The Great Whore

The beloved editor of the prophecy podcast, Pam Dewey, pointed out as she edited Friday’s post that I had not mentioned an important aspect to Romney’s charitable giving. Romney gives most of his money to the LDS church, better known as Mormons.  I have never met a “bad” Mormon, they all seem quite nice. I even dated one. However, I have said in the past that to join the LDS church, one had to be on LSD. Here is Pam’s Wild World of Religion profile on Mormonism.  

As it usually does, this leads me to ask myself a question. “How does this relate to Babylon the Great?” As my friend Eric commented on Facebook, “Only Dennis could see Babylon the Great in a chicken sandwich.”

But the corporate church world is talked about, in type, in the section of Revelation on which I have been basing a lot of what I do here—chapters 17-18. 

John in Revelation 17 tells us of a woman he saw:

^3-6In the Spirit he carried me out in the desert. I saw a woman mounted on a Scarlet Beast. Stuffed with blasphemies, the Beast had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, festooned with gold and gems and pearls. She held a gold chalice in her hand, brimming with defiling obscenities, her foul fornications. A riddle-name was branded on her forehead: great babylon, mother of whores and abominations of the earth. I could see that the woman was drunk, drunk on the blood of God’s holy people, drunk on the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.

The primary reference here is the corrupt religious organization that Jesus talked about in Matthew 23, the leadership in Israel at that time. My approach to prophecy is to understand what it meant when it was given, and then think about how to apply it to our situation. Many churches throughout the ages fit this description well. This is still true today. 

A man I admire very much, Billy Graham, even got caught up in this. He was “court prophet” to many presidents. This was not good. I understand from what I read that he regretted it later, especially with regard to Nixon. When you as a religious leader “ride the beast,” no good can come of it. 

It is like the song my mother taught me. If you ride a beast, it will eat you. 

Sooner or later the religious leader/church will be eaten by the beast. 

Here is one additional piece of data that John gives us:

^9-11”But don’t drop your guard. Use your head. The seven heads are seven hills; they are where the woman sits. They are also seven kings: five dead, one living, the other not yet here—and when he does come his time will be brief. The Beast that once was and is no longer is both an eighth and one of the seven—and headed for Hell.

This tells us several things. First the beast is Rome, and the woman is associated with Rome. The Jewish leadership of the time had such a relationship with Rome. Nero even wanted to marry one of Herod’s daughters. 

But in history there are other cities that have seven hills. Jerusalem, Washington, and even Rome, Georgia! The pattern of false religion in cahoots with government has continued through the ages as sinning people repeat the same mistakes their fathers made. 

In any event, the point I am making is that any church as it grows in size will inevitably risk becoming a daughter of the Great Whore, the mother of all prostitutes. The Mormon Church is one of the largest in America. 

Is it corrupt? 

In a June 2011 cover story, Newsweek magazine stated that the LDS Church “resembles a sanctified multinational corporation-the General Electric of American religion, with global ambitions and an estimated net worth of $30 billion.” The PBS special, “The Mormons” estimated the LDS Church’s worth at over $80 billion. Other estimates have placed it in excess of $100 Billion, as it is the wealthiest per capita religion in the world with annual, mostly tax-free revenues estimated to be $6 billion per year (per Time Magazine in 1997).

Why do people build such buildings? Even in my tradition such monstrosities have been built. Wealth by itself is not proof of corruption, but as we have seen it is a good indication of it. While I am critiquing Romney for his choice of where he gives his money, most Christians who tithe do give it to their church. 

It seems to me that each of us would be better off in our charitable giving if we avoid giving to big churches. There is nothing wrong with a portion of our giving going to churches, but you need to look at the big picture. It would not surprise me at all if Obama giving a much smaller total to charity might be doing more good than Romney’s large contribution to a large church. 

Avoid Babylon the Great by avoiding the Great Whore and her daughters. 

Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man

We should not allow our familiarity with a Bible story, especially one sung in Sunday School, to lead us to overlook the message the story gives us. Did you sing this song as a child? I still hear it on occasion as we drive with Stacy in the car. 

What does the story tell us? 

Luke 19

Zacchaeus

My daughter chose this picture! ^1-4Then Jesus entered and walked through Jericho. There was a man there, his name Zacchaeus, the head tax man and quite rich. He wanted desperately to see Jesus, but the crowd was in his way—he was a short man and couldn't see over the crowd. So he ran on ahead and climbed up in a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus when he came by.

 ^5-7When Jesus got to the tree, he looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, hurry down. Today is my day to be a guest in your home." Zacchaeus scrambled out of the tree, hardly believing his good luck, delighted to take Jesus home with him. Everyone who saw the incident was indignant and grumped, "What business does he have getting cozy with this crook?"

 ⁸Zacchaeus just stood there, a little stunned. He stammered apologetically, "Master, I give away half my income to the poor—and if I'm caught cheating, I pay four times the damages."

 ^9-10Jesus said, "Today is salvation day in this home! Here he is: Zacchaeus, son of Abraham! For the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost." 

I mentioned yesterday what a tax collector did at that time. 

The Romans did not want to be bothered with collecting taxes from subject peoples. So they would sell the right to collect taxes to locals. The locals would bid on this right to collect taxes from their own people. Then they would collect from the people. As you might imagine, this profession was not well received. 

This was why the crowd grumbled. No doubt there was also an element of envy. But Zacchaeus was honest, he did not collect more money in taxes from the people than was required. There was a strong incentive for a tax collector to collect more than was required because he got to keep it. Zacchaeus knew what the law said about stealing—paying 4 times back was the standard penalty. He never had to pay that penalty because he was honest. 

He also was generous with his giving to the poor. 

This leads me in several directions. First, I am reminded that Biden and Romney have a little different concept of charitable giving. Both are in the 1% most wealthy based on income. Biden gives 1.6%; Romney gave 16%. Huckabee at the convention got this a little confused. He confused Biden with Obama. Obama gives about 6% a year. I am reluctant to mention the amount I give based on the principle that Jesus mentioned that with regards to giving—to not to let the right hand know what the left hand is doing. But I feel it is needed for the narrative I am building. I gave almost 10% last year. Last year was the worst year I have ever had since graduating college. How much is appropriate to give in your situation? You know best, but somehow I doubt it is 1.6%.  

She must be French.It seems to me that in one way of looking at it the most righteous people must live in France. France's government consumes 50% of the output of the French people. So the average Frenchman must pay almost that much in taxes. Are they as righteous as Zacchaeus? The new tax rate if you earn over 1 million euros will soon be 75%. I suppose this goes to the "poor," and a righteous man needs to give everything to the government to redistribute. It seems to me that since our various governments are the representatives of Babylon the Great, one should avoid paying taxes as much as possible, as long as it is legal. 

My conclusion to the matter is the same as the founder of the Methodist Church—John Wesley. "Earn all you can; save all you can; give all you can." This is biblical. 

Self-Righteous Post

We often lack the background to understand nuances from the first century. Here is an example that relates to my theme of the proper use of wealth. Luke 18:

 ^9-12He told his next story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people: "Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax man. The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: 'Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income.'

 ¹³"Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, 'God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.'"

 ¹⁴Jesus commented, "This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you're going to end up flat on your face, but if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself."

There are several things here. First, I have seen these verses used to justify self-righteousness. That was not what the writer thought he was doing. The writer was saying that since the Pharisees observed the Sabbath, that anyone who observed the Sabbath was self-righteous. This ignores the point that both men in the story were Jews who followed the customs of the Old Testament—remember, they were observing rituals in the Temple. Luke 18 does not provide us with any information on the subject of the continual validity, or non-validity, of the Sabbath command. 

That point aside, how does this story relate to theme of wealth I am exploring? 

The man who God forgave was wealthy, among the most wealthy of that time, the 1%. 

We know this because he was a tax farmer. The Romans did not want to be bothered with collecting taxes from subject peoples. So they would sell the right to collect taxes to locals. The locals would bid on this right to collect taxes from their own people. Then they would collect from the people. As you might imagine, this profession was not well received. 

The point is that one can be wealthy, and be a true worshiper of God. In our unfortunate desire to use Luke 18 to condemn others, we overlook this. The wealthy can be condemned by the self-righteous. 

Tomorrow I will continue talking about wealth by talking about another tax farmer mentioned in the Gospels, a wee little man. 

Have Nots or Have Yachts

It seems to me that the ideological knee-jerk defense of the rich by Libertarians and Republicans ignores some important points. The same can be said for the ideological knee-jerk attack on the rich by Democrats. Neither is helpful. 

I have been wanting to write on this for some time, but it has been difficult for me to articulate the two different principles the Bible has on wealth. In fact I promised to do this over one year ago. As I type this, the first of several blog entries I am planning on the subject, I am not sure how I will handle the various scriptures. Although obviously if I did not have a general idea I would not be starting. 

The Bible has no problem with the wealthy, and in fact insists that both rich and poor are to be treated the same. Here are three scriptures that fit in well with my personal libertarian template. (As a reminder, I am using the word template to describe a world view, a way of looking at things.) 

“The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give The Lord’s offering to make atonement for yourselves.” (Exodus 30:15 RSV)

“You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.” (Leviticus 19:15 RSV)

“My brethren, show no partiality as you hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man with gold rings and in fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while you say to the poor man, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brethren. Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He has promised to those who love Him?” (James 2:1-5 RSV)

While this seems obvious to us, in the ancient world this was not expected. The Hammurabi code, for example, held that the rich should pay less when they had damaged a poor person. The Bibe does not teach this. This is what the Bible means by an eye for an eye—treat each person the same.

While it seems obvious that every person should be treated equally, this is not so obvious to some in modern times either. There was a scene from the recent Batman—Dark Knight Rising—where Catwoman and her buddy (there were gay overtones) are looking at a destroyed apartment. We see a broken picture of the family that used to live there. Catwoman is visibly upset. She says, “A family used to live here.” Her crime partner says, with glee, “Yeah!” The very fact that someone might have something she did not have filled the woman with anger. 

But on the other hand we have these two scriptures. The first, Isaiah 58, asks why God does not seem to be answering their prayers even though they fast. 

^3-5Well, here’s why:

   The bottom line on your ‘fast days’ is profit. 
   You drive your employees much too hard.
You fast, but at the same time you bicker and fight. 
   You fast, but you swing a mean fist.
The kind of fasting you do 
   won’t get your prayers off the ground.
Do you think this is the kind of fast day I’m after: 
   a day to show off humility?
To put on a pious long face 
   and parade around solemnly in black?
Do you call that fasting, 
   a fast day that I, God, would like?

 ^6-9”This is the kind of fast day I’m after: 
   to break the chains of injustice, 
   get rid of exploitation in the workplace, 
   free the oppressed, 
   cancel debts.
For some reason these posters do not include the previous verse about feeding the hungry. What I’m interested in seeing you do is: 
   sharing your food with the hungry, 
   inviting the homeless poor into your homes, 
   putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, 
   being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on, 
   and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way. 
   The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer. 

   You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’  

I preached on this scripture, back when I spoke regularly, about once a year. Isaiah 58 is in fact a basis for much of the way I look at the Bible. 

Ritual, while important, is not crucial. Far more important is action. In particular this scripture is saying what good does it do to fast, when you force your employees to fast because you abuse them? Often, when I pay for an electronic gadget, I think on this scripture. 

In addition we have this scripture from Luke 12:

15Speaking to the people, he went on, “Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.”

 ^16-19Then he told them this story: “The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. He talked to himself: ‘What can I do? My barn isn’t big enough for this harvest.’ Then he said, ‘Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll gather in all my grain and goods, and I’ll say to myself, Self, you’ve done well! You’ve got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!’

 ²⁰”Just then God showed up and said, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods—who gets it?’

 ²¹”That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God.” 

How do we reconcile these two principles? I hope to show you. 

Would Jesus Eat at Chick-Fil-A?

Would Jesus have gone to eat at Chick-Fil-A to support the restaurant? 

Let’s look at their signature Chicken Sandwich. I must admit to my junk food jaded eyes it looks pretty good. 

440Calories 16gFat

2gFiber 6gSugars

30gProtein 3.5g Saturated Fat

0g Trans Fat 60mg Cholesterol

1400mg Sodium 42g Carbohydrates

15% Iron 15% Calcium

2% Vitamin A 2% Vitamin C

Now compare it to their healthy-looking sandwich, the chicken salad sandwich. 

510Calories 19gFat

5gFiber 12gSugars

29gProtein

3.5g Saturated Fat 0g Trans Fat

80mg Cholesterol 1120mg Sodium

55g Carbohydrates 20% Iron

15% Calcium 35% Vitamin A

6% Vitamin C

More fat, more sugar, more calories—but it looks so healthy! 

Would Jesus Eat At Chick-Fil-A?

Shall we talk about french fries and the obligatory 32 oz Coke? No, let’s not talk about that. It is too depressing.  

To be fair to Chick-Fil-A, they do seem to have more healthy choices than your average cash food, er, fast food restaurant, but are people ordering these healthier choices? 

Do a simple experiment. Go to any fast food franchise and look at the people. Look at the lady with the tattoos that needs to lose 100 lbs. And I bet the chair really groaned when that Big Guy sat in it! Then go to the bathroom and look in the mirror. Do you look much different? Even with the 20 lbs. I lost this last year, I don’t. 

For me it is Jack-in-the-Box. I remember going to the Jack-in-the-Box with my mom. This was before modern cash registers, so we would always add up the total ourselves, and for some reason our total was always less. Then we would drive to the ocean and watch the waves and the sea birds over Bird Rock as we ate. The little community we lived in was named after that rock. Ah, comfort food at its highest. Jesus might have enjoyed the view but ...

Would Jesus Eat At Chick-Fil-A?

I have not even talked about the mass production of chickens. They do not see the sky unless someone leaves a door open by mistake. They cut off their bills so they won’t peck each other in the unnatural crowding.They package the chicken manure into feed for the steer that became the hamburger you ate at McDonalds. We strip mine our soil to grow corn for the chickens. No, I will not talk about that

Would Jesus eat at Chick-Fil-A?

I guess that in a sense I am not talking about the same thing that is being discussed with regard to the Chick-Fil-A crisis. That is a part of my point. We dwell on the trivialities of who supports gay marriage and who doesn’t. I don’t. We then ignore the much more important issues, issues that we should be shouting from the house tops. This is how we are enslaved by what Revelation 17-18 calls Babylon the Great.  

We risk acting like the Pharisees of old that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 23:

²³ You Pharisees and teachers are show-offs, and you’re in for trouble! You give God a tenth of the spices from your garden, such as mint, dill, and cumin. Yet you neglect the more important matters of the Law, such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the important things you should have done, though you should not have left the others undone either. ²⁴ You blind leaders! You strain out a small fly but swallow a camel.

Yes, there is a real risk of religious freedom at stake, but how is that camel tasting? Probably better than that chicken sandwich you ate. 

Eat Food that will rot, and eat it before it does! I am not saying that Jesus would never eat at a fast food restaurant. I ate at Jack-in-the-Box yesterday. But after going home and looking up the calories in an ultimate cheeseburger—780, even without the fries—I think that I will be following my own advice even more than I thought when I first wrote this piece over a week ago. 

Would Jesus eat at Chick-Fil-A? I am not saying that every meal we eat needs to be a culinary, environmental, and nutritional masterpiece, but when society heads down the Babylon the Great path, all becomes corrupt. That includes our restaurants. Asking what would Jesus eat is an obvious question that does not get asked.

We all know the answer. We have always known the answer from our youngest days. The question is, what will we do about it?