles.

Stats on Cross-ideological Blogging (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We must confess that we did not catch many readers for the many work-hours we invest searching for additional and further reading material. Luckily this was the first year we did not very angry letters of people being onerous that we included their article in the listing. In 2016 for the first time we even got a letter thanking us for having brought 1000 readers to someone’s site. Though we put a lot of work in creating all the links in the articles and in the accompanying list of interesting articles, to our sense or liking not enough people make use of those links and referential titles. For that reason from now on we shall perhaps start putting less url-backgroundlinks to words or tags, but still shall continue to try to offer you a list of noteworthy article by other bloggers.

It is a pity we only could find 7 782 views of only 4 827 visitors coming along.
Officially opened to the public on 2014/03/2 we got 1 847 visitors the first year and 2 764 visitors in 2015, so we may be satisfied it is a line going upwards. Though published from Belgium in the European Union, our ‘home-country’ only delivered 269 views. The United States being at the top with giving us 3745 views, followed by the United Kingdom delivering 852 views and our northern neighbours the Netherlands offering us 532 views may encourage us to continue.

The home page caught 2 118 views, followed by 349 for the About page. Of the articles “Religious celebrations in May 2016” got the most views (only 103) and got only 4 likes.

People naturally have to find us. 1 437 do so by using search machines, whilst 783 use the WordPress facilities. 155 come along by Facebook. But we too are happy to find other WordPress users referring to us and bringing readers to our site. Naturally our own authors or own sites like our ecclesia site (9 views), the Belgian Biblestudents and the Bijbelvorsers (each 8) and Stepping Toes (7), but non connected writers like ridzerdvandijk.wordpress.com with 8 views and sneakytwistedlittlewildheart.wordpress.com (good for 6), entering the promissedland (5), discoveronething (5), eternalhunt (5) and some others bringing us each 4 or less viewers.

U.S. advertisement for the 11th edition from the May 1913 issue of National Geographic Magazine (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The most used search terms were ‘hoopvolle slogans’ and ‘bezinningsteksten zelfkritiek’ with each 3 hits.
We ourselves brought 110 readers to our other site “Our World” and for for other sources Wikipedia got 56 readers from us, whilst the Collins dictionary got 21 and the very good Encyclopaedia Britannica only 18 views. Abortion and crime rates by wordlifeandlight managed to get 6 views from us and Lizaborstlap received also 6 visitors, as far as we can see from our statistics.

This last person who has always been a person with a to-do list is also one of the people who wanted to share some writing on this platform. But there were many days when she became a slave to her lists and she had to face that things don’t always happen as planned and that she would feel like a failure if she wasn’t able to cross out all the tasks that she allocated to a specific day.{a goal should scare you a little and excite you a Lot!}

She may perhaps had to become, like us, more specific and to be realistic in what she can (and can’t) achieve in one day; but we did want to reach so much and sometimes got frustrated not seeing our accomplishment for the day.

We are still looking for authors who would not mind to write about lifestyle, interior design, fashion, cooking, family life, gardening, nature and ecological matters and some persons who would not mind tackling the history and people who would love to write about education and health. There are so many subjects not covered yet by people who can tell more about it than we can.

From the end of 2016 onwards we added two viewpoints, namely two comparators, on one site the Muslim world and on the other site the Judaic world and traditions.

• The Lastige Vragensteller or Troublesome Inquirer – Vragensteller-Inquirer in the short time on this platform got 112 views,
• whilst the Jewish counterpart Immanuel Verbondskind with his two articles got 39 views.
• Success Insprirers’ world with N.Gobesingromanus offered some poems which gave him 3 views
• Also written contributed only one article which in 2016 only caught 4 views
• Liza Borstlap who presented some reblogs of her own site articles in Afrikaans got 40 views
• the Belgian Biblestudents could attract 99 views
• Relating to God drew to himself 120 views
• Bijbelvorser allured 177 views
• the Christadelphians getting 415 views
• Marcus Ampe writing under his personal name receiving 1325 views
• and reviews from us about writings and authors their work we wanted to share with you by the Guestpeaker got 3330 views
• Next, should your name not be here too? Are you not the one who can write about subjects which are not covered yet enough?

English: Monkeys Blogging Español: Simios bloggeando (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We do know that certain subjects are not tackled here. Marcus Ampe would love to find some one talking about family matters, family life being one of the cornerstones of our society. To his regret he must also establish that in 2016 not enough regard was given to ecological matters. Man having to live in surroundings which are too polluted and which are filled with buildings and cars, but not given the freedom to have enough green to bring enlightenment and fresh air to people. It is really getting time that more people warn others about us, man, to take care of mother earth, before it is too late.

Whilst on WordPress in general 112 million posts were liked, we did not have many likes. 8 billion e-mails were send on WordPress, but in those there are not counted the very many e-mails we got in our own e-mail box, instead of reacting on the blog articles themselves. This is a pity, because other readers can not read the reactions and oh so often we have to reply to very similar questions, which is more time consuming than having a reply which can be read by thousands on the internet.

For 2017 may we hope that if there are even more articles written on the internet than the 595,795,035 posted on WordPress in 2016 and the huge amount of comments, making it up to 457,596,906 comments on WordPress, you shall be able to  find some very interesting articles and comments here too.

Donald Trump enters the Oscar De LA Renta Fashion Show, New York. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In 2016 we saw that it is possible that those with the biggest mouth and do not mind trampling over many can get their cause. 2016 may have been a disastrous year on several issues and lots of important issues where not even mentioned or got not the right attention. For this new year we love to repeat our call to get more people daring to come out for the poor and the maltreated. We also once more want to ask people to wake up the majority of the population who still keeps their eyes closed for what is really going on in this world. There is a need of more people who are willing to stand up to preserve and encourage the progress of humanity while resisting the forces that threaten to turn it backwards.

We have to be very cautious for what certain people try to do with their nation but also with the world. As citizen we should be aware that politicians are nothing without their people and that folks if they really want can be much stronger than those politicians, who dare to look away from the citizen who needs help and encouragement. Those who call themselves Christian should be there to give a hand to all that need help, not forgetting nature, plants and animals who do not have a voice. therefore we do hope to find more blogs tackling their problem, and would love to have an author on ecology writing for us from this year onwards.

Without you reader we are nothing and can do nothing. We thank you for being here with us and for the followers we are grateful and do hope we can please you with a varied menu.

Wishing everyone a great 2017.

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Preceding article

2014 in review

In 2015 finishing our first year: From Guestwriters 2015 in review

Pokémon craziness

2016 Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Children of Men

Max Lucado: I Had a Dream That Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Reached a Truce

Leaders in disguise

Looking at man’s closest friend

Looking at an American nightmare

The twist of politics and expression

Tribes Redux

Darkest just before dawn

Bruxelles Ma Belle

Mountains of information, disinformation and breaking away

Women in France running with naked bosom all right but with covered bosom penalised

An American Embassy to the Eternal Capital of the Jewish people, Jerusalem

Humanity Quote for Pax Populi

When will it stop

Not limiting others but sharing peace with all

Not missing your appointment in 2017

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Additional reading

1. EU’s European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) asylum seekers and Eastern neighbours
2. At the closing hours of 2016 #1 Looking down at terror
3. At the closing hours of 2016 #2 Low but also highlights
4. Suffering brothers and sisters in Malawi, Mozambique and surrounding areas
5. Not much interest for English articles
6. From Bibles and other religious writings and those who witness for Jehovah
7. 2016 American Bible survey
8. On April 21 brother Nelson, in the world better known as Prince was lost
9. Social media, sympathy & shocks
10. Foreign workers and immigrants
11. A stain of shame for the European Union
12. Voted against their system
13. A sleeper cell of militants was said directing attackers sent back to France from Islamic State’s de-facto capital in Raqqa, Syria
14. Daesh hits heart of Europe
15. Islamism Rises from Europe’s Secularism
16. March 22 2016, attacks in Brussels at airport and metro
17. A Black day for Belgium – Brussels Airport ravage
18. Knife-trust in democratic sore back
19. For those who call the Brussels Airport attacks a fake or a conspiracy of the government
20. Terrorist attacks in brussels
21. Silence, devotion, Salafists, quietists, weaponry, bombings, books, writers and terrorists
22. US President, Barack Obama Condemns The Outrageous Brussels Attacks
23. What Associated Press released on Wednesday 23 March 2016
24. Mediterranean bloodshed
25. Nice attack, terror everywhere and coup attempt in Turkey
26. Is Europe going to become a dictatorial bastion
27. French showing to the whole world their fear and weakness
28. On French beach French police forces woman to undress in public
29. France and the Burkini
30. Secularism in France becoming dangerous for freedom of religion
31. Christians, secularism, morals and values
32. Listening to the lessons of the Bible and looking for ways to please God
33. Where’s the Outrage Over Nun Beachwear? – The Daily Beast
34. You are what you wear
35. Does Banning Face Veils Help Us Fight Terrorism?
36. Jews the next scapegoat for Donald Trump
37. The American clouds of Anti-Semitism
38. Blinded crying blue murder having being made afraid by a bugaboo
39. The clean sweeper of the whole caboodle
40. Trump has been buffetted by accusations of miscunduct
41. Fearmongering succeeded and got the bugaboo a victory
42. Are United States of America citizens going to show their senses
43. When so desperate to hold onto power
44. Some quotes Americans should remember when going to the ballot office
45. Brexit and British business
46. Brexit No. 2 Blow-up
47. Nigel Farage called Donald Trump’s victory ‘bigger than Brexit’
48. A strong and wise fighter who keeps believing in America
49. Bosphorus bloodshed
50. Belgian aftershock from the Turkish coup d’état

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From Guestwriters 2015 in review

From the start in 2014, April the 26th

On 2014 April 26 we started offering a readers digest to you. We wanted to have different writers presenting their selection of most interesting articles found on the net. We regret we did not find enough people interested in co-operating to create a free lifestyle magazine where people could find uplifting stories.

We started talking about the dreams we all have or have to have, because he who beams never walks in the dark, and looked at our position in this world and how positivism should enter this world more. Our invitation to you reader to share those read articles you liked is still counting. We would love to present more interesting articles people can find on the net. For this reason we started the Reblog section in 2014, when we looked if we or you have something to say or not.

At the opening of 2016 we would like to remind you that you too are invited to share with us. You too may be sharing your words with us and many more readers. You don’t have to stay in the shadow.

At this site we want to speak about feelings and started to look at the worst feeling, the one which pulls us down. Depression is when we can’t walk in the light of life any more. Our intention is to show that each of us matter in this world and that we can get fate in our change to positiveness. You and us we all can contribute and help to create a positive attitude. You have to get the right attitude of an unstoppable success, and once more we do bring a call to help to create a positive attitude.

You may consider your own journey in life but we dared to ask which kind of attitude you want to take. In 2014, when we started we asked our readers to begin their day by living their positive attitude and in started also to point out to look at the way to come to the truth. We went in defence of it. For that, we also started looking at Who should be your closest friend.

Though we may be lonely in the crowd we wanted to build up a place where many could find each other and could overcome hurt feelings. we do not ask people to be some one else, but would love to see you smiling and with a positive attitude or positive disposition.

Perhaps what we hope for is what you hope for. In September 2014 we repeated our call to come to write for us and to share what you think interesting. A year after our question what our readers are seeking we did not receive many answers. We expressed our love to find more contributors who could show ways of fulfilling our dreams. We do hope you could find inspiration here and follow your dreams.

In 2015 finishing our first year

On the first of January we, like many others looked back at the previous year and presented our first review: 2014 in review.

Our first year we got visitors from 71 countries in all. 13 countries were added in 2015 bringing the total to 84 countries in all, with most visitors again coming from The United States (2467). Netherlands (351) & United Kingdom (341) were not far behind. Based in Belgium we only could get the attention of 181 viewers in Belgium in 2015, which is not much, but which can be caused by not many writings being in Dutch, French or German. We are pleased we also got 141 viewers from Down Under.

Knowing that we need light on our path in life, near the end of 2015 we also started placing some reflections or meditations texts, which we shall continue to do. Because we did so often got questions why we referred to some ones website article, or got requests to take some listed article out of the list of “Further reading” we shall enter less references or note lesser further readings. Normally you would think people would be pleased when there is placed a link to their site, but at several of our websites we got an other impression, hearing people not being pleased they being mentioned on one of our sites. Not being appreciated we bringing others to their writings or commenting on their writings, plus they not understanding we are helping them to get more readers and to get higher on the Google ranking, whilst we take them away from our own website, we will not any more invest so much time in looking for appropriate articles worth mentioning. Therefore in the future you will find lesser links and we shall be pleased keeping you more to our own websites.

Treats, fear and discussions in 2015

2015 was again a year were many civil rights were tread under foot. The Syrian war continued for its fourth year and brought many war refugees into Europe, a region where many do not seem to know themselves very well because kindness to others seemed to be far off. Though we are born to shine, not to fear, lots of people got over-manned by fear. At a time where there is not much knowledge of the truth, but lots of doubt and/or blindness, we tried to convince that less is still enough.

While viral moments and trends or fads, that took up lots of people their time and their Twitter feeds included viral phenomenon The Dress, pizza rat, dad bods and adult coloring books we looked at the major refugee crisis in Europe as well as numerous instances of terrorism and mass shootings. Whilst July, Caitlyn Jenner made her big debut via a sexy and scantily clad Vanity Fair cover shot…and her new reality was officially underway we also look at how we human beings manage with birth, our being and our behaviour and acceptance or not of certain situations. Bringing articles around abortion and life we were pleased to have as our 5 most active commenter  Blackhorn33 who is Comanche – Irish and a half-breed that’s Full Blooded American, who with “Our Circle of Friends” met on Google and was willing to contribute about Child Abuse -The Facts, and show the world the importance of the unborn life.

A place for a Higher Being and for His Creation

“Stockholmsfyrens” ungefärliga utseende vid Ropsten med vy från hotell Forestas entréplan på Lidingö. Det runda 187 m höga tornet innehållande både bostäder och kontorslokaler är föreslaget att uppföras omkring 2014-2015. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With less for more we looked at one of the major discussed issues of the year, bringing global warming and climate change at the second place and the refugees at the first place as major topics for 2015. Pointing out that it is important that we do know that we have to find the meaning of life and reach a state of peace, of old and new ideas to sustain power and to feel good by loving to be connected and worship something, we brought to the attention that we have our duties in this world and have to take our responsibility,making the right engagement in an actual two way conversation with your deities or more important to build up a good relationship with the Only One True God, the Divine Creator.

Throughout the year on this and our other sites we wanted to bring to understanding that we do have to come in a good relationship with others and with the Most High, even when we sometimes have to deal with the silence of God.

We asked not to forget that falsehood darkens the pure knowledge of God and that we should always turn to the Book of books, the Bible, to find the truth and Guidance. But to come to know the Creator and His creatures and creation, we do have to look with our eyes and to see with our heart. Some may think “God plays hide’n seek“, but He is always around us and sees everything we do.
The Almighty God above all other gods greater than all gods has given us His infallible Word, the Bible, helmet of salvation, God’s Words put in the mouth of prophets for perfecting, to reprove and correct. Searching or overlooking God’s presence more people do have to find His Word and take up that book that is Written by inspiration of God for our admonition, to whom it shall be imputed if they believe.

2015 once more showed to the world that human beings need a lot of correction. It was good to see that in France many nations also came to conclusion we have urgently to take care of mother earth. In this world were many have to learn that stuff is just stuff, it became time that man takes his position about materialistic desires.

The terrors which came over Europe should make those who call themselves Christian to think and have them remind and hear God’s voice, bringing them into the habit of dealing with God about everything.

Statistics for 2015

In 2015, there were 295 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 525 posts. On the 12th of January in total 534 articles have been published on this site. 

The busiest day of the year was October 19th with 175 views. The most popular post that day was Whoopi Goldberg commandments and abortion. But the most commented on post in 2015 was Bible, helmet of salvation, God’s Words put in the mouth of prophets for perfecting, to reprove and correct.

For 2016

We are thankful that you came along on this site and do hope to find you more than once at this and some other of our sites. We wish you all the best for 2016 and do hope you may be like a tree planted by streams of water.

Have faith in your faith…doubt your doubts and don’t throw a curtain across tomorrow… the star of its performance just may be you !

There still has to be done a lot before we shall have sustainable, green habits as a second nature, but at this site we do hope to bring incentives to work at it.

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 4,300 times in 2015. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 4 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

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Preceding: 2014 in review

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Additional reading

1. A look at materialism
2. Our you taking a step back to think
3. US must do more to protect its children
4. A year coming to its end and our Spiritual Senses
5. Summary for the year 2015 #1 Threat and fear
6. Summary for the year 2015 # 2 Strewn with corpses and refugees
7. 2015 In the Picture
8. 2015 Human rights
9. 2015 Health and Welfare
10. 2015 Ecology
11. Vatican against Opponents of immigration
12. Greenpeace demands scale up of ecological farming
13. Building a low-carbon world: the sixth industrial revolution
14. Republican member of Congress from Arizona to boycott pope’s address over climate change
15. Vatican meeting of mayors talking about global warming, human trafficking and modern-day slavery
16. Paris World Summit of Conscience, International interfaith gathering #1
17. Paris World Summit of Conscience, International interfaith gathering #2
18. Paris World Summit of Conscience, International interfaith gathering #3
19. 2015 Summit of Consciences for the Climate
20. A Miracle of Unity at COP21
21. Charlie Hebdo
22. Belgian Bible Students review of 2015
23. Bijbelvorsers Blogging annual report and 2015 in review
24. Refugee crisis, terrorist attacks and created fear
25. Before you blame All Muslims for the terrorist attack in Paris
26. The first on the list of the concerns of the saint
27. Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience
28. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands
29. Hidden potential for helping others
30. Only one person who has the power to cast the deciding vote that will kill your dream
31. Have faith in your faith…doubt your doubts
32. The inspiring divine spark
33. Healthy life can be found in sacred books
34. Bible, best Book of books to get to know the truth
35. Written to whom it is about to be reckoned
36. No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation
37. By temptations, by signs, and by wonders we can see the Works of God
38. A Bible Falling Apart Belongs to Someone who isn’t
39. A heart in the right place and brightly burning faith
40. For attractive lips, speak words of kindness
41. If you want to go far in life
42. Spread love everywhere you go
43. Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair
44. The truest greatness lies in being kind
45. Kindness
46. Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness
47. Be kinder than necessary
48. He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass
49. Taking care of mother earth
50. No curtain placed over tomorrow

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Further about what happened in 2015

1. MSN 2015 in review
2. 2015 in review: Memorable Journeys on EP
3. 2015 Wrap Up!
4. My most difficult travel moments of 2015
5. The 2015 Eternal Hunt Awards, pt. 2: The Hobbyists
6. Stay within the lines – or not!
7. coloring to de-stress; I’ve joined the craze!
8. Art and the Holidays
9. Whatever Is Lovely
10. Intuitive Coaching 101–Zen & The Art of Coloring Books
11. Adults Coloring Kaleidoscopic Creatures
12. Unique Sugar Gliders Chinchillas Reptile Adult Coloring Books
13. Adult Coloring Worldwide & Tangle With Jessica Palmers Hidden Treasures
14. What Amazon’s 2015 Bestsellers Say About Us
15. Winter 2015: The rest of the field…
16. Grandad, I can smell you …
17. Kaleidoscope of 2015
18. Reflecting on 2015
19. My 2015 In Year Review
20. 2015 In Review… (adventuretimealpacamybag)
21. 2015 In Review (ingridandjimmy)
22. 50 Things that made me smile in 2015
23. The Year That Was…2015
24. Favorite-est things from #2015
25. Be Looking at 2015 in review
26. 2015 in Review: Paradise River, Dusk
27. The Obsessive Viewer Podcast – Ep 148 – 2015 in Review – Best and Worst Movies of the Year and Viewing Stats
28. Looking Back at 2015
29. Year in Review
30. New Zealand’s 2015: the year we hid from a world in need
31. End of the Year Survey 2015!
32. 2015 in transit
33. A New Year: 2015 In Review and Plans for 2016!
34. Bye bye 2015 and welcome 2016
35. Start 2016 with a Backwards Slide
36. Let’s Commence to Coordinate our Sights
37. Flee from Idolatry

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The Culture of Excesses- Losing Humanity

Our society has put its eyes on material things and some like to find a good excuse to receive some more. The heathen festival at the end of the year, having received its misleading name Christmas, is full of pagan symbols and the majority of people who celebrate it with the excuse as the remembrance of the birth of Christ, which was in 4BCE, October 17, do not really have many remembrance elements for this Messiah, who gave his life for mankind.

*

To remember

many things which I do not want

people just cannot get enough of what they have + want more > current culture of Consumerism = people know price of everything but value of nothing

‘citizens’ = equal partners in downward spiral of humanity

first citizens on earth + then consumers in traditional concept of market driven society.

race to own multiple profiles on various networking sites = most senseless thing that people of our generation especially youth are attracted to do

a person’s stature = judged by number of followers or friends s/he has on networking site

media both print + electronic = trashed ethical principle of ‘informing’ people of what’s happening around => become producer of news which has to be fed to consumers in typical market terminology

media = competing with ordinary citizens to get most likes + shares on social media => information at the heart of good governance = ignored

media has turned into retailers selling products in the guise of news through common people who are acting as sales and marketing agents

culture of excesses and consumerism = current culture of seeking materialistic pleasures or satisfaction<= tendency to attribute happiness to external materialistic sources

wild chase of things we do not want but yet seek created emptiness in our souls => to fill such emptiness = if we buy something new, maybe we will feel good = cognitive process based on a hollow logic = creates a cycle

feeling sad > purchase > repress our need to feel complete temporarily => not sustainable => coped up with another purchase

new purchase brings temporary satisfaction = makes us believe that what we need a constant dose of newer stuff in order to feel happy => begin journey of seeking happiness from external sources.

forgotten > key to happiness lies within ourselves

not even connected to ourselves  > understanding of self has degraded to superficial concepts such as looks, outwards personality

animalistic concepts of existence of God or supernatural power + focus on finding a divine connection which can flush out the negativity from our minds and instil only positive thoughts => connection can only be established with nature or higher self

first of all humans + then customers or consumers or whatever terminology one wants to ascribe to us = meant to act as cohesive unit since humanity demands us to live for each other = as long as we are secure within ourselves + this security provides us with confidence to be useful to others.

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Preceding articles

Learning that stuff is just stuff

Material wealth, Submission and Heaven on earth

Material gain to honour God

How to Find the Meaning of Life and Reach a State of Peace

Stop and Think

One can buy a lot in the supermarket, but not hope

Looking for the consummation of presents

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Further reading

1. Psychic Weather Week of December 14, 2015
2. What You Need to Know
3. Daily Devotional: “Half-Baked Prayers”

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MohnishBagree's Blog

How many things are there which I do not want, was once said by Socrates. But it seems that people just cannot get enough of what they have and want more. As the current culture of Consumerism perfectly justifies what Oscar Wilde mentioned, today people know the price of everything but the value of nothing. It would be wrong to blame the producers alone for the consumerist culture that we are leaving in. The ‘citizens’ are equal partners in this downward spiral of humanity. Why is it a downward spiral will be unfolded subsequently but for now let us focus on what has this consumerist tendency been doing and how. In addition to this, it is important to understand that we are first citizens on earth and then consumers in traditional concept of market driven society.

When will the charm of a new phone end? When will we be satisfied…

View original post 1,347 more words

Het gevaar om niets te doen tegen de oorzaak en de kwaal

Al veel te lang hebben bepaalde groepen zich stil gehouden. Aan één kant de politici aan de ander kant de geloofsgroepen die zich volgeling van de profeet Mohammed noemen. Die Mohammedanen hebben stilzwijgend toegezien hoe bepaalde groepen in het Midden Oosten en in Afrika hun godsdienst in een kwaad daglicht stelden.

Adam Benjamin schrijft de Nederlandse regering hierover aan op in een Open brief aan het Kabinet en leidinggevend Nederland.

Hij kaart terecht het stilzwijgen van de regering aan omtrent vroegere aanslagen in de eigen contreien tegen Moslims en vraagt zich af waar  minister Ascher was om keiharde actie tegen discriminatie en uitsluiting op de arbeidsmarkt aan te kondigen?

Eveneens stelt hij vragen bij discriminatie en racial profiling bij de politie waar minister der Steur stil bleef of waar minister Hennis het leger en de marechaussee niet aanpakte.

Ook mogen wij de Nederlandse, Belgische en Franse regering niet vergeten die het nalieten om zich te roeren met de ongelijkheden die plaatsvonden in het Midden Oosten.

Waar was minister Koenders om keiharde actie tegen het racistische apartheidsregime in Israël aan te kondigen?

Alsook kan men vragen stellen bij de houding van onze regeringen bij een niet op gang gerakende afbouw van actieve oorlogsvoering.

Waar was minister Blok om keiharde actie tegen ghettovorming en afzondering aan te kondigen?

stelt Adam Benjamin. Tevens ons herinnerend dat zulk een gettovorming zich in meerdere Nederlandse, Belgische en Franse steden zich heeft voorgedaan doordat die mensen van vreemde origine geweigerd werden door de autochtone bevolking. Zelfs de kinderen van de allochtonen bleven aanschouwd worden als vreemdelingen, namelijk als Marokanen of Turken. Juist door die ontwijking van die mensen kon radicalisering in die groepen zich voordoen. Want zij konden zich nergens thuis voelen en nu was ar e een organisatie gekomen die hen wilde erkennen voor wat zij waren en zich bereid stelde om hen op te nemen als gelijke broeders en zusters.

Terecht mag dan ook de vraag gesteld worden waar Hans de Boer was om keiharde actie tegen de uitsluiting van Nederlanders uit minderheidsgroeperingen aan te kondigen?

U was allen stil. Niet slechts een minuut. Meer dan een week inmiddels.

Na de aanslagen in Parijs (ik sla die van Beiroet een dag eerder gemakshalve even over) is er behoorlijk wat discussie ontstaan. Roomblanke Nederlanders riepen op facebook op om moslims te vermoorden en twitter liep over van Wilders citerende bezorgdeburgers, die hun Korankennis uit Fitna gebruiken om te bewijzen dat iedere moslim een terrorist is. Discussie was niet altijd voldoende een uitlaatklep, getuige de vele foto’s op Facebook en Instagram van doodsverwensingen aan het adres van moslims die op lokale muren waren gekalkt door minder kunstzinnige landgenoten. Andere vormen van vernieling naar aanleiding van de aanslagen waren bekladding of verbranding van diverse moskeeën. {Open brief aan het Kabinet en leidinggevend Nederland}

Natuurlijk konden na de aanslagen van Parijs in januari en nu midden november de ministers, staatssecretarissen, directeuren en managers, zich niet meer stil houden alhoewel zij toch nog steeds onvoldoende krachtdadig optraden tegen diegenen die onze maatschappij trachten te destabiliseren door alle Moslims over één kam te scheren

Burgemeesters van Amsterdam (Job Cohen links) en Rotterdam (Ahmed Aboutaleb rechts). (Foto credit: Wikipedia)

Toegegeven, premier Rutte liet in enkele interviews wel horen dat het oorlog is, dat deze aanslag een aanslag op onze democratie en onze wijze van leven was, maar dat werd al snel overschreeuwd door Ahmed Aboutaleb die om in gesprek te kunnen blijven met Leefbaar Rotterdam steeds rechtsere taal begint uit te slaan. Veel verder dan veroordelen van het gebeurde en betuigen van medeleven en organiseren van minuten stilte bent u allen niet gekomen. Dat is triest! Ons land, onze samenleving, geleid door personen die zwijgen als Wilders op Twitter zijn gelijk opeist, om sluiting van de grenzen roept en en passent vluchtelingen, moslims en terroristen over dezelfde kam scheert. {Open brief aan het Kabinet en leidinggevend Nederland}

Men zou verwacht hebben dat na de radicaal islamitische aanslagen in Parijs de Europese Unie de strijd tegen het terrorisme werkelijk zou opvoeren, zoals ze beloofd hadden. Maar al snel na de storm kwam weer de stilte en werd nogmaals de soep niet zo gegeten als ze heet was.

De strengere controles aan Europese grenzen om terroristen te onderscheppen bleken met de recente aanvallen precies een maat voor niets geweest te zijn. Er werd de schijn gegeven radicalisering van moslims te willen tegen te houden en te kunnen verminderen. Wel zag men dat men meer angst begon in te boezemen voor diegenen die wensten terug te keren van het Syrisch oorlogsgeweld.

Aan de wantoestanden van de vluchtelingen en aan het stopzetten van de reden om te gaan vluchten werd omzeggens niets gedaan. Het wapentransport, de mensenhandel (illegalen) en drugs en waardegoederen konden lekker gezellig bepaalde groepen veel geld opbrengen terwijl dezen niets inzaten met de penibele omstandigheden waarin bepaalde mensen geraakten of zelfs het leven gaven.

De EU buitengrenzen zo lek als een mandje gaf duidelijk te kennen dat er hier met visnetten werd gevist met enorme grote gaten en dat de mafiabazen niet te veel zorgen moesten maken hun goed renderend zaakje te moeten verliezen. Al de wapenfabrieken in Europa konden er ook op rekenen dat zij verder hun goederen konden leveren aan partijen die tegenover elkaar stonden. “Zo lang zij elkaar daar maar uitmoorden” moeten ze hier maar denken, kan het geen kwaad.

Alsmaar liet men een grote groep anderen bang maken voor een ‘Groot Gevaar’ dat op Europa zou afkomen. Vroeger kon men het Communistische gevaar voorschotelen, daarna het Gele Gevaar, maar nu had men nog iets beters gevonden in het Moslim Gevaar. Ook al is een heel part van de bevolking helemaal niet meer gelovig wil men ze met die angst voor een overheersend geloof toch nog bang maken.

Dat jihad eigenlijk iets sacraal is en niet bepaald een grijpbaar geweld omvat maar gaat over spirituele inspanningen voor de Allerhoogste, Allah, de Elohim Hashem Jehovah, worden zoals men de mensen bang maakte in de jaren 60 van vorige eeuw voor die Jehovah wordt nu die Allah Zijn volk als gevaar aanzien.

De slechte co-notatie die er gekomen is, is een gevolg van fundamentalistische groeperingen die zich eerst tegen Joden verzetten maar dan algemeen te keer gingen tegen diegenen die zij ongelovig beschouwen. Die fundamentalisten hebben het zelfs zo ver gedreven dat zij de wereld willen doen geloven dat zij als verkozenen van Allah, het recht en de plicht hebben om een Islamitische Staat te vormen.

De heimatlozen van hier kunnen in het aanbod van een eigen staat wel iets zien en zijn zo een makkelijke prooi voor ‘het goede doel’.

Een Rotterdammer in Calabrië schrijft:

Jonge gelovigen, en zeker jong bekeerde gelovigen of hen die het geloof van hun ouders herontdekken, lopen vrij eenvoudig het risico om te radicaliseren. Mijn oude geschiedenisleraar zei het al: bekeerlingen zijn altijd vurig. De priesteropleidingen van de katholieke kerk kennen het fenomeen en weten hoe ze ermee om moeten gaan omdat ze de religieuze manier van denken door en door kennen. Hulp aan radicaliserende gelovigen moet dan ook in de eerste plaats uit de geloofsgemeenschap komen. {Islamofobie is contraproduktief}

Zij die steeds verwijten krijgen dat zij niet deugen en dat zij moeten oprotten, worden als wilde beesten in een hoek geduwd en dan staat men verwonderd te kijken als deze agressief uit die hoek komen. Velen van hen worden in het geboorteland van hun ouders als vreemdelingen aanzien, maar hier ook. Hier zijn zij geboren en zouden hun eigen land moeten kunnen vinden. Maar dat wordt hen niet gegund. En nu is er die groep die alsmaar groter en sterker lijkt te worden die hen een land van melk en honing wil aanbieden waar mensen volgens de juiste waarden en normen zouden leven.

Van de politici krijgen die jongeren die op zoek zijn naar hun eigenheid en erkenning nauwelijks iets te horen, zodat bij hen het beeld kan ontstaan dat heel de natie tegen hen is.

Net als die juf op de basisschool die hem ingeprent heeft dat het toch niets met hem wordt. Net als die mentor op de middelbare school die hem heeft ingeprent dat zijn soort niet deugt. Net als Wilders die zegt dat voor hem een uitkering of de misdaad de enige vooruitzichten zijn. Alom aanwezige koude uitsluiting. Men moet Mohammed niet. {Open brief aan het Kabinet en leidinggevend Nederland}

Ondertussen blijvend media maar al te graag de Moslims in een slecht dag licht stellen en focussen zich ook op die jongeren die als een last voor onze samenleving onze voorsteden onveilig zouden maken. De negatieve spiraal raast maar door.

Dagelijks horen we het NOS journaal melden wat (zelfbenoemde) moslims nu weer hebben uitgevreten. Horen we RTL nieuws vragen hoe te voorkomen is dat terroristen in de vluchtelingenstroom Europa binnenkomen. Dagelijks horen we nieuwe generalisaties over moslims, terroristen, moordenaars en vluchtelingen. En u allen, u bent stil. Martin Luther King zei ooit:
’uiteindelijk zullen wij niet de woorden van onze vijanden herinneren, maar de stilte van onze vrienden.’
En uw stilte is oorverdovend. {Open brief aan het Kabinet en leidinggevend Nederland}

Zal men pas iets gaan doen als het kalf half verdronken is?

Adam Benjamin besluit

Wanneer gaat u nu eens iets doen? Of gaan we gewoon door met oorlogshandelingen, privacy inperkingen, ondersteuning van fascistische apartheid in het Midden Oosten en wegkijken bij discriminatie en onrecht? Er is werk aan de winkel! Deze periode zal waarschijnlijk als de 3e wereldoorlog in de geschiedenisboeken verschijnen. Het is van u afhankelijk hoe lang deze periode gaat duren!

Hopelijk vindt u het niet erg dat ik deze brief niet met mijn eigen naam onderteken. Ik wil mijn mailbox en mijn gemoedsrust de bedreigingen en scheldkannonades besparen. Vrijheid van meningsuiting is in Nederland gedevalueerd tot een grondrecht dat alleen aan de witte man is voorbehouden en helaas blijkt fatsoen tegelijk met Pim Fortuin vermoord te zijn… {Open brief aan het Kabinet en leidinggevend Nederland}

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Voorgaand

Waarom doen we niets aan de oorzaak?

Echte vooruitgang laat niemand achter

Dit kan gewoon echt niet meer

Fatsoensnormen Online

Onder­scheid maken – een repliek op Ayaan Hirsi Ali

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Lees ook

1. Motie over Godsdienstvrijheid
2. Noodzaak om geweld tegen moslims ook in kaart te brengen
3. Pakistaanse schoolhandboeken voeden op tot Discriminatie
4. Nieuwkomers, nieuwelingen, immigranten, allochtonen en import

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Verder aanvullend om te lezen

1. Brussel ‘belooft’ de buitengrenzen beter te controleren… En ze willen ‘registreren’ (alweer datzelfde woord).
2. Islamofobie is contraproduktief
3. Valt de radicalisering van Israël nog te stoppen?
4. Presentatie “Extremisme in het Midden Oosten”
5. Islam eng of niet?
6. Leugens (FB column voorjaar 2015)
7. VS en EU graven eigen graf
8. Irak en ISIS: houdt Obama stand?
9. Er komen weer banen bij en ik weet waar !

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Social media and asylum seekers

For sure we have thousands of people now coming to Europe with the idea they can escape the war in their country and find a heaven on earth in Europe. Lots of them had enough money to escape the war-zones and left those behind who are to poor, to old or not in good health.

When hearing about the reason why so many are going to one or another Western country, like Germany, Sweden, Belgium or the Netherlands, we come to hear that many of them got to know those countries from what they heard and saw on the internet and from the messages they got on their phones or tablets.

Alias Yalensis on his blog Awful Avalanche looks at a writing from Evgeny Chernykh, who writes about the refugee crisis rocking Europe.

May we believe those writers like cyberwar expert, Elena Larina, who is quoted in the piece, that the refugees and we are victims of a “special operation”, organized by the powers-that-be?

It could be that they have not bad reason to believe some superpowers and bad willing groups are using mass media, especially Twitter, to lure the refugees from Syria to Europe.

One must always keep in mind that the American-sponsored “Arab spring” began in Tunisia, and not for nothing was called the “Twitter Revolution”.  Tunisia, and the ensuing “color revolutions” were proof of concept operations.  They proved that large numbers of people (in the tens and even hundreds of thousands) can be politically manipulated, even physically moved around, via social media. {Twitter Feed Lures Hordes to Europe}

A protester holding a placard in Tahrir Square referring to Facebook and Twitter, acknowledging the role played by social media during the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Is it possible that Chernykh who also quotes PhD philosopher Vladimir Shalak have good reason to belief in Shalak his special analytical computer program against Twitter.

The results show the marketing campaign to attract refugees under the hashtag «Welcome, refugees».   The two countries named most as being receptors, were Germany and Hungary. {Twitter Feed Lures Hordes to Europe}

According to the blogger:

Analysis also shows that social media provided the refugees with maps, routes, transportation info, tipsheets on how to comport themselves with police and speak to the media, etc. {Twitter Feed Lures Hordes to Europe}

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Preceding articles

Poster: Please Help The Refugees

The World Wide Refugee and Migrant Crisis and a possible solution for it

 

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Additional articles of interest:

1. Sharing a common security and a common set of values
2. Cognizance at the doorstep or at the internet socket
3. Faith related boycotts
4. Mocking, Agitation and Religious Persecution
5. Economic crisis danger for the rise of political extremism
6. Americans wrongly informed about situation in Europe
7. Fitting the bill in the North and in the East
8. The Protester named Person of the Year 2011 by Time Magazine
9. Cool Person of the year 2011
10. 2014 Social contacts
11. Continues Syrian conflict needing not only dialogue
12. Can We Pay The Price To Free Humanity?
13. Are people willing to take the responsibility for others
14. If Europe fails on the question of refugees, then it won’t be the Europe we wished for
15. State of Europe 2015 – Addressing Europe’s crises
16. Schengen area and Freedom for Europeans being put to the test as never before
17. Europe’s refugees just follow the ancient routes for the peopling of Europe in the Neolithic
18. Why Russia backs Assad: a view from Russia’s anti-imperialist left
19. Meeting to focus on humanitarian issues for Syria
20. Propaganda war and ISIS
21. African misery and women inequality

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• Deleted Politician Tweets Site, Which Twitter Blocked, Now Preserved on Internet Archive
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• Syria and Turkey’s imperial dream
• Calls in ‘Democratic’ Tunisia to Support Violence Against Israel
• World › Refugees spurn France in search for better life
• Drought and migration > Syria wasn’t prepared for the effects of climate change, and neither are we.
• Good Question: Why Are Syrian Refugees Fleeing Their Homeland?

Putting your feelings into words and sharing them

Beings with feelings

Let’s Talk About Feelings (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

All human beings have feelings. We have to cope with them. There are many ways to cope with them.
We also see lots of things happening around us. We are touched with what we notice, and we also want to give a voice to our feelings. We all want to be heard as well.

You too may find that putting your feelings into words and sharing them with a sympathetic listener will make it easier to deal with them.

Writing can also be a helpful release. Some who find it difficult to talk about their feelings may find it easier to express themselves in writing.

Looking at old writings

Most of the things today are not written for education, but we still should find time to look for writings that can edify us. We can take time to look at the old writings which were written for our instruction, that through our endurance and through the comfort from the Scriptures we might have hope. In the very old books we can find people who wrote down their thoughts so that others also could hear about them. But they also put their feelings in their writings to get freedom in their inner soul.

Following the death of Saul and Jonathan, the faithful man David wrote a deeply mournful song in which he poured out his sorrow. This emotional dirge eventually became part of the Bible book of Second Samuel.—2 Samuel 1:17–27.

Crying may also serve as an emotional release. “For everything there is an appointed time, even . . . a time to weep,” says the Bible. (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4) To be sure, the death of someone we love is “a time to weep.” Tears of grief are nothing to be embarrassed about. The Bible contains many examples of faithful men and women who openly expressed their grief by weeping. (Genesis 23:2; 2 Samuel 1:11, 12) Jesus Christ “gave way to tears” when he neared the tomb of his dear friend Lazarus, who had recently died.—John 11:33, 35.

Working through grief takes patience, for you may feel that you are on an emotional roller coaster. Remember that you do not have to be ashamed of your tears. Many faithful individuals have found that shedding tears of grief is a normal and necessary part of the healing process.

Sharing is helping

Putting down words of feeling can help you but also can help others.

It is a matter of sharing love for each-other that we should share thoughts with each other. We, by bringing matters to attention, can bring others to think about that matter. By publishing our own story we might show others they are not alone having those feelings or having to go through the same struggle.

Social networking Web sites

Image via CrunchBase

The last few years several placed their little pieces   and their little stories on Facebook. Recently they added Twitter to give some shouts into the internet world, or they threw in a nod to Google+ or Circles. We may even find pets with Facebook pages and politicians’ Internet campaigns and etiquette for R.S.V.P.’ing to events and the best way to wish someone happy birthday without feeling like an exclamatory fool! Social networking Web sites are the latest and greatest way to interact with other users on the Internet. Thirty-five percent of adults on the Internet now have a profile on at least one social networking site, and 51 percent have more than one. Three-quarters of users between the ages of 18 and 24 have an online profile.

CrazyFriendz is the free online social networking service. The service allows users to make new friends and manage existing relationships. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Pew Research Center found that 89 percent of these people use the sites to keep up with friends, 57 percent to make plans with friends and 49 percent to make new friends.

There are articles that tell us that sharing is the most popular form of internet use today. But what is being shared and how? As the world of P2P file sharing grows and evolves, various torrent search sites distinguish themselves. Some bands don’t mind if you share their music, and they even encourage it. But what about reading material? Who wants to share interesting reading material? Who wants to let others know he  or she did find something interesting to read?

This UML diagram describes the domain of LinkedIn social networking system. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Friendster, Urban Chat and Black Planet are just a few of more than 100 Web sites connecting folks around the world who are eager to share their thoughts and feelings. But just like in real life, there’s such a thing as sharing too much information (TMI). It’s easy to get caught up in the social aspects of sites like Facebook, but what you choose to share is there for all to see if you don’t limit who can view your information. The same study by Pew Research found that 40 percent of users have open access to their profiles, allowing anyone to view their information. The other 60 percent restrict access to friends, family and colleagues. Sharing personal information with strangers can be dangerous business, and there are some things you should definitely put on your “do not share” list.

Crossover, public and genres

With 51 percent of social network users taking advantage of more than one site, there’s bound to be some crossover from one to the other, especially if you have the sites linked. Sometimes we may find interesting bits or would like to talk or discuss matters not on our own private blog, because it could bring an other site of us in the forefront we do not want to be known directly, before our friends and bosses, or want to make sure no connection is made endangering our work.

Many do not mind sharing lots of things on Facebook, but are afraid to share real serious material on their blogs or on other blogs which reserve a place to contribute stories, like this site does.

Social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace cater to a smorgasbord of users while people using sites such as Subeta and Neopets are mostly teens. Social networking sites can be very specific, too. For instance, you’ll find sites for just about every type of car, sport and sports team or music genre. And one of the largest groups of specialized social media sites is dedicated to parenting.

Many men and women will be, are or hope to be parents. That’s why social networking sites for parents are growing all over the Internet.

Communities and chit chat

Friendster (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

How many sites will you be able to find about the way of life, or how to help each other, working to get a better living together? You may find lots of “Communities” where is being chit-chatted about little things of the world or materials things, like puppets, cars, games, etc.. but who wants to take time to share something about the beauties of nature. Sharing about the beautiful ladies, we may find enough, but about the plants and animals we shall find less. Mothers, fathers, gamers, fun or entertainment-park users, all have some sites where they can meet each other. They all have their own social networking sites aiming toward connecting, like minded of from the same sort, online. Users on those sites can choose to navigate in different easy to use areas including Discussions, Groups, Things to Do, Photo, Video, Coupons, Marketplace and My Stuff.

Some do not mind to pay to have a “Family’s home” on the internet. Other sites, like Minti, ask to join discussions and offer advice to others in search of the answers to the perpetual questions that come with raising children, providing a forum for parents to share advice and network with parents with similar interests, problems or questions regarding parenting.

Focus of the writers

At those social network-sites the focus of the writers is mostly on themselves. From Guestwriters has no pretension to become also a social network site. It does not aim to bring the focus to particular writers. Instead of aiming themselves in the picture, the writers on this site do want to bring subjects and things they find interesting into the picture. The focus is on the material and not on persons or individuals. The material presented here wants to be undone from the writer, bringing thoughts which could be for everybody and should move many.

Here we want to confront issues and not so much persons. the aim is to give place to matters which should interest many and which should be of importance for human beings. The people joined here, do not want to put themselves on the first row. They want to approach others with sympathy and respect. They might approach the sharing of their or your thoughts and feelings with others. This they want to do with an attitude of respect for them-self with respect for yourself and for the other persons.

We are aware that not many people are interested to take time to read deeper going articles or poetry today. But we can only hope enough interested people would come along and would not mind giving their ‘contribution’. We would love to find a place where there may be created a healthy discussion atmosphere. But this site is not in the first place a discussion forum. No, it wants only to be a place where different thoughts may be uttered next to each other, without anybody taking a grudge or being disturbed or scandalized. We do not want feelings over the presented material to run high. We do not want to find polluting or poisonous words, but spiritual feeding words. We do not want to present destructive powers on this site. Contrary we would love to see building up material, presenting positive material.

Peace loving agreement to disagree

We would like to find all peace loving people over here. We may all want to have change, but we do not want to get change by violent actions. The general idea is to come to a place of peace with each other. We do know that peace at any cost is not peace and that we should work for it. We shall have to dare to put wounds open to be able to let them heal. We shall have to point the finger to the ulcers in our community. We shall have to face the illnesses in our community. Yes, to get on our way together, to find peace and a nicer world to live, we shall have to see the good and the bad things in the world, and be able to talk about them. It is over those good and bad things we would like to see writings on this site, by different people, who might have very diverse opinions. We want not restrict such divergent ideas nor a diversity of interests. Varied opinions may be sharply, but over here we do not want them to hurt any body. We all want to accept that each writer may present things from a different viewpoint. though we may differ from opinion we do not mind sharing together those different viewpoints and enjoying such a variety of ideas. (Imaging all wearing the same grey uniforms, all using the same words in the same order.)

We do not want to be blind for the different views there are in the world, but also do not want to ignore the different solutions which could be possible. In case a conflict would be shown it does not mean that such conflicting views would not allow a good relationship. It is not because we may have different opinions we do not like each other. We do not mind to admit there is conflict and consider the way we handle it more important and part of enjoying the peace in our relationship. Looking and discussion about the differences always keeping an open mind and having a willingness to work it out to come to a place of peace, shall give both parties fulfilment.

It may surprise you, but it should not, that we allow different opinions to exist next to each other. Presenting such different ideas also does not mean we would like to provoke argument nor agreement. We want to show that people can live together in peace even with different ideas and believing in agreement to disagree.

Willing to come together

Our hopes are that we may find enough people willing to share ideas and to taste the different flavours others might present here. It would be lovely if we can bring a pallet of different writers from all over the world. Perhaps it might be the nostalgic feeling of what we had in our children time, which was called in Dutch “poëzie”, an album of verses, little stories, uplifting texts and pictures.
The big differnce now being that in that album everything might have been centred to ourselves, now the focus goes to the others around us.

As adults we have come to see that the world doesn’t revolve around us and the world doesn’t revolve around the person. One of the keys to success in relationships is learning to yield to each other. Over here we would like to offer a place where everybody can come along and find material that can feed him or her to go on. In case many persons do not mind sharing positive ideas and inspirational thoughts, those who want to write on this site would be pleased to offer a source of inspiration and spiritual guidance.

Providing a warm, supportive environment

We all get some nice but also very unpleasant moments in our life. at the darker moments in life either we can get in our own little corner or look for a place where we can enjoy some light. We do hope this site might become such a place where many people shall be able to find some comfort, peace, tranquillity and find some inspiring notes, which can help them to get above the garbage they are feeling in.

We do not want to be pretentious squirts. We make no pretensions to expert knowledge. We have not the presumption we can solve all problems. But we do think we can help each other in different ways. The writers as well as the readers can find support in each other and build up a relationship of good feeling.

We want to offer stories of many people by showing an interest in their journey. We love it to share those voyages throughout the world. Not to walk alone is much nicer than staying in our recluse. We prefer not to be lone wolfs, but to find many people willing to live together in peace on this beautiful earth.

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Join us today by becoming a reader or, why not a contributor as well?

Step in the van or in the bus and go on a nice voyage with us. (By Clicking on the picture you may find out more about the Bloggers for peace.

In case you have already your own blog, why not contribute now and then to this one and presenting some of your writings?
In case you also write regularly about love and peace, you might consider also to become a Blogger for peace.

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Additional reading:

1. Words in the world
2. Helpful words
3. Words to inspire and to give wisdom
4. Spring in sight
5. Hope
6. Working of the hope
7. Hope does not disappoint us
8. The true hope of eternal life!
9. Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark
10. Hope as long as you live

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1. Living With(out) Regret and Negative Feelings
2. Words are important
3. Liberty-human-rights – article 10 – freedom of expression
4. Twitter, Outrage, and Jesus
5. 10 Powerful Tips For Sharing Thoughts and Feelings
6. Did You Ever Wish for a Fast Way to End an Argument?
7. Relationship Help–Allow Someone to Struggle to Get Strong

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Related articles

• Make your readers do the weeping. (scribbledrevisions.com)
  Grief and pain are universal human emotions from which none of us are immune. You’re familiar with it. So am I. We all are.
• Emotions and Faith – Part 1 (commentsonchristianity.com)
  Humans are emotional creatures. It’s one of the things that God gave mankind that He did not give to animals (or at least not on the same level we experience them). It’s what makes life beautiful, painful, joyful, sorrowful and meaningful. It’s a gift and a curse, a crutch and a burden.
  +
  I feel an anger when I hear about violent or hateful acts. When I hear of murders, rapes, kidnappings, torture or even hateful speech I am disturbed. I cannot fathom the evil that is in this world.
• Into The Blue (anupturnedsoul.wordpress.com)
  “Even as you suffer apparent defeats, you may discover that what you are losing is not really anything significant. You may learn that the needs of your ego are not your real needs at all.” – Robert Hand.

  It is sometimes said that our own suffering makes us more empathic towards others and their suffering. Because we know what suffering is, we see it, recognise it, understand it in others. We understand what they are going through, because we too go through it.

  Pain, sadness, grief, connects us. We all feel it, experience it, get to know it more than we would ever like to.

  Yet our own pain, sadness, grief, and suffering can disconnect us too. Especially when our mind and ego get involved in how we process our emotions.
  +
  I feel blue and discouraged as things repeat themselves relentlessly and my efforts never materialize, never lead me to progress. My empathy is an obstacle as I keep thinking if I say how I feel it will hurt him and it makes me shiver; I have another pending situation with someone to whom I really need to make things clear and although she is the one who had pricking words for me, I feel guilty if I choose stand for myself.
  +
  Do not fear the deep, dark, often seemingly bleak abyss of blue, breathe it in, breathe it out, let it flow and flow with it, see where it leads. We become stronger as we allow ourselves to embrace all of ourselves, all of life as it is. As we become stronger, how we experience life changes.

• Journeys to Resurrection (improbableoptimisms.blogspot.com)
  “How could God let this happen?”
  We hear this question all the time: after shootings, after tragic car accidents and plane crashes, after typhoons and mudslides and earthquakes. During the seven years I volunteered as a lay hospital chaplain, I heard it often.
• He Is Our Comfort In Times of Grief (csahm.com)
  grief is inevitable because death is inevitable. All of us must pass from this earth one day and leave loved ones behind.
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  Everyone grieves differently, and at a different rate. We must learn that tears are okay; the feelings of isolation or emptiness are normal and will pass
• The Knit Soul (1031lifeministries.com)
  There are hundreds of friendships and companionships in the Bible, but few compare to the perfect example of David and Jonathan. David was the captain of Saul’s bodyguard and a high ranking member of his army. He had slain Goliath and helped tear the Philistines to shreds; he had killed his ‘tens of thousands’ (1 Samuel 18:7). Saul attempted twice to kill David, and despite this Jonathan stayed by his side because “the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David,” (1 Samuel 18:1) and the two became as brothers, as well as brothers-in-law.
  +
  stop spending any effort on unhealthy relationships because the ones that matter will be much more fulfilling. If there is somebody that you would weep and fast for then cherish that person and let them know how important they are to you.
• Tender Love (essentialthingdevotions.com)
  What is the most moving film you’ve ever watched? I went to see Les Misérables last week and my husband was outraged that I didn’t cry! Needless to say he shed more than one tear himself. It wasn’t that I wasn’t moved, I was deeply. But I didn’t cry.
  +
  For the record, there have been many films I have been moved to tears by – Message in a Bottle, Titanic, It’s a Wonderful Life, Pay it Forward to name but a few. And of course, the hopeless romantic in me cannot help herself from blubbing at films like PS, I Love You, Sleepless in Seattle, 50 First Dates and Love Actually! Cold-hearted? I think not :-).
• It Stinks. (gillianbarr.wordpress.com)
  The Bible doesn’t shy away from death. In our culture, we do. We use euphemisms. Bodies are whisked away on gurneys to be cleansed by undertakers   We avoid the word “death”–we don’t say someone died. “He passed,” “she transitioned,” “he crossed over,” “she has gone to a better place.” We “celebrate their life” but go to great lengths to avoid the cold hard word “death.” We prolong life in hospitals, we avoid making wills or estate plans or advanced directives. We don’t tell our pastors when we are sick or in trouble because we “don’t want anybody to see us like that.” We may show death and gore in action and fantasy film plots, but we avoid talking about how it happens in real day to day life.
• 10 More Hollwood Actors and Performers Who Are Bible-Believing Christians (theblaze.com)

  Last year, TheBlaze brought you a list of 10 notable celebrities who are openly Christian. While critics generally charge that there aren’t many “believers” or genuine religious adherents in Hollywood, some would argue against this claim, noting that there are certainly some in the entertainment industry who embrace Christ’s teachings.

  Regardless of the exact numbers, there are surely more than 10 celebrities who live by Christian doctrine, so we thought we’d bring you yet another round of Jesus-friendly singers and actors.

• Pro-Faith Hollywood Power Couple Discuss Upcoming Mini-Series ‘The Bible’ on TheBlaze TV (theblaze.com)
  As society currently rewards reality television, violent YouTube videos and tends to portray people of faith as “cheesy” or “corny,” Beck pointed to the Emmy Award-winning actress, most famous for having starred in the the popular series “Touched by an Angel,” to showcase the best sides of faith and faith-centered entertainment.

  Downey, who has produced and starred in a myriad movies and television productions including “Monday After the Miracle” and “Borrowed Hearts,” and was honored as People Magazine’s “100 Most Beautiful People,” shared what faith means to her in an increasingly-secular world.

Commemorating the escape from slavery

In this day and age many like to play god, and often think they are able to do so. Lots of people do want to be in the ‘beams’ shining bright. They want to be in the centre of the ‘spotlight’ and love the attention. But at one point the attention becomes too much. Lots of people then loose control over their emotions.

twitter y macworld (Photo credit: juque)

To cope with all those little agonies today people have found Twitter as their outrage machine, where this medium will make its little idols, through its perpetual series of distractions, puffery and self-indulgence.

Twitter allows us to be like Gods, worshipped by our followers with retweets and personal messages. And then we do battle with other Gods. {Twitter, Outrage, and Jesus}

Lots of people think they do not need to seek healing, for we have these weapons in 140 characters.

If there is the hope of winning, we will continue to place hashtags. {Twitter, Outrage, and Jesus}

A 13th century book illustration produced in Baghdad by al-Wasiti showing a slave-market in the town of Zabid in Yemen. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the mean time they all have become enslaved by their little technological attributes like smartphones, tablets, i-pads, laptops and all sorts of brands computers, televisions and so much more.
They also have become the new slaves of this age, having to work with more than one in the household to survive. And the bosses do know they need that work to survive and use it to their advantage, not to pay to much, but just enough to keep the workers quiet.

What would be the difference with the slaves from old times?

The coming week millions of believers in the Divine Creator shall celebrate an historic moment when the People of God were liberated from slavery. First they were liberated from the oppression of the Egyptians. A later liberation was even to become more important for all those who still had to be born. It would be the liberation of something which catches us all. In the past and in the future it was and is something which has conquered the people always. But now there would have come an end to it. But people shall have to make choices to be part of the winners. It would not be a game of poker, or an other game of cards, gambling or trying your luck on the lottery game. It would become a matter of choosing the right way to go in your life at your own responsibility.

Jews and several Christians shall be celebrating next Monday and Tuesday the incredible offer the Divine Creator gave to the world. Many probably would wonder why they will tell again old stories to their children, for the so ‘many-est’ time in their life.
Even in far away countries where it all happened, parents shall remind their children of that special occasion, we all should remember.

Also at the Youth Group at Hillside Church they may get Corbin’s grandmother, Ruth Dudlay, coming to tell them stories about the Underground Railway with special Underground Railway quilts, actual slave irons, and other historical relics from the time of slavery in a place close to them, North America. They shall hear those old stories because they are important to know their past but also to know their future.

Those stories can be told in many ways, but they should not only give entertainment. They should get us to think about certain matters, perhaps hidden behind the words of that story. Stories are also told in many ways to help us remember them.

The coming week many people in the world shall look at the liberation from slavery remembered in the ritual of the Passover feast. The coming weekend and following days many shall take time to remember and to recall those old stories. We also should take up those ancient books like the Bible and read about those important moments in history of humankind.

By reading and studying those old stories we can get to understand more about our human way of living and get to see who we are. Where we came from and where we are headed.

It is significant that the ancient stories of the Israelite slavery were cherished by the North American African slaves. Because of these ancient stories, slaves over 3,000 years later had hope that like the Israelite slaves they would be liberated by God! It was reading the stories in the Bible and the teachings of Jesus that caused William Wilberforce to petition the British Empire (and its colonies of Canada) to abolish slavery. {Why tell old stories?}

The story of Exodus describes an enslaved oppressed people rising up from captivity and escaping through the desert to return to their nomadic ancestors burial lands in Canaan. If you believe this story, the Exodus is one of the most significant moments of history without parallel. Slavery has been a part of human civilization for time untold and continues to be practiced today. Throughout history many slave revolts have occurred, however they usually end with all of the revolting being killed (for instance Spartacus and his slave rebellion against Rome). That the tribe of Hebrew slaves were able to leave Egypt, the most powerful empire in the world, and survive wandering through the desert is a powerful story that has inspired many oppressed peoples throughout history. {Why tell old stories?}

Friday-night, this coming Sabbath, the Haftorah read shall refer to a day in the future which will be “great” – the day of the re-establishment of God’s Kingdom on this earth, as described in Malachi 3-4.

Mal 4:5-6 NHEBYSE  Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of YHWH comes.  (6)  He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.

The world should know that before the Day of Jehovah God, shall be there the world shall have receive the opportunity to choose for better things. We shall not be able to escape therefore the third World War, which shall be coming and be terrible, but we shall either be gone before or when still alive, shall be able to cope with it because we shall be prepared.

In the above verse the prophet speaks of the day of redemption in the future. Passover, which represents the day of redemption of antiquity, serves as the model for the future redemption of the children of Israel.

This Shabbat in Egypt was different from all other previous Shabbatot. This time, man joined God in His holy day. Ironically, the mode of observance was not “resting” as we think of it in the context of today’s Shabbat. Historically, the Shabbat before Pesach was the day when the children of Israel were commanded to take to themselves a lamb, a symbolic action that stood in opposition to the lamb-worshiping Egyptians. {Weekly Torah Commentary — Acharei Mot April 11, 2014}

The Sages note that by taking the lamb the Jews observed Shabbat in Egypt as never before. This was their first Shabbat as a people, a moment of passage in the national sense: They had reached the age of majority, became adult (“gedolim”), with responsibilities. This was Shabbat “HaGadol”. The most basic teaching of Shabbat is the acknowledgement that God created the world in six days. By taking the lamb the Jews rejected idolatry and accepted God. This was not merely an action which took place on the tenth of Nissan. This was a watershed of Jewish history. Now the Jews joined God in a Shabbat.  {Weekly Torah Commentary — Acharei Mot April 11, 2014}

All those who believe in the Creator God could better sometimes listen to those who are still in the old tradition of Hebrew teachings. then they should know and understand that it is perhaps because people always went in against the wishes of the Most High, that the better things did not yet come up to them. we should remember that God was very clear on which days had to be celebrated and to which Laws we should keep. But how many thought they could bring better laws into the world than the Maker His Laws? How many did not think they could make a better world than the world the Maker of the Universe had in His mind?

Our sages teach us that if all of Israel fully observe just two Shabbatot the Messiah would appear. {Weekly Torah Commentary — Acharei Mot April 11, 2014}

Interestingly, according to the mainstream Jewish approach the world was created in Nissan, which means that the Shabbat which takes place around the 10th of the month was the second Shabbat in the history of the world. Had those two Shabbatot been kept properly the world would have been redeemed back then. {Weekly Torah Commentary — Acharei Mot April 11, 2014}

In particular, the two Shabbatot which must be observed are Shabbat Hagadol and Shabbt Shuva. Each of these Shabbatot have a special power to them: One falls between Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, it is a Shabbat which teaches man how to return to God. The other Shabbat is the first Shabbat observed in Egypt, the one we are about to celebrate. It is a Shabbat which contains within it the secret of redemption. {Weekly Torah Commentary — Acharei Mot April 11, 2014}

If man could master these two Shabbatot, the Messiah would quickly arrive. Would that it would be this year. {Weekly Torah Commentary — Acharei Mot April 11, 2014}

Observing the Sabbath-closing havdalah ritual in 14th-century Spain. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

These days we should come to prepare to celebrate the Festival of our Redemption, past and future. We should take some time to examine our relationships and make sure that we have no ‘unfinished business’ in that area. Now has come the time that we should consider which relation we would like to have with others around us. In case we have something done wrong we should come to the point that we ourselves take courage to go up to that person and admit we were wrong. These coming days we should look at all those old stories where we have seen that even people of God could do something wrong but ask forgiveness, and that it was given to them. We are also in need to ask forgiveness for some offence or have to forgive others for their offences against us. Now has come the time to our doorstep that we do have to do it from the heart. If we need to forgive someone else, likewise let’s forgive freely as God forgives us.

Now is also the time we do have to remember that Nazarene Jew who had no fault but was killed. He was willing to give his body as a lamb for God, as a payment for the sins of all people in this world.

Next Monday night we should come together and be feeling united with many people all over the world. We should also let others know that all over the world people will be looking forward to this gathering. We could always invite others too to gather with us to celebrate Passover – the holiday that commemorates the Jewish people’s escape from slavery in Egypt. And Christians can look for some extra dimension to that feast. We should not mourn for the death of Jeshua (Jesus Christ), but should be pleased that he on the night before he was given over to the Romans, took his closest friends with him in an upper room in Jerusalem to present them with symbols, which were a sign of the New Covenant, our new connection with Jehovah God, the Father of Christ Jesus, Who is also our Father and Who is welcoming us all again, if we are willing to come up to Him.

The world should get to know the meaning of these special days and has to come to understand the meaning of the symbols of Passover which all point to the ministry, death and resurrection of that humble Nazarene man Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is our Passover lamb.

On the 14th day of the month of Nissan Jesus was crucified, or sacrificed. On the very same afternoon that the Passover lambs were being killed as a sacrifice, Jesus – the Lamb of God- was being sacrificed for all of us. Just like the blood on the doorposts of the Hebrews caused God’s judgement to pass over them, so the blood of Christ causes God’s judgement to pass over us. Christ provided atonement, as well as redemption for us upon the wooden stake. To receive this forgiveness of our sins we must put our faith in this Nazarene man, who is the Christos or Christ, the Messiah for which many may be still waiting. But he has already come, has fulfilled the wish of his Father and sealed the New Covenant with his own blood.

For seven or eight days (depending on where you live), families and friends come together for festive seder meals packed with ritual foods and a few dietary restrictions (for instance, no leavened grains). We all could feel united with them and show the outer-world the connection those people from all sorts of tribes, cultures or countries may share with each other. they all are united under the blessings of the One and Only True God.

It is under His Wings that we shall be able to come closer to each other and will be able find peace in unity.

Festive Seder table with wine, matza and Seder plate. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We look forward to be able to find many at the meetings held on Monday night. On the 14th of April 2014, it shall also be from sundown the moment to remember what Jesus has done. Therefore a “Memorial Meal” shall bring many Christians together all over the world, keeping “Christian communion”. Also known by many as “the Lord’s supper” we shall gather to pray and remember all the difficulties this world received, but also all the goodness which has come over it. We shall read the old stories of the exodus and of the last days of Christ Jesus. Together we shall celebrate our Passover remembrance of the body and blood of Christ. His body being broken for us and his blood being shed upon the wooden stake for our salvation. The Passover lambs had to be without blemish in order to be sacrificed for sin. Christ was the only man without blemish (sin) so he became our Passover lamb. Christ is the second Adam, the man of flesh and blood and bones. He could be tempted and sin, like any other man, but he did not. He was the only person who managed to keep to the Laws of his Father, the Only One God, Whose Name he made known and asked us to be made known all over the world. Being without fault he was the perfect offer humankind give to its Maker. Giving his life for many he succeeded to become the only one who could purchase our salvation and become the mediator between God and man. In him we can trust, like we can trust his Father, our heavenly Father, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah God.

Let us wish each other:

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Pesach Sameach!!! (A blessed Passover)

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Additional literature:

1. 1 -15 Nisan
2. Day of remembrance coming near
3. Another way looking at a language #4 Ancient times
4. Self inflicted misery #5 A prophet without a hedge around him
5. The Advent of the saviour to Roman oppression
6. Seven days of Passover
7. On the first day for matzah
8. A Great Gift commemorated
9. Jesus memorial
10. Observance of a day to Remember
11. A new exodus and offering of a Lamb
12. In what way were sacrifices “shadows”?
13. What does ‘atonement’ mean?
14. Why did Jesus say he wouldn’t drink wine again until the kingdom when he ate and drank other things? (Mark 14:25)
15. Children ate the OT passover so why not NT bread and wine?
16. Deliverance and establishement of a theocracy
17. 14 Nisan a day to remember #1 Inception
18. 14 Nisan a day to remember #2 Time of Jesus
19. 14 Nisan a day to remember #3 Before the Passover-feast
20. 14 Nisan a day to remember #4 A Lamb slain
21. 14 Nisan a day to remember #5 The Day to celebrate
22. Around the feast of Unleavened Bread
23. High Holidays not only for Israel
24. Festival of Freedom and persecutions
25. 14-15 Nisan and Easter
26. The Song of The Lamb #7 Revelation 15
27. Servant of his Father
28. For the Will of Him who is greater than Jesus
29. A Messiah to die
30. Anointing of Christ as Prophetic Rehearsal of the Burial rites
31. Death of Christ on the day of preparation
32. How many souls did the death of Jesus pay for?
33. Swedish theologian finds historical proof Jesus did not die on a cross
34. Why 20 Nations Are Defending the Crucifix in Europe
35. Impaled until death overtook him
36. Misleading Pictures
37. A time for everything
38. 2013 Lifestyle, religiously and spiritualy
39. Fixing our attention
40. Control your destiny or somebody else will
41. Allowed to heal
42. A secret to be revealed
43. Your Sins Are Forgiven
44. Slave for people and God
45. Liberation in Christ
46. Not bounded by labels but liberated in Christ
47. Holidays, holy days and traditions
48. A Holy week in remembrance of the Blood of life
49. Peter Cottontail and a Bunny laying Eastereggs
50. Bread and Wine
51. Around the feast of Unleavened Bread
52. The son of David and the first day of the feast of unleavened bread
53. Deliverance and establishment of a theocracy
54. Focus on outward appearances
55. Fraternal week-end at Easter in Paris

Related articles

• How religion has been used to promote slavery (religion.blogs.cnn.com)
  what did the founders of the three great Western religions do? Did they have slaves and did they condemn the practice? Or were they, at least on this issue, squarely men of their times?
• The people asked for a king: Selling ourselves (spiritharvestblog.com)
  God did not create man to dominate other men. Humans were created as sovereign beings with direct access to his and her Creator. We were created to be sovereign leaders of ourselves, partners in marriage, examples of right living to our children and upright representatives in our communities. We were created to live with the knowledge and understanding that God is our King, our Lord, our True Sovereign Leader. He occupies a throne no man can usurp.

  Until we attempted to take the throne for ourselves, or alternatively, put someone else upon the throne to rule us. No man can usurp our authority, but we can certainly surrender it.

• God’s Law; Your slaves (soipost.wordpress.com)
  The social laws of the Pentateuch were not designed for the modern world,
  They were clearly designed for a different kind of world, a mainly agricultural society.
  But since they were published in the name of the Biblical God, they can still throw light on his nature and intentions.
  Which gives us a new reason for reading this collection even if the laws themselves have been superseded.
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  Some scholars try to reconcile Leviticus with the other laws by suggesting that “Hebrew” was a wider social or ethnic category than “Israelite”.
  But since the word “brother” is also used to describe Hebrews, it is probably better to see the injunctions of Leviticus as representing an ideal which wasn’t always attained.
  +
  What can these laws tell us about the God who endorses them?

  They deal with the state of slavery as something which exists, but their purpose is to regulate the treatment of slaves and impose restraints on the power that is exercised over them.
  This God is apparently unwilling to allow slave-owners the kind of absolute control which would have been available to them in most other slave-holding societies of the time.
  The owner cannot hold one of his own people in slavery for longer than a limited period.
  There are laws to prevent the treatment of slaves from descending into brutality, and laws to rein in the exploitation of female slaves.
  Since most of the Israelite slaves would have been debt-slaves, all this can be seen as one aspect of care for the poor.
  It points to the same concern for the weak and vulnerable that can be seen in many other Israelite laws.

  In fact the general tenor of these laws is unfriendly to the very existence of slavery, at least among the brethren.

• Passover Primer (boiseweekly.com)
  Passover, a Jewish holiday celebrated for seven or eight days (depending on the branch of Judaism) that starts on the full moon in April, is a great opportunity to sink your teeth into Jewish history and culinary traditions. Why? Because each item consumed during the Passover seder–a ritual feast that’s hosted on the first night of Passover, this year Monday, April 14–is filled with thousands of years of meaning.
  +
  In addition to matzah, the Passover seder features six symbolic items displayed on a special seder plate. While some of these foods are eaten during the reading of the Haggadah–a guide outlining the order of the seder and explaining the significance of the meal–others are there for ceremonial purposes.
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  “What better way to entice people to really think about something than food?” said Lifshitz. “Food is intergenerational dialogue, which is what the Passover seder is about; it’s about a discussion.”
• Christ our Passover Lamb (daysofdaniel.wordpress.com)
  The week of Passover or Pesach will begin at sunset Monday, April 14, and ends at nightfall Tuesday, April 22. The Passover is a Hebrew commemoration of when the death angel passed over the homes of the Israelites that placed blood on their doorposts. The Lord struck the firstborn of Egypt dead in response to Pharaohs decree but spared the firstborn of the Israelites who marked their homes with blood. The Hebrews were instructed by the Lord to eat the Passover meal, as well as to celebrate this holy week throughout their generations. It is also known as the week of unleavened bread, because the Hebrews were instructed to eat bread made without leaven (yeast).
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  All of the events that occurred at that time, as well as the symbols of Passover all point to the ministry, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is our Passover lamb.
• One man’s mission to end modern slavery (jewishjournal.com)
  Cohen, a Los Angeles native with a dude-esque Southern California surfer dialect, has been a full-time investigator since 2000, identifying victims of human trafficking — often, young girls in the global sex trade — and gathering the evidence and money required to free them.
  +
  When discussing more recent experiences, he didn’t revel in the details of his operations. And he shied away from discussing any of his recent stings in the United States.

  He wanted, rather, to discuss Judaism, the Torah, Passover, and why he meditates and prays immediately before his operations, most of which begin with a simple interview of a trafficking victim. Cohen poses as a customer who wants the girl’s services, meets her at a hotel and simply speaks to her, gains her trust, and, usually after a few meetings, gets her and others on the record, providing evidence that the authorities demand

• Shabbat HaGadol (layacrust.wordpress.com)
  The Shabbat right before Pesach is called Shabbat HaGadol- The Great Sabbath. One interpretation is that “Moshiach”- the Messiah- will come on Passover, so this is the  Great Shabbat, the one before that great redemption.

  Another idea is that the days leading up to the Exodus from Egypt were days of unusual and overwhelming preparation for the Israelites. Those preparations  not only affected sacrifices and food but defined faith and self identification. That concept holds true today. Those who choose to prepare for Pesach and change their diet and behaviours for an entire week are declaring their faith in the God of Israel and defining themselves as Jews.

• Scripture Oppression in the Bible Part 1 (human2o.wordpress.com)
  As we interpret the bible in “Modern” times, many questions arise. Why has the world’s highest selling book,”the holy bible”, been used to justify oppression, of a specific group of people? Fear, political, and economic power, are the three main reasons to oppress people. Society uses fear to condemn, what is not understood, by controlling through opression keeping one subordinate. The majority, or the group in power uses scripture to maintain status, and build their retention of power. Humans sometimes use fear as a scapegoat for lack of their acountabilities. The word scapegoat originates from biblical days of atonement. Priests performed a ritual, in which the sins of people were symbolically placed on goats. The goats were then driven into the wilderness, along with the sins, and impurities of the people (Paul J Harpers Bible Dictionary). Its funny to see that people believed a goat running into wilderness, took accountability for their wrong actions, giving them instant forgiveness, with no apology, or correction.
  In less than 300 years, in the United States alone, there are four major examples of how scripture has been used to oppress particular social groups. Oppression of African Americans, and Jews, through slavery are seen throughout the bible. Oppression of women, and now LGBTQ(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) have all been supported by scripture in the bible.
  There are over 500 translations of the bible. Every translation changes ” the words of god”, as they are mass produced over time. If a person is not smart enough, by reading the “holy bible” , they will follow the “will of god”, and become a slave.
• Slaves In Egypt? (brianrushwriter.wordpress.com)
  The religion of ancient Israel was not anything that properly deserved to be called Judaism. It was a tribal cult in which the Hebrew God, Adonai or JHVH, was one deity among many in the world, not a universal deity as the Jewish God is today. This God was easy for them to abandon, as the diatribes of the prophets in the Bible show that they frequently did. Moreover, this God was not something to be worshiped in spirit wherever one found oneself; rather, he had a location, and that location was Palestine, especially Jerusalem, more especially the Temple. How can we worship the God of our fathers in a foreign land? the captive Hebrews cried.
• Passover: Touching Liberation (jewishjournal.com)
  

  As we were developing the cover story for this year’s Passover issue —“Are we e-slaves?”— I couldn’t help thinking about a little girl in Israel, Amit, who suffers from a neurodevelopmental disorder called Rett syndrome.

  According to academic literature, Rett syndrome is characterized by “normal early growth and development followed by a slowing of development, loss of purposeful use of the hands, distinctive hand movements, slowed brain and head growth, problems with walking, seizures and intellectual disability.”

• Happy Passover! (jewishvoice.wordpress.com)
  History repeats itself . . .
  First there were the Israelites in Bible times, who were saved from sudden slaughter when they obeyed God by putting blood on the lintels and doorposts of their home. The Angel of Death passed over, and the Hebrew children lived to tell their great story of God’s faithfulness.
  Happy Passover! (jewishvoice.wordpress.com)
  we as people of faith can celebrate being saved from certain death when we apply the blood of Yeshua our Messiah to our lives and repent of those sins that kept us in our own personal bondage.To help you celebrate this wonderful occasion, we have put together some Passover resources so that you can be educated and inspired by the beauty of this holy feast.
• Tears of the Anointed (beautyfromchaos.wordpress.com)
  Yudah hated the Romans. None of us were particularly happy about their presence, but we put up with them and by and large they didn’t bother us too much. Yudah wanted an armed uprising, and thought that Yeshua was the way to achieve it; he wouldn’t let it go, however many times Yeshua patiently explained to him that that wasn’t what his teaching was about.
• The Unanticipated Passover Seder (ghostriverstudios.wordpress.com)
  If there are aspects of the Passover seder from which all people can learn, how much more so is this true for believers in Messiah? After all, our Master Yeshua chose the wine and the matzah of a Passover Seder to represent his body and blood.
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  The Unanticipated Passover Seder
  I cannot be considered as one of the members of humanity who marched out of Egypt and left behind my slavery, and certainly I cannot project myself into the masses who stood at the foot of Mount Sinai and personally received the Torah from Hashem, as does every person who is Jewish.
• The Unanticipated Passover Seder (mymorningmeditations.com)
  our Master Yeshua chose the wine and the matzah of a Passover Seder to represent his body and blood. More than just learning about and celebrating the concept of freedom from oppression and exile, for disciples of Messiah, the seder celebrates Yeshua’s atoning death and resurrection while remaining firmly grounded and centered on God’s deliverance of the Jewish people from Egypt.
• PesachI imagine that the death of Jesus was still sad in heaven even though they knew the whole plan. Suffering is sorrowful. I don’t really know what was happening while Jesus was dead so I won’t try to guess here.
• “Christ Is Our Passover Lamb” / The Message of the High Sabbath beginning the eve of March 25, 2013 (owprince.wordpress.com)
  Remarkably, the celebration of Easter, one of the most holy of Christian holidays, cannot be found anywhere in the Bible. In 1949 the Encyclopedia Britannica in its article on Easter stated the following regarding this day: “There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament, or in the writings of the apostolic fathers.”
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  If you find the word Easter in your Bible, it’s actually a mistranslation that is noted in your Bible’s margin. Most recent translations of the Bible make the correction. The correct translations use the word Passoverinstead of Easter.
• Jesus Christ, Our Passover (fredswolfe.wordpress.com)
  Jesus was dead in the grave with no consciousness for 3 full days and 3 full nights = 72 hours. There is no way in Hell to fit 3 full days and 3 full nights between Sunset Friday and Sunrise Sunday. Therefore, there is no such thing as Good Friday! Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb,was sacrificed for us and was buried on a Wednesday around sunset beginning the 1st night (Thursday). At dawn Thursday began the first day. At sunset Thurs. began the 2nd night of Friday, then Friday day; thenFri at sunset began the 3rd night, Saturday; then Saturday at sunset completed the 3 days and 3 nights. Sunset Sat. began Sunday night:Jn 20:1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.KJV
• Passover: A Time To Remember (jacksonandrew.com)
  I am thankful that today, we can celebrate this feast without the sacrifice of a life for our sins, as Christ, our Passover Lamb, has once and for all, become the substitute… and with Him, God is well pleased. Don’t forget to remember or you are doomed to return to what once enslaved you.
• G-dfearers Participation In Shabbat, And Pesach According To Toby Janicki (paradoxparables.justparadox.com)
  Gentile believers have been brought near to the commonwealth of Israel. Although this does not make Gentile Christians into Jews, they share in the spiritual heritage of the nation of Israel.
• This Week’s Torah Portion – VAYIKRA (And He Called)(terri0729.wordpress.com)
  God made Nisan the first month of the year because it was the month in which
  the Jewish people were freed from slavery in Egypt.
  So too, may we remember our freedom from the slavery of sin and death through
  Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah.
• The High Holy Days for Atonement – 2012 A.D. (moshebarabraham2013.wordpress.com)
  As we prepare for The High Holy Days of Midian, Israel, and Ishmael, we seek Atonement through Fasting and Prayer as handed down to us from our Ancestors under The Covenant of Abraham (COA), Ibrahiym.
• The LORD Jesus Christ- Our Passover (zionsgate.wordpress.com)
  Pesach (PAY-sahk) means to ‘pass over’.  The Passover meal, seder (SAY der), celebrates this historic event.
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  The LORD’s supper is a remembrance of his sacrifice as the perfect Passover Lamb and the fulfillment of the new covenant between GOD and man (Luke 22:20; 1st Corinthians 5:7; Ephesians 2:11-13).  Prophecy of this sacrifice is found in Psalm 22.  The Hebrew prophet Isaiah also spoke of the sufferings and sacrifice of the Messiah, and how that sacrifice would be the ultimate atonement for the sins of GOD’s people (Isaiah 53).
• The Mystery of the Passover Wine Revealed: The Yayin HaMeshumar….Yeshua said, “I shall give you what no eye has seen and what no ear has heard and what no hand has touched and what has never occurred to the mind of man. (Gospel of Thomas 17) (guapotg.wordpress.com)
  The phrase “wine that has been kept” in the Hebrew is Yayin HaMeshumar “wine of keeping”. The tradition of the Yayin HaMeshumar runs deep in traditional Judaism. It is the wine that will be served at the Messianic Feast when the Messiah re-establishes the Kingdom of Israel on earth.
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  Not only is the Yayin HaMeshumar the blood of the Messiah, but it is more. It is the “mystery” of which the blood of Messiah is only part:
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  next time you partake of the cup of redemption in the Passover sader, realize that this cup is symbolic of the Yayin HeMeshumar, the wine that has been kept from the six days in the beginning, the blood of the lamb slain from the foundation which has been hidden and separated and prepared for those who love him.
• Passover and the Feast of Unleaven Bread (ourcommunityatfbcdc.wordpress.com)
  The Passover meal is eaten on the first day. God commanded that Israel keep this feast perpetually.
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  God offers us redemption through the atoning action of Jesus Christ, God’s son who came to the earth, and suffered and died for the sins of the world. He became the Paschal lamb. Under this judgment of sin and ultimate eternal death, God freely offers to all who will believe and accept His provision for us, forgiveness of our sins and life eternal.
• The Passover Type and Its Anti-type (compasschurchamman.wordpress.com)
  The Old Testament (Exodus 34:18, 25) distinguishes the festivals by using the terms “Feast of Unleavened Bread” and “Passover Feast”. The New Testament (Matthew 26:17; Mark 14:1; Luke 22:1) refers to both of these as “the Passover” and the “Feast of the Unleavened Bread. These festivals were held in immediate sequence. Passover was celebrated at twilight of the 14th day of the month (Exodus 12:6) and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for the seven days following, namely, the 15th to the 21st (Exodus 12:15; Leviticus 23:5f.; Numbers 28:16ff; 2 Chronicles 35:1, 17).
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  The timing of Jesus’ death in the Passover season and the conviction that his death was the atoning death of “blood poured out for many” (Mark 14:24) assisted linking his atoning death to the Passover sacrifice. As the Israelite was delivered from the bondage of Egypt through the blood of the Passover lamb, so the Christian is saved from sin through the sacrifice of Christ; but Paul further adds that continual victory over the sins of the world means a continual observing of the Feast of Redemption.
• Exodus, The Red Sea, and New Testament Baptism (thelifechurchofdesplaines.wordpress.com)
• Echoing Passover in This Worship (tbolto.wordpress.com)
  The word “Seder” simply means “Order.” Everything is done in a careful order in keeping with God’s instructions in the Old Testament or Torah, as it is known by Jewish people, and with traditions that have been added to keep alive the memory of the original Passover people.
• The Crossing of the Red Sea- A Picture of the Process of Salvation…..Just as the Egyptians followed the Hebrews into the Red Sea but the Hebrews alone emerged alive, when we enter into the death burial and resurrection of Messiah as symbolized by water im (guapotg.wordpress.com)
  When someone asks “are you saved”? the natural question is “saved from what?” “Saved” is a verb that begs for a direct object. Yet many who ask you “are you saved” cannot actually tell you what they mean.