This is all hardcore reality and cuts to the chase as they say in Courts of Law that I had to fight in on my own Pro Se against formidable adversaries way better equipped at working in that venue that was their trade not mine! I say this because for the most part charity doesn’t really exist at least not the rock solid kind when you or I really needed it most of all; and besides that no one else wanted to get involved or lose any sleep over my own difficulties, even or especially if it was other people that caused them, not just some accident where I slipped and fell down some stairs!
But even then in that condition when nobody cared I found out something that I always had heard and wanted to believe was real, and in that tough time I did believe it. Jesus Christ was there in Spirit aware of every detail of my dilemma and I prayed asking for His divine providence to help me have the strength, courage and know-how to defend myself against these adversaries in a mostly uncaring world of materialistic selfishness and apathy.
I went through a lot of hardship but each day I fought I was given insight, knowledge and the determination to see that battle through to its complete fruition! I know how Job must have felt I tell you; and though I can’t compare to him I learned through a grueling punishing ordeal a lot more about Job and why he being just an upright righteous man trusted in the Lord, always respecting and loving Him with all of his heart and strength!
I tell you as a brother in Christ Jesus, that you must be determined to accept, respect, and love the Lord with deep humility in this same way that I did! Because my solemn belief is that if you do that you won’t fail, you will succeed in all earthly matters; as ultimately in this way you can do the will of our Father in heaven, and that is what we are here to do.
Meanwhile remember brothers and sisters what this following scripture spells out to us which is what I had to learn on my own doing battle and not just listening to a sermon or reading the word of God although all these are vital components that are part of our learning process! But, when I was in the battle and struggle as Job did, walking alone with only his faith; that is when Jesus Christ was helping him the most testing his faith. Job received God’s mercy and blessing through that time of hardship all of which was preparing his soul for heaven.
Ephesians 6:11-17 ERV
“Wear the full armor of God. Wear God’s armor so that you can fight against the devil’s clever tricks. Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places. That is why you need to get God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil, you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing. So stand strong with the belt of truth tied around your waist, and on your chest wear the protection of right living. On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong. And also use the shield of faith with which you can stop all the burning arrows that come from the Evil One. Accept God’s salvation as your helmet. And take the sword of the Spirit—that sword is the teaching of God.”
God bless you. Brother in Christ Jesus, Lawrence Morra III
Many of us think Christians are supposed to always be happy, and if you’re not, something’s wrong with you or your faith. We even used to sing, “At the cross…it was there by faith I received my sight, andnow I am happy all the day.” No pressure at all for Christians and affliction. I remember the reading Job for the first time and thinking, “I don’t think Job went through life always happy, ‘like a room without a roof.’” He wasn’t alone, either. The Psalms aren’t all catchy, peppy, encouraging tunes. And, Jesus himself didn’t bounce through life in a don’t-worry-be-happy way. Scripture tells us he was a “man of sorrows” (Isaiah 53:3).
But Jesus was still someone who said, “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” This is a joy that comes from knowing that what you have…
Absolutely my Patriotic God fearing and Loving American Citizen Brother! Evil has been allowed for too long in many areas of government be it Federal State or City/ County to fester into a network of criminals supporting criminals throughout and not serving and working for the People but instead ripping off and ruining everything in America they can! They care nothing about human life or God they are despot criminal DEVILS!
This portion of your narrative hit home for sure and I PRAY to Jesus Christ that the majority of our fellow Brothers and Sisters see it the same way and become activated by God’s Holy Spirit to stand up for our rights and our Nation under God voicing their opinions and then the responsible good authorities go after these criminals and lock them all away!
“The problem is that too many people are focused on hating Biden and not at the rest of the evil lurking in the White House.”
“Much of the comments I see on social media is asking Biden to resign or be impeached which won’t do any good when the main problem hasn’t been resolved which is all the corrupt politicians in office as well. They all need to be taken down in order to restore God in the country.”
Please let’s do this PEOPLE! All good Law Enforcement, Military, remaining Honest Political Officials and Bureaucrats let’s take back our Republic under God and people like me out here, the citizens you serve; are going to back you up 100%! God bless. Amen.
Brother in Christ Jesus,
Lawrence Morra III
9/11 was a terrible tragedy in this country and really should have been a wake up call for Americans that evil is running the show. Unfortunately those who were already aware of what was happening was seen as “conspiracy theories”
22 years later this is still happening
The corrupt politicians in office continue to do whatever they want and not care about the consequences. I bet this tragedy in Afghanistan was done on purpose to get rid of Biden hoping that people would stop complaining about him. The real truth is people will continue to complain so long as there is a corrupt politician in office. Among these evil, corrupt politician pet projects is to force electric vehicles on the American people. Americans are not buying electric vehicles so they gotta try and replace the president. The problem is that too many people are focused on hating Biden and not…
Originally posted on The Christian Tech-Nerd: Hi again! It’s me the Christian Tech Nerd. I hope you are having an AMAZING day! I just read the below story and it made me so sad and I would like anyone’s feedback on it! I HATE websites and companies such as OnlyFans that exploit young women and…
You probably won’t like what I have to say but I don’t sugar coat things if I can be so blunt like that in the right circumstance!
The whole social media concept is flawed and leaves way too much to the imagination or to the nefarious minds lurking everywhere in the world! So sorry to say that anyone on the medium is responsible for any problems or hassles that result; this is not knowing people like say in college or at work for years and actually being able to gauge what you are dealing with, with a great enough certainty, because even people we know in person or think we know can turn out to not be quite the person we thought they are!
Back in 1845 a writer I’ve enjoyed reading in my teens and watching some movies based on his fiction said something back then that spells out what I mean! Edgar Allen Poe said “Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see.” Now in the context of what was his own troubled mind and the character in his story trusting and knowing what is really so, and what isn’t, was a dilemma as he saw it! Now today I can honestly say that back then people could lie to one another face to face no doubt and that was the only venue, so how much more exponentially do you think the problem is today with these realms’ of wizardry and high technology that I’m sure if Poe could be here now would say we are all lost souls fooling with black magic and the devil.
My point is this is a very slippery slope if taken carelessly or to any significant level of importance in one’s real living day to day life! To me it’s a web of potential trouble and danger no matter who you are; so parents have a lot to worry about with their children being in this world no matter how safe they think they can make it! This can be a huge time waster for younger children too, and they can be absorbed with alternate artificial imagined realities that mess them up totally! I have to say it’s not good! Older adults can be taken advantage of in these places let alone children who have so much to learn. Besides that the Big Tech moguls and operators or governments that use them are not angels or great people that care about you or me, far from it; they are for the most part Greedy overly materialistic drunk with power and influence ruined people, who got so much so fast which is so unnatural and destructive for a human being!
Because I believe absolutely that its ill-gotten gain and gain should come from long hard work and dedication to proper principles in the Bible! But these so rich and powerful overnight individuals in this cyber Big Tech Business World makes no sense scenario; corrupts the soul it’s not natural or healthy for any soul, so they are corrupted to the core and prove it all the time with their nefarious undertakings of manipulation or exploitation! So you talk about exploiters dirty old men and such, but, that isn’t even scratching the surface of what problems are inherent in this modern running rampant open communication venues or platforms realm; the whole business is exploitative to the core! Do you think it was set up to help you and me to make the world a better place for all? Are there some angelic beings running this up above that only will allow it to be a wonderful thing; impossible. It’s not a good thing over all! I could go down a list of many things that make it not good, and just one example is that too many people are addicted! Like old timers sitting in front of a slot machine in a casino; do you see how much human capacity and time gets frivolously burned up with this technology? The old adage that comes to my mind is as in film acting, “less is more.”
Back when things were simple and straight forward the world was a better place for it, but, now it’s the opposite and way freakier and scarier than anything Poe imagined in his fiction! Like for example one of the pioneers of this digital world Gates a sociopathic lunatic would love us all to be chipped and tracked! This is not science fiction it’s on the planning agenda table with some very bad powerful influential people in this world pushing it. Say like China’s CCP and others that want totalitarian control over all human beings! Where does that kind of wicked thinking come from? We know as Christians only one place; Satan. This is not going in a good direction for sure, because for any of the good that some of us derive from it, this tool, there is an enormous underbelly and building corruption by nefarious evil men with power that are going to use this to the hilt; to control! Sorry if my view on what is ahead in this regard isn’t pretty; but it can’t be and will never be!
One big caveat to all my spiel is the only reason I’m on this platform basically and that is if I or you and anyone who is truly sincere, genuine and from the heart serving Jesus Christ here and helps to facilitate in this what I believe to be the End Time; the saving of souls, that is HUGE! Me as a Man following Jesus and knowing my own shortcomings as a man; basically a good one, but, still a darn sinner and not worthy enough; without Jesus Christ who can save my soul in order to make it to heaven. So as I see it right now, perhaps if I’m truly inspired by His Holy Spirit and do a bit of discipleship to “perhaps save one soul” from hell; my hope is God will smile upon me and judge me fairly; as I do believe it right to fear God, but nothing else!
“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 25:41,46
God bless and thanks for getting me going on this! I hope you see clearly what’s going on. That is my only offering in speaking out!
Brother in Christ Jesus, Lawrence Morra III
Just a n essay I wrote last year that does pertain!
Just the day after posting this article I received notification of a new article from another follower that got into some of the specific points i had said here are reasons not to put much hope in Social Media as being anything but trouble moving forward! These ladies said it accurately and forthrightly so I commend them! here is an except and the link!
Hey everyone!! I’m so happy to finally write about the topic which I had always been wanted to talk. This is a collaboration post between me and Nivithasri from Fairy hacks. She is a lifestyle blogger who gives amazing beauty and health tips.
We are not going to give advice or explain the cons of social medias which everyone knows. Instead we will let you hear our stories, experiences and why we both are not that interested in social medias. We shared 5 questions to each other so don’t forget to visit her blog to read the other half of our collab.
Her questions:-
1) Which Social media platform do you dislike and what made you do that?
I don’t know why out of all platforms I hate Facebook the most. I still don’t have an account there. I think it’s because how insecure it is and how anyone can create fake profile and id’s to bully, blackmail and stalk others. The idea of chatting or getting to know my friend’s friend didn’t bother me. I just wanted a private platform to have one way conversation with my friends or relatives but facebook is like a open book for anyone to get to know even if you play safe. I know how it can be used as an powerful tool to teach, help, share knowledge or empower people but if I look back at my friends, they only use it for gossiping, stalking or flirting.
Social media has also given us so much freedom to ‘show and tell’ whatever the hell that we want but there is beauty in privacy. It’s okay to keep things private to yourself.
2) Have you ever come across someone whose real life is very different from their social media life?
Yes, totally!! It’s like they are a completely different person in social media compared to real life. I know a girl who continuously takes pic all the time so that she could post it for her followers. She also create many fake scenarios to get likes. It’s kinda toxic to see her posts because I know her true colors but her online friends don’t.
Hi again! It’s me the Christian Tech Nerd. I hope you are having an AMAZING day! I just read the below story and it made me so sad and I would like anyone’s feedback on it! I HATE websites and companies such as OnlyFans that exploit young women and cause them to sell their souls to sinful perverted men! I am a young 22 year old Christian woman that had to delete ALL of my social media accounts because too many men kept messaging me with rude and perverse comments…and I BLAME gross “porn” sites like OnlyFans for creating a culture that rewards perverts. I DO NOT blame the women who sell their bodies on OnlyFans because I believe they are lost souls that need guidance and are being taken advantage of without their knowing. I urge all women to believe in themselves to be more than just a naked…
“Total humility is the beginning of acceptance and understanding”
First this life and my thoughts now aren’t about believing in Santa Claus or not!
Let me ask you; do you really prefer to think that not being born would be better for you and your children? Because I can absolutely guarantee you that is exactly what the Devil wants you to believe, that master of all lies wants any of us to think we are defeated before we start. Start what you might say, how about the greatest and most magnificent journey that the brightest of minds couldn’t imagine in a million years! A way for everything to add up and come out perfect! Who else can sort all of this out, but the author of existence, certainly we mere inklings of a shadowy concoction of energy, matter and substance don’t have a fart in the winds chance of coming up with The Solution to all that has, is and will be happening on this planet our home we call earth.
You see I’ve learned that God absolutely exists and God’s purposes and Plans are all that matter not we free willed sometimes foolish, silly or arrogant creations of; His.“Total humility is the beginning of acceptance and understanding” that we are here for a God given reason not our imperfect sometimes self-righteous thinking or vision of what this has to be about living among the dead as we do; for I say to you this isn’t really living not with a price on all of our heads that says nobody gets out alive! We are looking with eyes half shut or in many cases wide shut in which case even though we think they are open they see nothing, not the Truth of God; never really seeing the length and depth of all that is really going on, and is always beyond our grasp; yet it’s as plain and simple as the morning turns to night and after the night a new dawn comes. No degree in rocket science required, only a genuine humble heart on bent knee which will open not only your heart to God but will open up the ultimate world of possibility and endless love! Something must bridge that enormous GAP for us and that can only be the One who set this all in motion to begin with! Being BORN into this at times so chaotic and even rotten world is I assure you a Blessing and no matter who it is or what they have or don’t have being able to exist is our one sure ticket to the Ultimate Destination which is to be with God the One who made this all possible and is always waiting first for our recognition of Him to acknowledge we know we are helpless babes in the woods and need Him above all there is in this existence! That He must be our primary focus and then to learn with His unrelenting undivided help and attention; to Trust in Him! If we are making this connection as individuals that I’m speaking about to you placing Him front and center in our lives, then that will ensure us of our lives being worth something and a whole lot more than we can ever come up with or concoct on our own for being here in the first place!
Life is the most beautiful incomparable gift and blessing of absolute LOVE! We are suffering here and some so much more than others;many through NO fault of their own but the world is riddled with sin and evils that effect even the most innocent among us! What’s fair and fun about that you might ask, and I say not much, that at times to me really sucks, that so much pain and suffering is going on and so many dreams and hopes getting dashed or crushed under the enormous weight and burden of sin, imperfection, stupidity, hate and the list goes on as you are well aware I’m sure! But for this to all get sorted out and for any of us to make heads or tails of it all to try is a fool’s errand, unless we have God on our side; you hear that; God on our side. He actually is, that is why this whole damned world didn’t get wiped away like so much chaff in the wind long ago to our concept of time but a flickering flame to God which He hasn’t extinguished yet! We are absolutely at His Mercy and He wants us with Him in His Glory! How do we get that you might wonder here, we start by wanting Him so badly that it becomes our life force and breath our very REASON for LIVING so we can be a part of His heavenly eternal Glorious and totally wonderful kingdom! I see it clear my friend, we are so lucky to be here and each of us will be nothing but dust these bodies in the end, with our souls damned to oblivion or complete separation from God’s glory, his eternal kingdom; not even being a memory without God setting the record straight and bringing absolute Justice to all things in His good time when it is appropriate for any of us!
Now that was coming from my own heart that God has opened and restored countless times because due to my own errors and shortcomings, He knows I belong to Him though I don’t deserve to in a sense, yet I do; because I decided with my Own Heart that I want to and must if I’m to be worth anything after it’s all said and done and this carcass I occupy is eventually in the dirt where it belongs, “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak;” but my soul belongs to Him my Maker, who Gives, who gives all things to those who love Him back! But how much grander is what comes for us if we stay strong in our faith no matter what, and keep Jesus Christ front and center in our hearts and minds!
The star-forming region NGC 3603 – seen here in the latest Hubble Space Telescope image – contains one of the most impressive massive young star clusters in the Milky Way. Bathed in gas and dust the cluster formed in a huge rush of star formation thought to have occurred around a million years ago. The hot blue stars at the core are responsible for carving out a huge cavity in the gas seen to the right of the star cluster in NGC 3603’s centre.
1 Corinthians 2:9
9 But as Scripture says:
“No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
the things that God has prepared
for those who love him.”
Love must be a two way street and we can never give a fraction of what God is giving or ultimately offering!
Saint Dismas a scoundrel of a man and bad dude before he met Jesus Christ who was nailed to the cross next to his, he Dismas to the right side of Jesus saw all that transpired that day his final day, when his heart opened up like never before watching this man who said He is the Son of the Father in the heavenly Kingdom saying things like, “Forgive them Father for they know not what they do!”Dismas was so rapt in awe he asked this dying man the Savior to just remember me when you join your Father in Your kingdom. He as then in that moment being honest and humble having admitted he deserved every bit of what he was getting being tied to a cross and crucified for all of his crimes against men as well, wasting his life being a scoundrel, but, then surely as Dismas correctly said to Jesus, in essence his meaning being; you deserve none of what they have done to you, you have to be who you say you are, just by how you are forgiving these same people doing this to you, you have shown not even one complaint or modicum of anger or hatred, you are praying for them instead!
“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
—Luke 23:39–43 (NIV)
And so Dismas then asking Jesus in all humility and heart felt compassion not thinking in the slightest that he deserved even this opportunity to ask, the Messiah; “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (verses 42-43).
“As Jesus was hanging on the cross, paying our penalty for sin, He made a promise to a dying, repentant thief. By the grace of God and the power of Christ, that promise was kept. The thief’s sins were washed away, and his death that day was his entrance to paradise.” gotquestions.org/today-paradise.html
What does “if God is for us, who can be against us” mean in Romans 8:31?
Romans 8:31 says, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” The “things” are the dozens of amazing proofs of God’s unfailing love listed in the preceding verses. Romans 8 contains many of the cherished verses that comfort us, such as “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (verse 1). And the one that gets us through difficult times: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (verse 28). Verse 31 of Romans 8 is a culmination of all those wonderful promises. It reminds us who God is and how He helps us. When we grasp the truth that God is for us, we have nothing to fear.
God is “for” us in the sense that He is on our side; He is working on our behalf and for our good. He has proved His benevolence in that He has adopted us (Romans 8:15), He has given us His Spirit (verses 16–17, 26–27), and He has determined to save us (verses 29–30).
The follow-up question, “who can be against us?” is rhetorical. It’s another way of saying, “There is no one who could possibly be more powerful than God”or “No one can destroy us.” The idea is not that we will never face opposition; it’s simply that our opposition is doomed to failure. They may be against us, but not successfully against us. Since God is on our side, we have nothing to worry about.
Romans 8:31 is an echo of other passages that say the something similar:
• Psalm 118:6 says, “The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”
• 2 Kings 6:16: “‘Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet [Elisha] answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’”
• Psalm 56:9: “My enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me.”
• Hebrews 13:6: “So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?’”
• Psalm 27:1: “The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”
Sometimes our hearts respond to verses like this with consternation: “I’ll tell you who can be against me! The IRS, my in-laws, terrorists, corrupt politicians—” and the list goes on. Our real-life enemies seem to overshadow the ideas conveyed in Romans 8. Despite spiritual promises, we still have to endure physical, mental, and emotional struggles—so much so that we may wonder if God is truly for us.
The man who penned Romans 8:31 (Paul) faced the same struggles we face and many more. He lists some of his sufferings in 2 Corinthians 11:22–28 as proof that he did not write from a plastic bubble of ethereal peace. However, his intimate relationship with the risen Christ had become his all-consuming passion. He said he considered everything else “garbage” compared to knowing Christ (Philippians 3:7–9). He had learned the secret of contentment, whether he was celebrated or imprisoned, and he stated that secret: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13, BSB).
So when Paul writes, “If God is for us, who can be against us,” he is comparing earthly opposition to the eternal power and presence of Almighty God—and he declares the winner. No one can overcome God’s love for us.
Jesus taught the same thing. In Luke 12:4–5, Jesus said, “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.” His point, as was Paul’s, is that, no matter what may happen to us here on earth, there is a higher reality. There is a bigger war than the one we think we face, and God is the ultimate winner (Ephesians 6:12). If we are on His side, then we will win, too. (Revelation 21:7–8, 27).” gotquestions.org/if-God-is-for-us-who-can-be-against-us
I Lawrence say with absolute confidence God is with us right now and never leaves our sides but we do have crosses to carry while here which is absolutely worth it! He Jesus Christ overcame all of this conflict and suffering and did it out of “Pure Absolute Love” and I tell you as I look around this world, me an imperfect nobody, I see so much I wouldn’t want to be any part of, yet I’m so happy to be dealing with the blood, sweat and tears of it all; because I have a shot through Jesus Christ of making sure that my life a gift from God was and is all worth it because He overcame all obstacles to Paradise; our path is to follow Him our Lord Savior and Redeemer. Amen.
I knowing through and by my own heart with Him Jesus Christ that we are going to make it there to the Promised Land, Hallelujah!
Originally posted on Catholicism Pure & Simple: The pursuit of true happiness is always linked to the Cross, which the sublime last words of Saint Andrew the Apostle express so well.?“I know the virtue of Thy Holy Cross.” The Latin adage grasps reality so well, talis vita, finis ita. That means the way you live…
This all quite beautiful and Divine Truth from God. I’m very certain as all of these Saints stand out to me but one in particular Saint Isaac Jogues who a blessed feast day commemorates when he was Martyred which was the same date a devious scheme was conspired against me in a situation whereby I would be so seriously injured I would either be killed or crippled and that day I was attacked by a very nefarious person who was possessed with evil from Satan which happened on North American Martyr day October 19 which is the memorial of Sts. Isaac Jogues and John de Brebeuf, priests and martyrs and companions, otherwise known as the “North American Martyrs.” On that day was so injured that it altered my life drastically and I had to fight for several years to survive. God made sure I did and by his grace I was able to serve His plan and not be destroyed as those dark forces wanted.
I want to share these words I wrote a while ago which were pertaining to all of this matter of saints and serving God’s will and purposes; which I see do connect to this beautiful article from CP&S.
“God comes to us often in obscurity, through unexpected events and persons.” God bless you and may He continue to bless you to do His will on earth as in heaven! I was just talking with a sister of mine early this morning about this very subject of how we are given many such opportunities and I indeed have had this happening in my personal life profusely and knew without a doubt that God was giving me actual messages and help to see my way on the very path which I walk here on earth. He doesn’t only beckon to us but guides us always if we will only take heed and watch as well as listen to all the opportunities He provides to us, so we not stumble but move forward in our life mission to serve Him and be ever so faithful to His will. Those monumental humblest human Icons like “Thomas Aquinas” or “Joan of Arc,” were chosen but they too paid close attention as Joan even when so young to God’s subtle messages being provided and we know what great good it did in her case!
Anyone that is interested please take a look and perhaps our heavenly Father through Jesus Christ is reaching out through your Blog and our shared words to others who just need that message or those tidbits of information to shed light upon their paths! I hope and pray this does some good for someone. Amen.
“We Never Walk Alone,” He our Creator through Jesus Christ told us He walks with us holding our right hand, and I know it for a fact from all that has happened to me over the last dozen years that I’m still here sharing my words and insights to others because He has given me all that I need and should be while on this earth to serve Him until such time that He God will take me away from this hard life to everlasting JOY and PEACE! For now I must hang in there and be in the ready to do whatever it is He asks of me one day at a time, like you even stated yourself my Friend; but never quitting and only doing what we are capable of however little or big a thing it is we can do it by having Faith in Him who gave us the greatest thing a LIFE, which is growing to be even much better than this, A Miraculous Eternity!
“Those who wage war against you will come to nothing. 13 For I am the LORD your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you: “Do not fear, I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13
Footprints in the Sand, a beautiful poem!
“One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and one to my Lord.
After the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,
especially at the very lowest and saddest times,
there was only one set of footprints.
This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
“Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
You’d walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”
He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
Never, ever, during your trials and testings’.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you.”
A few readers wrote about this poem on a web site:
“This little poem, though I had seen it several times throughout my upbringing, really hit home one day about 30 years ago. It completely and utterly changed my life.”
“Greetings in Jesus name!
When first I saw this poster, some ten years ago, I thought “Wow!” How good and faithful is our Lord. What He promised He will do, He really fulfills His promises. He is not a man who should lie.
Even today I am still thinking about the single pair of footprints: Our father’s! When we are tired He picks us up and carries us. Who else can do this? Nobody, but God.”
“Shalom Aleichem (Shalom Aleichem is a spoken greeting in Hebrew, meaning “peace be upon you.”), my dear friends, this is my greatest comfort in time of my low moment. Shalom Aleichem.”
“Been divorced for 3 years been married for 33 years and all in a sudden divorce comes don’t see your kids no more don’t see the grand kids really thought it was the end for me until I read this poem mean so much to me it carries me on to the next day making me realize how good God is he will be by your side every minute of the day thank you Jesus.”
“I love this reading “Footprints in the Sand”. As a child dying of meningitis, He was carrying me. I was given last rites at the age of 18 months and here I sit today, because He loved and was carrying me. Even today, He continues to be with me daily.”
“Everyone on display is beautiful, I know my Lord walks with me every day to guide me, I just love the second one which is the pillow and would have that next to me on the bed every night to give me strength and comfort. Thank you Lord for everything and never leaving me, praise to Jesus, the only real love of my life always.”
Psalm 37:23-24 (NIV)
23 “The Lord makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
24 though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”
(Credit given readers’ content: onlythebible.)
Interwoven into the fabric of the beautiful God given tapestry of my day came along at just the right moment another notification from a writing friend who apparently God wanted to make sure we both saw each other’s written words and do some connecting of DOTS!
Then during the unfolding of my words through Divine Providence a clear immediate purpose for them came into view and this following letter was directed to a friend in need; who like all of us can use any “inspiration that God will send.”
Dear friend and brother. This is a most beautiful masterpiece of precious love from the deepest heart expressed in a literary work of art. A gift from you to others here on earth and of course those who loved you the most who are where we can’t be until we should be with them; but they would ask us to stay on course and grow in faith that all will be made right. But, I also see that your words sound tired or weary and I feel that you are lacking the JOY of your being created in the first place my dear Friend. Seek and you will find and we are all lost in this world as we have no ultimate control over anything. We truly are in the hands of our Maker or Creator which is a truth that I know for sure and is always worth investigation by anyone who is unsure or even those that need no convincing, because we never know enough nor could we living in just a temporary imperfect state of being. I have learned through my life that even though I’ve been kicked to the curb and then beat upon by many situations, and the ones that hurt me the most were those inflicted upon me by other humans, my own race or species of beings! Yet, I still have joy in my heart because I know that the bigger picture is the key, putting things in perspective; and that there is God Almighty who will judge all things accordingly leading all of those that desire Him above all things; to an everlasting Salvation with Him and all that is good.
We must think about how grand this miraculous, mysterious so precious a gift, this life is, even with all of the pain and sorrow it is, the best thing that ever happened; an expression from a Divine Creator with “ABSOLUTE LOVE” that produced from that love a masterpiece of never-ending sharing love for intelligent gifted brothers and sisters who are and will be members of an eternal fulfilling kingdom! We must be hopeful and vigilant to get there, not giving in to sin or failure as best we can; because no matter what happens “we can make it to the promised land,” He has promised us that, and if we will seek Him out of Love for Him as well one another while asking for guidance, He will never let us down; we will be fulfilled beyond imagination!
I’m telling you after all I’ve had to deal with I would suffer it all again if I must, because I’m positive what awaits at the conclusion and after the final analysis of it all, I will be so happy and complete forever, living eternally in a glorified state of being! For now I must carry my cross.
The figure of Jesus Christ carrying the cross up Calvary on Good Friday. The sky is dark and the theives crosses are on Calvary.
God bless you.
Brother in Christ Jesus,
Lawrence Morra III
The pursuit of true happiness is always linked to the Cross, which the sublime last words of Saint Andrew the Apostle express so well.“I know the virtue of Thy Holy Cross.”
The Latin adage grasps reality so well, talis vita, finis ita. That means the way you live is the way you die. If one lives well, a good death is likely with the grace of God. Whereas those who live a sinful life are unlikely to make a last minute conversion and die well.
The saints stand apart. They embrace death with confidence, even joy. They know what awaits every faithful soul who heroically fights the good fight on earth: Heaven. The ten saints here featured display such a high degree of union with God and the Blessed Virgin Mary that they already seem to experience a foretaste of Heaven on their deathbed.
Originally posted on I am God's breath: I find this discovery amazing, yet perplexing. Where do scientist stop and say, “enough is enough?” “We do not need to know.” It all sounds weird to me. My thoughts run along the edgy cliff. Could they create an entire body? Lest the prefrontal cortex of course.…
I want to share here on your beautiful blog site the words that God inspired and I’m only a servant and messenger if that, I’m nothing without Him!
Modernism, Paganism and Freemasonry are within the very sanctuary of the Church, and Communism in the world at large.
That train of thought was the beginning of a blog commentary back and forth with a very devout Catholic that inspired me to open up my heart and soul today regarding things I prayed on last night and then again in the early morning upon waking too; when I realized I needed to start composing these thoughts and feelings from my own personal hard-fought experience to help others and this woman did give me the additional catalyst and insight via the Holy Spirit to say it right! As I responded to words that caught my eyes more toward the end of her long comment, these stood out to me from the page before I even looked at the starting point of the text. They basically said we are in a time when parents have to struggle incessantly worrying over the effects this modern technological world which is a hedonist, atheistic world of anti-Christian, materialistic secularism, and as we can see lately Marxist Communism rising to capture the multitudes.
Here is what I explained to her and then again responding to her commentary all of what I said amazingly was inspired because after I addressed her latter part of her message I returned to the blog and what she said before seeing my response which took some time to compose, but, you can see by this sample here of a paragraph I wrote to her was on cue 100% synchronized and could only be the Holy Spirit at work. “Now we have people like author Rowling that promote sorcery and the occult like it’s a fun thing in Harry Potter, manipulating young minds and hearts to seek fanciful worlds of magic and mysticism over seeking to know God and their actual purpose for existing.” As you read I’ll hopefully explain well enough for you to understand my total sense of urgency and need for any of you who love Jesus Christ and believe or even if you have had a wishy-washy faith, and, know of others who don’t believe, you need to focus on the utter importance that this is urgent, this plea I make to others to seek God now!
I had written recently about this period we’re in now how it isn’t just a most unprecedented of times but the “most” unprecedented that will ever come to this weary world because, there is no way the confrontation coming will be quelled without utter ruin, the likes of which this planet and all of humanity has never witnessed! Even I believe far beyond the cataclysmic end by the flood and a new beginning of Noah’s time; because this is a ruin from the inside out, and from without, together in order for diabolical evil to gain complete control, and, not like the sweeping flood from a deluge of rain water from above! I remember in a movie this character says “free your mind and your ass will follow,” and how that is what the Devil is working to prevent, because, he and the many evil minions some of which are in our high government positions see that enslaving the minds, then the asses will follow like sheep!
I just heard that a city council meeting may have started out with a prayer to Allah and Satan, which I certainly will investigate, but, I bring it up not because I already know that is quite possibly true, but because of what you mentioned already in your writing on the blog along with my own insights of how the Free Masons and Illuminati along with the Luciferians, and all manner of evil occult practices are thoroughly permeated into the fabric of our high-tech digital, AI networked global society, that has turned its back on Jesus Christ and thusly God the Father; with a rebellion I feel is not unlike the beginning of all rebellion, when Lucifer with the fallen angels rebuked and transgressed God.
I see the striking clash of this present time mind-set so strongly contrasts the period when C.S. Lewis was writing for the sake of children in some of his writings, to inspire Christianity and the love of Christ in their hearts, after having lost his faith when his mother died, later regaining it miraculously and so beautifully. Now we have people like Rowling that promote sorcery and the occult like it’s a fun thing in her Harry Potter series manipulating young minds and hearts to seek fanciful worlds of magic and mysticism over seeking to know God and their actual purpose for existing. The world has played with fire for too long and now the magnitude of this folly or vanity is so massive that there will never be another time so ripe, for not just the communists Marxist devils of the world, but, no better a moment for the Devil himself to seize this opportunity to steal most if not all of humanity he figures from God, as his one final ultimate act of contempt and hatred of God Himself!
I find this discovery amazing, yet perplexing. Where do scientist stop and say, “enough is enough?” “We do not need to know.”
It all sounds weird to me. My thoughts run along the edgy cliff. Could they create an entire body? Lest the prefrontal cortex of course. Then, it would be considered human. Lest the prefrontal cortex would be a science experiment with cells, not humans. No matter the cell may become a brain and eye’s that can see and detect light. Lest the prefrontal cortex. It is no more than a specimen. Imagine it?
Imagine your own lab grown biocomputer friend lest the prefrontal cortex of course. Replaced with a computer chip, maybe neural link. It would be your slave. You could grow a fleshy slave that follows your commands via software downloads. Imagine it. Imagine your own population of humanoids.
“hotbed of turmoil”
“a nation and its people tattered and torn in their hearts and souls”
I was just reading this blog posting by Patricia Furstenberg which provides an overview of her latest book Silent Heroes that anyone who respects and loves freedom that we too often take for granted, owes it to themselves to check out first the blog link to her Word Press expose on the book; and then to read this timely and imperatively important body of work about the world of Afghanistan; a real valuable history lesson and reality check into what this country is all about; and how I believe it will play into coming world conflict!
Here is my long winded comment I had to leave on Patricia’s posting today, which I only hope will serve to help you see what I do in this work of hers as being vitally important for anyone who cares to understand the present circumstances in Afghanistan while just as important if not more, how that nation is going to play a huge role in upcoming Geo-politics as things are being pushed to the precipice!
Very effective and insightful expose here that builds what I see as a proper framework or prism from which to peer into a very at times chaotic and frightening human reality of suffering, misery and hatred.
A “hotbed of turmoil,” “between a rock and a hard place” continually, which naturally has become a “cauldron of despair” that has left a nation and its people tattered and torn in their hearts and souls. They need an absolute miracle which I believe at this time that can only come from God Almighty through Divine Intervention via Jesus Christ!
This excerpt: “The Afghans perceived the Soviets who took over as a force that systematically planned to alienate every segment of their lives,” https://alluringcreations.co.za/wp/taliban-history-afghanistan-people-silent-heroes-book-extract, helps me to realize that I do understand and agree with their warranted fear! That scenario would absolutely happen under any Soviet or any Communist ruled nation’s intervention in Afghan affairs.
This was the resultant reflex or knee jerk reaction by an angered people who grew fed-up and exponentially more hostile toward the surrounding world; metaphorically like a hornet’s nest being poked and prodded. In this scenario it’s a surefire pathway or opportunity for pure evil to find an entry point into the hearts and minds of such an agitated collective consciousness of these people who over the generations became radical and fundamentalist’s or even fatalist’s in their thinking, especially with the political ideology of Islam being a proverbial carrot dangling in their faces; that ultimately want revenge anyway they can achieve it! I say the powers of darkness have infiltrated many in this region, however, that’s not to say many of the mentioned outsiders aren’t being influenced by the same diabolical force; especially players like Russia and China among others, who only have goals of ultimate regional control for gloated selfish power monger purposes!
To me the false religion of Islam this Political Ideology finds a home with these people, many whom live for Jihad; for ultimately the bringing on of Mahdi, for a global battle or the fight to the finish; to slay all enemies of Islam; true madness! Thus the great interest in Jihadist Training Camps to produce the required assassin martyr warriors required to undertake such an ambitious plan, to go out into the world and try to exact that festering revenge upon other nations they’ve learned to hate with passion!
“Violence begets violence” and this country has been overwhelmed with it for centuries nonstop; can we fantasize about peace and happiness arriving anytime soon in this land of upheaval? “A fool’s errand in the least or a nightmare at best!”
To me that statement is the Mindset currently in place and on steroids! With the failed US pullout done in such a foolish and demented weak manner, leaving behind so much military hardware worth in the hundreds of billions of dollars, serves only to embolden the Jihadist position and emotional thought process; all of which again proves a nation’s leadership, if we can call it that in this case, has played right into the hands of Satan!
I do blame this current defunct fraud and evil Biden administration! They will have “hell to pay on judgment day” for this atrocity and so many others they are incorporated into!
God bless. Amen.
Lawrence Morra III
For informational and sharing purposes only on this platform.
Fair Use
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more info go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. LM
Instead of pushing CRT in children’s schools lets teach children CTA (critical thinking ability) so they can Learn to Discern Truth (LDT) from all of the Lies being spewed in this world these days.
Don’t you dare be doing this to Our Children you freewheeling criminals!
For informational and sharing purposes only on this platform.
August 17, 2021
Very good and interesting overview that points out some truth but I do see some areas that need further elaboration to clarify the underlying truth.
These portions of excerpts stood out clearly to me!
“Later, when pagan, Jewish, and Christian communities were conquered by Muhammad’s armies and refused to convert to Islam, more revelations about jihad appeared in Surah 9:29: “Fight against those who (1) believe not in Allah, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger (4) and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islam)”
“A permanent political split occurred between Sunnis and Shiites (supporters of Ali) which lasts to this day. Violent clashes and competition for territory and believers broke out, which resulted in the death of Ali’s grandson, Husayn ibn Ali, by the Ummayad Caliph Yazid in 680 in the territory that now comprises Iraq (Armstrong 158-159). Shiites still regard Husayn as a martyr and honor his death every year. Sunnis and Shiites still fight over political leadership and territory. Iran, a Shiite country, remains in conflict with Sunni Saudi Arabia. And the goal to spread Islam around the world is still alive and well.”
Due to these internal conflicts of a tribe like nature that still persist there to me can be no sound judgment as to who is doing the work of God or of the Devil. I believe Muslims are an accursed group both socially and religiously not performing in any Godly manner at all. How many charitable missions are performed or carried out by Iran or any major Islamic powered Nation for that matter in the Middle East; globally during times of need by foreign Nations say the way Christians have and do. Iran exports terrorism using many proxies such as Hezbollah to carry out terrorism and to this day seek to inflict harm upon their imagined enemies with extreme prejudice and hatred only because they are not of the same political and religious ideologies along with hatred that has festered for many centuries. Further the absolute historical evidence, eyewitness accounting and many correlating books of the Bible substantiate who Jesus Christ was and is leaving no doubt that He is the Son of God not just a prophet like say Muhammad claimed to be but contrary to that there is a body of evidence he was a blasphemer of God, heretic, polygamist and child molester.
The violence and call to Jihad within the Muslin religion is unprecedented as for example we do not see such radical behavior among the many denominations of Christians or Jews who are actually despised by many Muslim’s and the leaders of counties like Iran calling for the utter destruction if Israel and the Jewish people. Here we have a group of religious zealots today in the 21st century going along with beheadings and crucifying of Christian’s in Syrian or Iraq by burning them alive, entire families, so no way will anyone ever change my mind about this religion not having anything to do with peace or a Supreme Being of Love and Justice!
The Crusades of the Middle Ages in Europe was to a good extent a direct result and reaction to the Caliphates encroaching into Europe during the first millennium established to Conquer all these Infidels outside of Islam throughout the European continent so many Christians and Jews! Many were enslaved, tortured, and burned alive while many assuredly beheaded. Also Muslims have the steadfast belief that lying or deception is fine to accomplish their objectives with anyone especially those they consider enemies or Infidels; ex. The best known being taqiyya the Shia name. This in circumstances which are usually not always that advance the cause of Islam; in some cases by gaining trust of non-believers in order to entrap them while drawing out their vulnerabilities to defeat them; to me very serpentine like thinking not anything God would condone under any circumstances at all. We Christians do put all of our trust in the Lord and do not have to resort to such evil thinking which is condemned and forbidden in Holy Scriptures; where these people do not trust in their professed God and do! Such a cult that promotes outright lying and deception and the lopping off of Infidels heads by any of its members whether radicalized or not by any such allowing it unabated as just and appropriate; are not following God almighty; but Satan!
On Christmas Day a few years ago an internet assault by a Muslim man who I had run into on another platform made sure on Christmas Day that he belittled our celebration of Jesus Christ the Savior. So I had to unload some specific information on him to either set his mind straight if that is possible which I doubt; or let him know he is my sworn enemy and I know it!
Here is the resulting response of that attack.
Victoria, for a couple of days leading up to Christmas and right on Christmas this phony and deceptive guy who was commenting on a post about the two Scandinavian young ladies beheaded kept twisting truth like the Devil to make Jesus nothing more than some guy like Muhammad. His denouncing Jesus and Christianity therefore on Christmas set me off onto my mission, as he would not stop it no matter how many important things I tried to explain to him. He was a clever deceiver. He did however stop after this piece I wrote to him on the post!
Aツaz Your own words; “live the way you want and not dictate as you are just a human and not a messenger of GOD, like Jesus and Muhammad were.” “Muslim hoax” I am wondering how you equate a “hoax” with facts of an Islamic Empire” Wonder NO MORE, Pay attention and learn of your blaspheming error! You have a huge inaccuracy that needs to be corrected! Saying that Jesus is another prophet like Muhammad is blasphemous. First Jesus was not a mere prophet but was God Himself and therefore the Redeemer and Savior of Mankind as he said. Muhammad was only a supposed prophet and there is irrefutable evidence in the historical text of the time he lived that points to his being an outright liar and heretic as well as a criminal and child molester along with his being a polygamist! The following statements are highly accurate and actually proven. “In 632, only months before he died, Muhammad apparently met for the first time with a Christian community as such. An official delegation of Christians, probably led by a bishop, came to Mecca from Najran in Yemen. After engaging the Christians in discussion, the Prophet is said to have realized that Christian teachings are indeed incompatible with Islam, after which the revelation followed that only Islam is acceptable to God as a religion. The Quran also says very specifically that those who refer to Jesus as God are blasphemers, and that Christians saying that Christ is the son of God is an imitation of Jews, who earlier had said that Ezra is the son of God. According to the Quran Jesus was only a servant; Jesus the son of Mary was no more than an apostle of God. Quranic verses dealing with Jesus’ death have been interpreted differently by commentators, but generally they have been taken to mean that Jesus did not die by crucifixion. For Christians the Quran has thus served as a denial of Jesus’ incarnation and death on the cross and of the reality of the Trinity.” (Oxford University Press)
These two points alone put Islam and the Muslims completely at odds with Jesus Christ and all Christians and are the enemies of such! Muhammad himself began this conflict and was the spoiler and Heretic directly attacking God’s plan as foretold by all the previous prophets going all the way back to Abraham. Things have been in conflict because of Muhammad ever since and are getting worse, this will not resolve until Islam is Chastised or obliterated as a fake religion started by a false prophet and therefore heretic! In Summary Muslims are in complete denial of what Jesus Christ said and who He was which makes them Anti-Christ and supportive of the Devil and all that is unholy.
Basically Muhammad started this Blasphemy back in 632 AD and outright declared War on Christendom! Islam you yourself stated is an EMPIRE which puts it in the category of being a Nation not a Religion! It is not a religion that is backed up with solid historical evidence and prophecy over time by many prophets other than what Muhammad said, he made it all up, the heretic! Islam seeks to conquer and must be stopped! And it will be! God’s avenging angels are going to obliterate Islam at the time of the Final Judgment on earth and any of its followers, they are minions of Satan!
After this experience on Christmas day which I never in my entire life had any such blatant Anti-Christ in my face attack, and of all things on Christmas Day activity, tells me that we are in the End Times as Satan is working through all means available at a fever pitch to Attack Christianity and it’s faithful, because the time is drawing near for God, Jesus to return! Of course I could be off by many years but this is my hunch as there are so many signs and I was attacked by evil several years ago to stop me from being the witness and faithful one that I am for Jesus. A woman of a Christian order told me back then that there was a reason I was suffering for Jesus and it would become apparent at some point in the future why I was being prepared! Now I see in retrospect that God did want me to do something for Him and it could be just to be as I am doing or maybe something more, like a priest told me recently, wait and see!
God bless you and may God’s absolute “Light of Truth” shine forth and enlighten many hearts and souls before it is too late! Amen.
Brother in Christ Jesus,
Lawrence Morra III
What is the Role of the Prophet Muhammad in Islam?
by Dawn Pisturino on August 3, 2021
It is impossible to separate the Prophet Muhammad and the Qur’an from Islamic culture, society, politics, and religion. In the Islamic world, the Prophet Muhammad exemplifies the model of the ideal human, and the Qur’an outlines the duties and responsibilities (the rules, so to speak) of Muslim believers.
In the Qur’an, all of life belongs to Allah; and all believers owe their allegiance to Allah above all else (including family, clan, and country). The Prophet Muhammad never claimed to be anything more than a human being and the messenger of Allah. This places all the emphasis on Allah and away from his human representatives on earth.
Over the centuries, the Prophet Muhammad has been mythologized in many ways. A good example of this is the 16th century book, The Path of Muhammad by Sufi mystic Imam Birgivi, which assigned magical and supernatural powers to the Prophet.
But this is a departure from Muhammad’s original intent. The Qur’an clearly states in Surah 9:18 that “the Mosques of Allah shall be maintained only by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day; perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) [daily prayers], and give Zakat [charitable alms] and fear none but Allah. It is they who are on true guidance” (Al-Hilali and Khan, 241). Any believer, therefore, who is sincere in his beliefs and actions can be a religious leader in Islam. Nowadays, however, it is more common for religious scholars to manage mosques and act as imams (religious leaders).
The mosque in my community, for example, was built by a local physician who was also an imam in his native country of Pakistan. He hired a religious scholar from Pakistan to be the full-time manager and imam, but he retains total control over the mosque. His control moderates how far the imam can go in conveying orthodox/unorthodox beliefs to the community. When the imam announced one Friday that all Muslims who do not pray the five daily prayers should be killed (an announcement that shocked this westernized community), his fundamentalism was quickly squashed, and he returned to Pakistan a few months later. As a result of this shocking pronouncement, I suspended my visits to the mosque.
Political power has always been important in Islamic history to protect the Islamic community and spread Islamic beliefs (Esposito 60). Muhammad established the first Islamic political state in Yathrib, which was later called Medina. Many Arabs in the town were open to new ideas (Salahi 183-184) and converted to Islam. But the town was also split by internal disagreements and opposing groups. Eventually, a delegation from the town “invited [the Prophet] to come to Yathrib as arbiter of their disputes and de facto ruler of the town” (Esposito 8-9). Muslims from Mecca migrated to Medina, with Muhammad following them in 622.
The Quraysh in Mecca continued to oppose Muhammad and his followers, which led to more persecution and warfare between the two groups. It is during this time that Muhammad’s first revelations about jihad (holy war) appeared in Surah 2:190-191: “And fight in the way of Allah those who fight you . . . And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out . . . But if they attack you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers” (Al-Hilali and Khan, 47).
Later, when pagan, Jewish, and Christian communities were conquered by Muhammad’s armies and refused to convert to Islam, more revelations about jihad appeared in Surah 9:29: “Fight against those who (1) believe not in Allah, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger (4) and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islam) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) until they pay the Jizyah [protection tax levied by the Islamic state] with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued” (Al-Hilali and Khan, 243).
By the time of Muhammad’s death in 632, all of western Arabia was under his control (Esposito 10).
Muhammad’s death left a leadership vacuum which led to a major political schism in Islam that still persists today. Passages in the Qur’an can be vague and contradictory – open to many interpretations. And traditional reports of sayings and events attributed to the Prophet (hadith) are not always reliable. Such is the case concerning Muhammad’s successor.
“Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s close friend, was elected by the majority, but some believed that he would have wanted Ali ibn Abi Talib, his cousin and son-in-law, to be his successor (kalipha)” (Armstrong 158). This belief was rooted in the events which reportedly happened at Ghadir Khumm on March 10, 632. While returning from Hajj, the Prophet Muhammad stopped his caravan at Ghadir Khumm and gave one of his last great speeches. He honored his son-in-law, Ali, by saying, “One who has me as his master has Ali as his master” (Tahir-ul-Qadri 17). Muhammad referred to his son-in-law as mawla, which has many meanings but generally translates as “friend” or “helper.” This is how Sunni (mainstream) Muslims interpreted what he meant. But the supporters of Ali interpreted this to mean that the Prophet was giving absolute authority to Ali. A permanent political split occurred between Sunnis and Shiites (supporters of Ali) which lasts to this day. Violent clashes and competition for territory and believers broke out, which resulted in the death of Ali’s grandson, Husayn ibn Ali, by the Ummayad Caliph Yazid in 680 in the territory that now comprises Iraq (Armstrong 158-159). Shiites still regard Husayn as a martyr and honor his death every year. Sunnis and Shiites still fight over political leadership and territory. Iran, a Shiite country, remains in conflict with Sunni Saudi Arabia. And the goal to spread Islam around the world is still alive and well.
The unifying power of Islam, however, is the concept of ummah (community). Every member of the community acts as one body to worship Allah and create a just and equal social order. There is no separation between Allah and the “tribe.” A Muslim’s duty is, therefore, both theological and social, as one evolves from the other.
____ Tahir-ul-Qadri. The Ghadir Declaration. Lahore: Minhaj-ul-Quran Publications, 2002.
Al-Hilali, Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din, and Khan, Muhammad Muhsin. Interpretation of the
Meanings of the Noble Qur’an in the English Language, 15th ed. Riyadh: Darussalam, 1996.
Armstrong, Karen. A History of God. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1993.
Birgivi, Imam. The Path of Muhammad. Bloomington: World Wisdom, 2005.
Esposito, John L. The Oxford History of Islam. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Salahi, Adil. Muhammad: Man and Prophet. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1995.
Dawn Pisturino, RN
December, 2018
Thomas Edison State University
Copyright 2018-2021 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
Fair Use
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more info go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. LM
Absolutely my Patriotic God fearing and Loving American Citizen Brother! Evil has been allowed for too long in many areas of government be it Federal State or City/ County to fester into a network of criminals supporting criminals throughout and not serving and working for the People but instead ripping off and ruining everything in America they can! They care nothing about human life or God they are despot criminal DEVILS!
Zero Lift-Off 
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