Since the time of Joseph Smith, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) has taught that all humans are literal sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father. It asserts we were the literal offspring of God in a pre-earth state before we were born of earthly parents on earth. 

It has been known for some time that Freemasonry would play a prominent role in the plot of Dan Brown's new book The Lost Symbol. What was not known, until the book came out, was that Brown would reveal some of the secrets of Freemasonry to his readers.

Have you ever wondered, Why do we go to church on Sunday? Does it really matter what day we go to church? Those are good questions, and at least one denomination believes we should not worship on Sunday. The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) teaches that Christians should attend church on Saturday, not Sunday.

Unfortunately, a growing number of so-called health care providers practice techniques that are highly questionable. Many of them utilize methods not based on science but on a spiritual philosophy that is both unscientific and unchristian. It's called the New Age movement.

One of the most distinctive beliefs of Hindus is related to karma. The idea of karma states that there is an accounting system in which each person must experience the consequences of all his actions (karmas).

The word Kabbalah [or Cabbala] comes from a Hebrew word that means "to receive or accept." It refers to an ancient Jewish spiritual movement that utilizes mystical experiences and the study of ancient books.

The LDS teaches that families are forever. Mormon couples believe their marriages do not last just "until death do us part'; their marriages never end.

Perhaps the most surprising fact is that many people in Canada and the United States actually practice witchcraft and magic today. Those self-proclaimed witches (men and women) are part of a growing movement called Wicca.

Most people love to hear or learn secrets. That may explain the popularity of a book called The Secret. The author, Rhonda Byrne, has appeared on television shows like "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and "Larry King Live." She claims to have rediscovered an old "secret" that guarantees anyone success in business and life.

The most intriguing landmark in Utah is Temple Square in the heart of Salt Lake City, headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often called LDS or Mormons). Most people are unfamiliar with the beliefs of the Mormons and assume they are like most other Christian denominations.

I grew up knowing I was Jewish. My family celebrated Hanukkah, Passover, and other Jewish holidays. Many of my friends were Jewish. I knew I was born Jewish, and I thought my non-Jewish friends were born Christian. I didn't understand what it meant to be a Christian. I just thought if a person's parents were Christian, that meant the child was also a Christian.

Knowing that Jesus Christ is God is something to celebrate.

Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate the Fourth of July or any other holiday. They also do not pledge allegiance to the flag, sing the national anthem, or even celebrate their own birthdays.

Jehovah's Witnesses, besides avoiding patriotic events and holidays, have other beliefs that are different from Christian teachings.

Buddha taught that every person must strive to attain what he called "enlightenment," just as he supposedly did. It refers to a "spiritual realization" or turning on an inner light of one's true self. The goal for Buddhists is not to go to heaven when they die.

A popular 20th century Science Fiction writer was L. Ron Hubbard (1911-1986). Hubbard's most enduring legacy was not his science fiction writing, but the strange religion he founded. In 1954, he began a movement that is now called the Church of Scientology.

The Bible teaches that humans are the highest level of life and, unlike all other earthly creatures, created in the image of God (see Genesis 1:26-27).

Mormons, as well as Jehovah's Witnesses, often visit door-to-door. They are members of what may be called "cults." Cults are religious organizations that claim to be Christian but really aren't. They do not believe important Bible truths, especially about Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the gospel (see 2 Corinthians 11:3-4).

Mary Baker Eddy taught that what we feel, see, and hear as the physical world actually is not real at all. We just think it's real.

They often wear black clothes, black lipstick and nail polish, have pierced noses and eyelids, dyed and spiked hair, and bizarre-looking tatoos. Many kids are part of a cultural and fashion movement that started in England about 25 years ago by people who called themselves "Goths."

The World has an Architect who made the blueprints for all life

In the last century, biologists discovered the building blocks of life are far more complex than any man-made building ever could be. They discovered that even a single, living cell contains complex chemical patterns of DNA, enzymes, and other molecules necessary for life to exist.

Jehovah's Witnesses call themselves Christians, but they have basic beliefs that are different from most Christian churches. For instance, they teach that members of their group should never give allegiance to any nation or its symbols.

Roman Catholicism: The Apocrypha is found in The New Catholic Translation – What's in Your Bible?

The Catholic Bible has the 66 books just like other versions, but also include writings not found in other ones.

The Apocrypha

Those other writings are called the Apocrypha (A-poc'-ri-pha), or "hidden things." It includes other books and additions to the Old Testament written by Jewish writers in the years between the Old and New Testaments (300 B.C. to A.D. 100)

Today many teenagers adopt Gothic ways by wearing dark clothing, black lipstick, and so on. There are even rock bands that perform gothic music.

Roman Catholic and Baptist beliefs about God and Jesus are similar. But they disagree on a number of important points.

In ancient times, stargazers believed the stars provided clues to the fortunes of people and influenced life on earth by their locations in the sky. Today, however; astrology is still a popular past-time for many people when they read their daily horoscopes in newspapers or on the Internet.

I must admit that my experience with the Episcopal Church is limited. When I was in high school and college I had friends who were Episcopalians and I even once attended an Episcopal weekend youth retreat (now that was an interesting experience). Anyway, that was long ago and in a galaxy far away, but in the intervening years I haven’t had much exposure to Episcopal churches except what I read in the press.

The Interior Ministry of Germany has discovered more Muslims living in the country than was previously suspected. A new survey conducted by the German government has determined that there are about four million Muslims living in the country. According to this survey, about five percent of the German population is Islamic.

“Ha, ha, ha, ha…Stayin’ Alive!” We all remember John Travolta strutting down the street and dancing to that catchy tune so many years ago. Of course, he has danced to another tune for many years as well. Travolta, along with his Hollywood buddies Tom Cruise, Kirstie Alley, Jenna Elfman, the late Isaac Hayes, and others, for decades has followed the siren song of the Church of Scientology and its founder, famed Science Fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard.

A UFO group called the Raelians recently announced that they plan to build an UFOland in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Raelians believe that human beings were created by extraterrestrials. The group was begun in 1973 by Claude Vorilhon, a French reporter for a racing magazine. Vorilhon, who now calls himself Rael, claims that life forms from an UFO contacted him and told him that humans were created by scientists from another planet.

A response to Jamie who posted a question to one of Bill Gordon's previous blogs concerning which Church he should join.

It is my belief that the most important issue is not church membership. What is important is do you have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ?

Have you heard? John Hunt has renounced Christianity and has been “De-Baptized” !   No…not Johnny Hunt (pastor of First Baptist Church of Woodstock GA and President of the Southern Baptist Convention). Heaven forbid.  This John Hunt is one of thousands of Brits who, according to Time magazine online (April 14, 2009), have joined the latest European fad: getting “de-baptized”. 

A friend recently wrote to me asking the following question: “My sister has been into New Age for many years. When I first became a Christian I tried to witness to my sister, but she became upset and would not speak to me for several years. Do you have any suggestions on how I can share the gospel with her in a way that will not offend her?” [Question changed to protect identity]

Several weeks ago I wrote about some Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs) who were claiming that according to the TV show Jeopardy! the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures is the most accurate translation of the Bible. In my article, I expressed extreme skepticism over the truthfulness of this claim. I therefore sent a letter to the Jeopardy! television show asking them to either confirm or deny this claim. Continue reading to view their answer.

Open Doors is an international Christian ministry founded by renowned Dutch Bible smuggler Brother Andrew. The organization monitors persecution of Christians around the world and recently released its 2009 “World Watch List” of the 50 worst offending nations.

Ranked number one, to no one’s surprise, was perennial communist champion the “Democratic” People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK- North Korea). The DPRK was first led by “Great Leader” Kim Il-sung (1912 – 1994) and now is ruled by his son , “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-il (b. 1941 or 1942). The staunchly Stalinist dictatorship for more than sixty years has sought to eliminate any and all forms of religion, especially Christianity.  Several other remnant Communist states also remain on the list including Laos, Viet Nam, China, and Cuba.

February 12 marked the 200^th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birthday. Secular culture’s use of Darwinian ideas has gone far beyond the initial request for equal time and has resulted in an academic fascism that prohibits even criticisms of Darwinism.

According to an article by Deena Guzder, 11-year-old Kara Neumann died of diabetes on Easter Sunday of 2008. Her parents were members of an internet church called Unleavened Bread Ministries.

I am not going to discuss the legal issues that now face Kara’s parents. I am a theologian, not an attorney. I do, however, want to look at the faulty biblical interpretation that leads some parents to avoid medical treatment.

The Bible warns in numerous places to beware of false teachers and false prophets. For example, Deuteronomy 18: 21-22 (HCSB) states, “But the prophet who dares to speak in My name a message I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods—that prophet must die. You may say to yourself, 'How can we recognize a message the Lord has not spoken?'  When a prophet speaks in the Lord’s name, and the message does not come true or is not fulfilled, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.” 

PaperMag.com recently reported actress Bijou Phillips’ criticisms of modern psychotherapy. According to the article, Phillips, who is a Scientologist, gave a lengthy lecture on the dangers of taking medication for depression or anxiety.

Anyone who has studied the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) with any depth is aware of the emphasis Mormons place on praying for a personal “testimony”. This “testimony” is a subjective feeling they claim to have that confirms the truth of their faith. They used to refer to it as a “burning in the bosom”. It is still the primary basis for validation of their faith. Consider this statement from the LDS website Q&A section in answer to the question, “How can I know this is true”.

I recently read a column by one of my favorite columnists, Cal Thomas. In the column (“Think Globally; Act Globally?” World Jewish Review, 11 Dec. 2008), Thomas skeptically recites some of the common and more colorful world conspiracy theories that many people are convinced are true. Some even stake their lives and reputations on their existence. Many have written bestselling books espousing their theories.

In the recent movie Religulous, comedian Bill Maher portrays the religious in general and Christians in particular of being gullible. At one point in the movie, he speaks with Steve Berg, a Jew for Jesus, and implies that Berg holds an inconsistency because he does not believe in a Santa Claus who can deliver so many toys in a brief period of time while holding that God can hear and answer millions of prayers being uttered simultaneously. But is this a good analogy?

Recently we have received emails from various individuals commenting on articles in our 4truth.net website challenging our positions and asserting that theirs is the one true church. They argue that their church organization is the exclusive ecclesiological institution Jesus Himself founded and all others are fraudulent or inferior. Oddly, all of these “true” groups imply that we Baptists are a false church, yet they criticize us as being too harsh or critical of them in our material. 

Recently we received an email from a man concerned about someone he knows who is a Christian but claims to have the ability to sense the presence of and communicate with dead spirits (a la The Sixth Sense, only on a less dramatic scale). His friend is supposedly studying the phenomenon scientifically and is convinced it is valid. The inquirer wanted to know how I thought Christians should respond to these claims.

Recently we were contacted by a man named Nelson. "I have a Bible question I want you to answer," he said. "Why do Christians believe in the Trinity when the Bible clearly teaches that the Father is the only true God?” Nelson then claimed that according to John 17:3 and 1 Corinthians 8:6, the Father, not Jesus, is the only true God.  When we asked him what church he attended, Nelson proudly answered, “I am one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

Comedian Bill Maher is on a crusade against organized religion. Maher believes that a supreme being of some sort exists but that it is nothing like what is being presented by the world religions. During a recent interview, Mike Huckabee asked Maher if he thought any good had resulted from religion.

Back in 1960, Windward Press published a book by Joseph Bayly entitled The Gospel Blimp. The book became a classic Christian comedy. It was later made into a movie and there was even a comic book. There are two observations concerning the Atheistic Bus Campaign slogan that I believe are significant. First, their slogan is not a persuasive endorsement of Atheism. It sounds more like an agnostic bus to me. The phrase “there’s probably not a God” leaves open the possibility that God does exist. Sometimes improbable events happen. Second, the slogan encourages people to “Stop Worrying.”

After two years of nonstop political campaigning, the 2008 Presidential election has finally come to an end. Whether or not our favorite candidates won, I think we can all say that we are ready for a break from it all (although in our state of Georgia we still have to vote one more time in a run-off for U.S. Senate).  In any case, it will all fire-up again in about two years.  Candidates, some old and some new, will jockey for positions in the long, seemingly endless, quests for their party’s nomination for the Presidency, Senate, House, and numerous other political offices.

According to an article published by the Catholic News Service, the Vatican has ruled that the word Yahweh “must not ‘be used or pronounced’ in songs and prayers during Catholic Masses.”The new directive was revealed to U.S. bishops in a letter from Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli, chairman of the U.S. bishop’s Committee on Divine Worship.According to Bishop Serratelli, the Vatican directive would provide "an opportunity to offer catechesis for the faithful as an encouragement to show reverence for the name of God in daily life, emphasizing the power of language as an act of devotion and worship."

Evangelical Christians are naïve, unintelligent, easily led, irrational, anti-scientific, and intolerant, right? If you read some comments on the secular blogs and articles in the mass media you would sure think so.

On September 6, 2008, the Fox News website carried an article about a 17-year-old Pakistani girl who was murdered after successfully getting her marriage annulled in court. It seems that she was forced to marry a 45-year-old man when she was only nine. According to reports, she was murdered in an honor killing by men sent by her parents.

The first U.S. Presidential election I can remember was 1960 when Richard Nixon ran against John F. Kennedy (yes… I am that old). One major issue of that campaign was the question of Kennedy’s religion. He was a Roman Catholic at a time when no Roman Catholic had ever been elected President. A Catholic named Al Smith ran in 1928 but lost to Herbert Hoover (Smith may have been gratified given Hoover’s unfortunate fate in the Great Depression). Nonetheless, some people in 1960, as they had in 1928, feared a Catholic President would not be sufficiently independent from the Vatican’s influence (no one thought it odd that Nixon was a non-pacifist Quaker). Unlike Smith, Kennedy overrode that fear and was narrowly elected

Random House recently canceled plans to publish the book, The Jewel of Medina. The book is a romantic novel about A’isha, one of the wives of Muhammad by writer Sherry Jones. Jones claimed that she believed her book could serve as a bridge to help those in the Western society to understand the wives of Muhammad.

Baptist Press, on September 18, ran an article about a new penal code that has been proposed in Iran. The law, if approved, would make it a mandatory capital offense for any Iranian to leave Islam. The article also points out that people are often prosecuted in Iran for “insulting Islam” or for “publishing materials that deviate from Islamic standards.”