Doubts?

Talking with a friend, the subject of historical evidence outside the New Testament for Jesus' existence came up. She said that since the Romans kept meticulous records (and she was unaware of any documenting Him) He must not have existed. Rather Jesus was a mythical invention of a people who longed deeply for God among them.

There are historical references to Jesus outside the New Testament. A 1-minute Google search will tell you that. Some of the best by historian Flavius Josephus are recognized by scholars to have been corrupted in part over the centuries. There is consensus by experts of both Ancient and Biblical History that Josephus did write about Jesus. The likely corruption is the statement that Jesus "was the Christ" - something that Josephus, a Jewish historian, would not have said or he would be known as a Christian historian.

With modern perspective and most of the world familiar with Jesus and His teachings it seems unfathomable that the Romans wouldn't have documented His life more fully. But in proper historical context, a poor, Jewish carpenter's son in this forgotten corner of a sprawling empire; who was killed for His teachings at the demand not of Romans, but of His people (the local Jewish leaders) would not have drawn the attention of contemporary Roman historians.

There's also documentation of Christian martyrs who held to their belief in Christ and His teachings right up to death by crucifixion, being eaten by wild animals, burning, etc... Would any of us today so stubbornly uphold faith in a myth? If you answer no, why would they? What would have made them different?

Another point that intrigued me as I researched the historicity of Jesus is this. Some historians observe that while proof of Christ's existence in the form of historical writings is thin, we actually know more about His ideas that we do about those of Alexander the Great.

What stirred me as we talked was not a desire as a Christian to evangelize but alarm at the sheer untruth. When we begin to assume things on important questions without taking a single minute to educate ourselves, to discover that there are historical, non-biblical accounts of Him as a real person, we are in trouble.

Question all you like whether Jesus was who He said He was, whether or not He has been a positive influence on humanity or the value of His teachings. But don't say that he never existed without knocking the dust off of your mouse pad. That is a knowable fact.

Global Warming vs. "Death to America!!!"
by Thomas, contibutor

I was shopping for sunscreen for my little boy on a day trip to the mountains and the only open store was this little hippie giftshop next to a hotel. Purchasing sunscreen is something that my wife and I do even though we don't know the science behind why we do it or how good sunscreen actually is for the human body. Barbara the shopkeeper was a tarot card reader and intuitive healer, and the customer next to me in line happened to mention that she was from Anchorage.

Just making friendly conversation, I asked if it was as cold in Alaska as people in the continental U.S. might think. Her response was a compelling description about the reality of climate change over the past 35 years. She said, "you really see global warming more when you get closer to the poles. That is certainly true in Anchorage. In the early 1970s when I moved there, we had frequent winter temperature readings below negative 30, now it is rare to go below negative 15!"

Since it was my turn to pay for the sunscreen I missed the opportunity to ask her this question:

"Were you aware that in 1972 when you moved to Anchorage, Newsweek was running articles about the coming "Ice Age" due to lower than normal temperatures?" This point has been made by Conservative pundits in recent years and, even though it is true, it doesn't appear in Newsweek or any other mainstream or left-leaning news source.

Some thoughts to ponder:

- Global warming was seen as a gradual threat until after the Twin Towers and the Pentagon were attacked. The scientific data that supported the current climate change theory was around well before September 11th, 2001, so why the hysteria now? What is different after 9-11, George W. Bush's election and re-election and our country's "failure" to sign any kind of Kyoto-esque treaty since 2000? What has changed in the body of scientific data on global warming that supports the Left's oft-portrayed and widely accepted fantasy that a single, cataclysmic event is destined to destroy life on all continents if we don't change our carbon emitting ways.

- Hollywood has given us several movies where the new Godzilla is a 200 foot wall of water surging into our front yard or high-rise condo, and it is really being portrayed as a kind of self-inflicted nuclear doomsday. Remove the world leader pushing the red button from your Cold War mental video file and instead picture a soccer mom starting her SUV in the garage. After 39 million simultaneous events that produced carbon emissions, her action becomes the straw that breaks the camel's back or, as we would say in the 21st Century, the carbon emission that destroys the world's delicate ecological balance.

- Perhaps the reason for this nuclear holocaust approach to publicizing global warming is as much political as scientific. In spite of 9-11 being an embarassment to George W. Bush and western traditionalists, it gave the West a concrete, common enemy and it gave Bush & Company political leverage with the American voter who feared another terrorist attack. Conservatives are tougher on Islamic Jihad than liberals because liberals political messaging and position is fairly consistent from one generation to the next. Increase taxes for public services, limit the power of capitalism and promote racial harmony through multicultural tolerance - It doesn't exactly make you shake in your Hezbollah headband. This phenomenon is not limited to American politics either. The trans-atlantic brand of progressive socialism that clearly dominates journalistic reporting in all Western nations has no focal point as long as the voters in those nations have a common enemy more vile than successful capitalists.

- September 11th, the Madrid Train Bombings and other events around the world demonstrate the willingness of Jihadists to kill others and themselves. But are their objectives understood by the Left? Not if the Left believes that global warming is the eminent threat to civilization and that jihadis just need hugs, dialogue and understanding.

- If you subscribe to a news magazine or watch a news network that spends more than 50% of its doomsday coverage on climate change, there is a very good chance you've never heard of the movie, Obsession (for a preview, check out http://www.obsessionthemovie.com/). This is because Obsession is about the single greatest threat to America and the West...besides global warming. In spite of a significant consensus of scientists who agree that the Earth's temperatures are trending warmer due to human activities, there are dissenters who hold significant positions in the global scientific community, notably climatological experts.

-In contrast to those scientists, Jihadists who dress alike, cover their faces, stand in rows and chant "Death to America" repeatedly, their arms outstretched, are the guys who seem to agree with one another about where their movement is headed. Their disciples number in the tens of millions and their mission is very clear: Restore the Caliphate (strict Muslim rule by Sharia Law across all of the Islamic World), the end of the nation of Israel and death to America and the West.

-If you want to help the environment go ahead and follow the three R's: reduce, reuse and recycle. If you prefer to deal with the biggest threat to us and our children, watch the movie Obsession or at least the flim trailer. Here's the beauty: You can do both.