Offline

I will probably be offline from tomorrow until sometime next week. If you have anything you need to get to me, please call at (864) 420-7933 rather than emailing. Thanks! From Jos

Answers Magazine Sells Out in U.S.

The current issue of the extremely popular Answers magazine has sold out in the United States! No more copies are available except in Europe and other scattered locations. For this reason, Answers In Genesis is now putting the entire content of this issue up for free online!

Here is a link to an especially relevant article. It is entitled "Is It Time for a New Reformation?" The obvious answer is, Yes! The article explains:

Take one look around our world. A need for a new reformation is evident, both for our culture and for the church. We must return to the Bible as our absolute authority.

Another good yet succinct article is, "You Can Make a Difference." The author gives a nice punch in favor of being active for the LORD. We can all be "little Luthers!"

Please check it out!


Thanks From Josiah :-)

Nehemiah 4

But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned? Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.

Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity: And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders. So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.

But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it. Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them. And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall. And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease. And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you. Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses. And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work.

And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon. For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.

And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another. In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us. So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.

Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day. So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing.

The First Presidential Blimp?

Just think what could happen with a blimp for Ron Paul...

Liberty Political Advertising, with our help, is creating the first blimp to feature a message favoring a Presidential candidate. Please buy shares of time for the blimp here. The original goal of $200,000 was met this afternoon, but that is just the beginning. The blimp costs $350,000 per month, and it needs to fly for at least two months in order to be around for all the early primaries.

The Paulite Airship will launch on December 10 from Elizabeth City on the east coast of North Carolina. It will fly over Washington, DC, the various Federal Reserve Branches on its' route, and Wall Street, ending out at Boston for the TeaParty07 on December 16. It will then head over to New Hampshire and move around there for some time. Finally, it will come towards South Carolina in time for the primary on the nineteenth of January. If they have enough money, they will also go to Disney World in Florida. Of course, they could just be propelled and continue on straight through next November touring America depending on how much we do!

Thanks From Josiah

Celebrating 200 posts!

This post happens to be the bicentennial one. This means that we have been online at this site a long time now! I am glad God has enabled us to use the Internet to promote His principles, and glorify Him and His work, all over the world. Thanks also to all those who visit this site, and especially to everyone who has commented or given advice to make this site a better place. :-)

From Jos

Huckabee is not the answer...

Here is a list describing Mike Huckabee's somewhat poor record on fiscal conservatism. While Mike Huckabee is supported by many evangelicals under the belief that he is a proponent of Reaganomics, he is not.

• Signed a sales tax hike in 1996 (Cato Policy Analysis No. 315, 09/03/98).
• Supported an internet sales tax in 2001 (Reuters, 02/23/04).
• Publicly opposed the repeal of a sales tax on groceries and medicine in 2002 (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 09/11/02).
• Signed a gas tax in 1999 (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 06/29/99)
• Signed cigarette tax hike in 2003 (Americans for Tax Reform 01/07/07)
• Signed a bed tax on private nursing home patients in 2001 (Associated Press 06/29/01).
• Proposed a sales take hike in 2002 (Arkansas News Bureau 12/05/02).
• Opposed a congressional measure to ban internet taxes in 2003 (Arkansas News Bureau 11/21/03).
• Allowed a 17% sales tax increase to become law in 2004 (The Gurdon Times 03/02/04).

According to the [Arkansas] Democrat-Gazette, “the average Arkansan’s tax burden grew from $1,969 in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 1997, to $2,902 in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2005, including local taxes,” a whopping tax increase of 47% under Huckabee’s tenure. Tax legislation passed while Huckabee was governor totaled “a net tax increase of $505 million, a figure adjusted for inflation and economic growth,” according to the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration.

"Mike Huckabee raised more taxes in 10 years in office than Bill Clinton did in his 12 years."


Read more here.

YCLA web update

We will be conducting some renovations on the YoungChristianLeaders.org site so it will be down for a couple weeks. We want to re-do it in such a way that it will be friendly and open, but also thought-provoking and authoritative.

Our target audience with the YCLA is more than likely going to be sharpened towards, for instance, home-schooling families, rather than including a huge array of people who will not be interested anyway.

Another possible target group could be those in small churches or house-churches. These people would be more anxious to associate with others of like mind. In many cases, they are also more in tune than some to Biblical issues, activism, creativity, and so on.

This Worldviews Revolution site has increased dramatically in the average amount of time readers spend here. It is my understanding from this fact that the site is now more readable after the makeover. Good! The average daily visitors have also increased by about a third. Finally, it looks like from the Sitemeter that Google searches account for almost half of our visits in the past week! How does that work? I re-design the site and suddenly Google sends me a whole bunch of traffic! Wow; these little coincidences...

My recent article on What Is A Biblical Worldview? has gotten some good attention as well.

In conclusion, please continue to pray for us and the YCLA. We need to keep working and THINKING if we are to get anywhere. It has been hard recently to be very creative, since we have been so busy with all our little problems. That's life - and this is not Walgreens LOL - but we can lead by example in every place we are, if nothing else. As our Pledge says:

"As a member of the YCLA, I shall ultimately strive to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to promote the Biblical worldview, to restore liberty by the keeping of the just laws of God, to actively support those groups which have the aforementioned goals, and to lead not only fellow members of the YCLA, but also others I influence, to pursue the same objects."

God bless!


From Josiah

Ron Paul in Greenville

Ron Paul will be in Greenville this Saturday, December 8 at the Peace Center Amphitheater downtown at eight in the evening. Please come if possible! The crowds are becoming gigantic, and we want to make them even bigger. :-)

Here's parking information: http://www.greatergreenville.com/city_services/parking.asp

From Jos

Nehemiah 2:9-20

Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.

When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.

So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days. And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon. And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king’s pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass. Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley, and so returned.

And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work. Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me.

And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king? Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.

State Constitutions and God

Do you know the Preamble for your state ?

Alabama 1901, Preamble ~ We the people of the State of Alabama, invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution.

Alaska 1956, Preamble ~ We, the people of Alaska, grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land.

Arizona 1911, Preamble ~ We, the people of the State of Arizona, grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution...

Arkansas 1874, Preamble ~ We, the people of the State of Arkansas, grateful to Almighty God for the privilege of choosing our own form of government...

California 1879, Preamble ~ We, the People of the State of California, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom.

Colorado 1876, Preamble ~ We, the people of Colorado, with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of Universe.

Connecticut 1818, Preamble ~ The People of Connecticut, acknowledging with gratitude the good Providence of God in permitting them to enjoy.

Delaware 1897, Preamble ~ Through Divine Goodness all men have, by nature, the rights of worshipping and serving their Creator according to the dictates of their consciences.

Florida 1885, Preamble ~ We, the people of the State of Florida, grateful to Almighty God for our constitutional liberty, establish this Constitution...

Georgia 1777, Preamble ~ We, the people of Georgia, relying upon protection and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution...

Hawaii 1959, Preamble ~ We, the people of Hawaii, Grateful for Divine Guidance ... Establish this Constitution.

Idaho 1889, Preamble ~ We, the people of the State of Idaho, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings.

Illinois 1870, Preamble ~ We, the people of the State of Illinois, grateful to Almighty God for the civil l, political and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.

Indiana 1851, Preamble ~ We, the People of the State of Indiana, grateful to Almighty God for the free exercise of the right to choose our form of government.

Iowa 1857, Preamble ~ We, the People of the State of Iowa, grateful to the Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on Him for a continuation of these blessings establish this Constitution.

Kansas 1859, Preamble ~ We, the people of Kansas, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious privileges establish this Constitution.

Kentucky 1891, Preamble ~ We, the people of the Commonwealth are grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties...

Louisiana 1921, Preamble ~ We, the people of the State of Louisiana, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties we enjoy.

Maine 1820, Preamble ~ We the People of Maine acknowledging with grateful hearts the goodness of the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe in affording us an opportunity ... And imploring His aid and direction.

Maryland 1776, Preamble ~ We, the people of the state of Maryland, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberty...

Massachusetts 1780, Preamble ~ We...the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging with grateful hearts, the goodness of the Great Legislator of the Universe .. In the course of His Providence, an opportunity and devoutly imploring His direction ...

Michigan 1908, Preamble ~ We, the people of the State of Michigan, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of freedom establish this Constitution.

Minnesota, 1857, Preamble ~ We, the people of the State of Minnesota, grateful to God for our civil and religious liberty, and desiring to perpetuate its blessings:

Mississippi 1890, Preamble ~ We, the people of Mississippi in convention assembled, grateful to Al mighty God, and invoking His blessing on our work.

Missouri 1845, Preamble ~ We, the people of Missouri, with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and grateful for His goodness, Establish this Constitution

Montana 1889, Preamble ~ We, the people of Montana, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty establish this Constitution

Nebraska 1875, Preamble ~ We, the people, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom . Establish this Constitution.

Nevada 1864, Preamble ~ We the people of the State of Nevada, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom establish this Constitution

New Hampshire 1792, Part I. Art. I. Sec. V ~ Every individual has a natural and unalienable right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience.

New Jersey 1844, Preamble ~ We, the people of the State of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.

New Mexico 1911, Preamble ~ We, the People of New Mexico, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty

New York 1846, Preamble ~ We, the people of the State of New York, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure its blessings.

North Carolina 1868, Preamble ~ We the people of the State of North Carolina, grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for our civil, political, and religious liberties, and acknowledging our dependence upon Him for the continuance of those

North Dakota 1889, Preamble ~ We, the people of North Dakota, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, do ordain...

Ohio 1852, Preamble ~ We the people of the state of Ohio, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and to promote our common

Oklahoma 1907, Preamble ~ Invoking the guidance of Almighty God, in order to secure and perpetuate the blessings of liberty ... establish this

Oregon 1857, Bill of Rights, Article I. Section 2 ~ All men shall be secure in the Natural right, to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their consciences...

Pennsylvania 1776, Preamble ~ We, the people of Pennsylvania, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance

Rhode Island 1842, Preamble ~ We the People of the State of Rhode Island grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing

South Carolina, 1778, Preamble ~ We, the people of he State of South Carolina grateful to God for our liberties, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the preservation and purpetuation of the same.

South Dakota 1889, Preamble ~ We, the people of South Dakota, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberties

Tennessee 1796, Art. XI.III ~ That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their conscience...

Texas 1845, Preamble ~ We the People of the Republic of Texas, acknowledging, with gratitude, the grace and beneficence of God

Utah 1896, Preamble ~ Grateful to Almighty God for life and liberty, we establish this Constitution.

Vermont 1777, Preamble ~ Whereas all government ought to enable the individuals who compose it to enjoy their natural rights, and other blessings which the Author of Existence has bestowed on man

Virginia 1776, Bill of Rights, XVI ~ Religion, or the Duty which we owe our Creator, can be directed only by Reason and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian Forbearance, Love and Charity towards each other

Washington 1889, Preamble ~ We the People of the State of Washington, grateful to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution

West Virginia 1872, Preamble ~ Since through Divine Providence we enjoy the blessings of civil, political and religious liberty, we, the people of West Virginia reaffirm our faith in and constant reliance upon God ...

Wisconsin 1848, Preamble ~ We, the people of Wisconsin, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, domestic tranquility

Wyoming 1890, Preamble ~ We, the people of the State of Wyoming, grateful to God for our civil, political, and religious liberties ... establish this Constitution.

Special thanks to the Stop the NAU site for these quotes.

A New Look

In lieu of some recent controversy over the "militaristic" tone of this website (and also of course to increase traffic here ~wink~) I gave my site a fairly good-sized makeover this afternoon.

The concept of the changes is to be more free and airy in appearance, while also perhaps modifying the content to include a broader audience of young people as well as a more complete representation of the various political perspectives of Bible-believing Christians.

While I will continue to examine issues from strictly the Constitutionalist perspective, I will not so much give my own opinion as examine the facts and allow readers to make an objective decision. This site will thus become moreso a reporting site rather than a philosophy site. Of course, I will always have articles of a philosophical nature too.

So, when we sum it up, the new design shows what will hopefully be a more informal atmosphere and a new, even brighter series of posting!

Thanks to everyone who likes this blog.


-From Jos :-)

YCLA Newsletter

Here are the results from the poll here (percentage of voters supporting each title; results will equal more than 100%):

The Biblical Bulletin - 60%
The Truth Report - 33%
The Pilgrim Warrior - 27%
The Celestial Citizen - 13%
The Measurement - 7%
The Citizen-Leader - 7%

Thanks to everyone who took part in this important planning venture. We are now examining these results to determine newsletter strategy, content, and of course the title itself! We hope to issue our first newsletter by email for the month of January.


-R. Josiah Magnuson

P.S. Our "What's New" page on the YoungChristianLeaders.org site is now the third most visited page. Wonderful!

Straw Polls and Ron Paul

Here's something new and unique - a Google map of Ron Paul's straw poll results. Red is first place, blue is second, and green is third. Looks like our hero tends to get the most on average in the South and in New England, and the least in the Midwest.

You may also visit an actual list of them here.

Aren't the results just great?! Ron Paul!, Ron Paul!, Ron Paul!,... :-)


From Josiah

Mrs. Paul's Cookies - from the campaign site

Yankee Magazine is hosting its "first-in-the-nation cookie primary" online, and you have the opportunity to make and vote for Mrs. Paul's apricot-coconut balls cookie recipe. Vote now through December 14 at http://www.yankeemagazine.com/cookieprimary/ by selecting the photo of Ron Paul until a green checkmark appears, then click the "send my cookie vote" button.

Then on December 14, culinary students at Southern New Hampshire University will bake the cookies for a panel of judges to taste. The winner will be announced that day, based on the combined results of the online poll and the judges’ voting.

Help Mrs. Paul win by voting here-- and don't forget to try out her recipe!

Conference Calling!

The YCLA now has conference call capability! I would like us to have our first conference call on Thursday, November 29 at 9 PM. If you would like to join us, the dial-in number is (712) 432-1100. The access code is 963139#. You may press *4 for phone instructions once there.

We will be discussing projects and strategy, as well as taking questions if you have any.

If you would like to join us but cannot, please post a comment or question here.

Thanks!


-R. Josiah Magnuson

Please re"member"

If you are a YCLA Member, please re"member" to visit our yclamembers.blogspot.com site from time to time. We are voting right now on a couple of Constitution changes. These will edit the membership requirement of "two meetings," and insert wording regarding churches in the Goals and Vision.

It is easier to discuss things with comments, votes, etc. on that site than it is by e-mail. If you need the passcode again, ask me and I'll send it to you.

Thanks! From Josiah

Nehemiah 1:1 - 2:8 (first in a series)

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven.

And said, "I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned. We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.

Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: but if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.

O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man."

For I was the king’s cupbearer.

And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence. Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?

Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchres, that I may build it. And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah; And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into.

And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.

Web visits update

The page views of this site will more than likely surpass 4,000 within the week. The unique visits are more than 1,600. We are beginning to see a more diverse audience here too - in the past couple months it was mostly people from North and South Carolina, whereas there have lately been a good number of hits from around the country.

However, the average visit length is down - from almost twenty minutes back a few weeks ago, to hardly more than five now.

In any case, let's keep working! :-)


From Josiah

Newsletter Poll

Please do vote on the newsletter title for the YCLA. If you have an idea for it which is not on the list to the side here, please feel free to post it as a comment below. The three top finalists will be voted upon by the YCLA members, hopefully at our next meeting.

Thanks a lot! From Josiah


Update, Nov. 15: I edited this poll a bit, due to a couple good new suggestions. See which one you like best!

Happy Veterans' Day!

We very much appreciate all those who served the United States in the armed forces. While in recent days there has been some confusion as to what exactly the purpose of the US has been in various wars, that is no reason to disrespect the veterans. One of the most tragic events in history was when the Vietnam soldiers came back home and were completely hated and turned upon. My family is currently working on a couple packages to send to some soldiers in Iraq. We need to support and encourage everyone who has supported the United States. Hurrah for freedom!

Thanks From Josiah
P.S. Vets need more benefits, which is constitutional. They are being treated terribly, still...

What Do We Mean By "Equal Rights?"

I have received some questions lately regarding our use here of terminology such as "equal rights," "teamwork," and "church community." The questions were in relation to the idea of Communism, as to whether we believed in that kind of political system. We most certainly do not. It is in fact the very antithesis of our principles. So, what exactly do we mean by such phrasing?

1. Equal rights: Unalienable rights must be equal for everyone in society if they are to be unalienable at all. "Unalienable" means "not changeable" or "not transferable." If the rights were not equal, tyranny would be acceptable. A hierarchy would be established of people with more rights and less rights. There would be no way of determining which rights were whose, and anarchy would result. A synonym for "equal rights" is thus of course simply "justice."

When one believes as I do that rights come from God and are absolute, one cannot help but believe in justice and equal rights. It is the purpose of the government to protect us, and secure these rights as they already exist in God's Law. Government can positively NOT create or decide upon the existence of new rights.

Thus, the "equal rights" system of the Biblical worldview comes down squarely on the side of non-interventionism and smaller government, rather than on the Left's idea of big, all-"helping" government. While the Left in America would like a monopoly on the phrase "equal rights," their true system is very much of the opposite.

2. Teamwork: By "teamwork" and "working together" we by no means wish to demean people as individuals. As Ron Paul has said, most of the problems in America could be solved if we realized and categorized people as individuals, not as groups. We simply believe things can be accomplished much easier through a group with common principles and goals than through people working alone. The idea is not to micromanage each others' activities or create some sort of collectivist society, but contrariwise to encourage and support people in fact as individuals. We will thus help to complement and complete each other.

3. Church community: I have mentioned before that I thought the YCLA would become a kind of church community. Please note that I did not intend to imply that we were starting a new denomination, or creating a new collectivist organization. I simply meant that since we were believers and would be working together, we would more or less be being church. The church is supposed to be a community anyway. We are not putting down any existing church organization, nor are we expressing intent to do so. Our purpose is to encourage and mobilize.

Thanks a lot!


-R. Josiah Magnuson

Neat stuff with the YCLA

Today I finally got in contact with Ted Adams, the SC Constitution Party state chairman, after a long bunch of phone tag. :-) He is very excited about being on our Council, giving us a second definite member for that body. The first one is Pastor ----------. I have tried contacting Ken Ham as well, but have not got a response back from him yet. Next, I am looking to ask Roger Magnuson (my great uncle) and Cory Burnell. Both of them are very busy people though. I will probably not get a clear response from them for a while.

We made some good updates to the YoungChristianLeaders.org site over the last few days. Specifically, we made several changes which reduced the appearance of being "uppity" and gave a little more accurate, friendly spirit to the site. We also put four quick-link icons on the bottom of the home page, for the Members' site, the Contact Us page, the What's In Progress page, and the Feature Column. Check it out if you want.

Finally, we are once again re-considering the name for the Newsletter. If you have an idea, please leave it in a comment, or e-mail me at rjm@youngchristianleaders.org. So far the most popular are "The Celestial Citizen," "The Citizen-Leader," and "The Biblicist."

We ran into issues with each of them; while the issues could probably be solved or worked around, it would be nice to have something just right which would both fit us and not make us sound bizarre in any way.

Our support is not increasing very fast, but enthusiasm regarding us is. Hopefully of course, this enthusiasm will indeed transfer into new Members and contributers in the near future... :-)

Let's keep praying.

Thanks a lot!


-R. Josiah Magnuson

Note from our Governor

Dear Friend:

A vote was taken this week in Columbia that again illustrates why it's never been more important for you to make your voice heard on the need for change in state government.

On Tuesday, the state Budget and Control Board approved a total of $117,000 in salary increases - a more than 20 percent increase for some - for 10 agency heads, despite no performance review for the raises, despite some of those affected only being on the job for a few months, and despite no one asking for the raises.

It's something that seems like it could only happen in state government. Imagine this if you will: your boss walks in after you've been on the job for just a few months and says 'I'm going to increase your salary by 20 percent.' You'd be surprised, given there were no performance requirements, no time yet to have proven your work, and not even something that you've requested. Yet this is exactly what happened Tuesday, which is especially amazing considering the deficit we're going to be walking into next year. Our state is heading into what will be about a $220 million deficit because the winning position in Columbia over the last three years was to grow state government by about 40 percent. It would seem with decisions like yesterday's, some in Columbia appear almost intent on making that deficit even larger.

This is exactly why it is so critical that you get involved and tell your elected officials that this kind of decision-making is not what you sent them here to do. If you live in the Charleston area, I'd ask you talk to Converse Chellis who holds the key third vote on the Budget and Control Board and to date has been voting against me and Richard Eckstrom on taxpayer issues like this. I've included a news story about the vote at the end of this email. Please forward this to a friend if you have a minute, and thanks again for your willingness to be involved.


Mark

The Dreaded "D" Word

Here is an article from Andrew Strom, a preacher from Australia, and Director of RevivalSchool.com. His point on greed may be applied to government as well; our democracy has done exactly what James Madison said democracy always did - it has gone bankrupt from people voting to give themselves funds out of the public treasury. Returning to the rule of Law is the only way to avoid a crisis like we probably cannot imagine.

People hate it when David Wilkerson talks about it - and they hate it just as much when I talk about it. But right now I have to bring it up again because of what is happening. Yesterday WorldNetDaily published the following:

"Alarm: China signals flight from dollar- Investment CEO says he's 'never seen people more nervous' An unprecedented signal from senior Chinese leaders that the Asian economic giant might abandon the U.S. dollar sent shockwaves through the markets today as the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 360 points and the greenback fell to arecord low against the euro.
Xu Jian, a Chinese central bank vice director, told a conference in Beijing, "The dollar is "losing its status as the world currency." Meanwhile, at the same meeting, Cheng Siwei, vice chairman of China's National People's Congress, said, "We will favor stronger currencies over weaker ones, and will readjust accordingly." Craig Smith, CEO of Swiss America Trading Corp., told WND he's been in the investment business for 30 years and has "never seen people more nervous." Alarmed by today's economic news, he dispatched a note to brokers with a warning of ominous potential consequences if China and other trading partners abandon the dollar. "If that were to happen, all bets are off, and we will be in a depression that makes 1929 look like child's play," he said, "or we will experience Weimar Republic inflation as the dollar makes extreme moves toward devaluations." [- http://worldnetdaily.com ]

A. STROM Again: Actually, according to all the data that I have seen, the Dollar situation is not even the worst of the problems.There is a global Credit Crunch underway - affecting giant banks and Investment companies the worst - and every day we are getting news of MULTI-BILLION dollar write-downs. All of this is linked to the Housing and Mortgage crisis in America - and its effects are being felt worldwide. -And it is growing worse.

This Credit crisis by itself actually threatens the entire SYSTEM -no exaggeration. And it is already underway - NOW. Many international banks are in crisis mode already - but how long it takes to reach "Main Street" is difficult to know. There is already some fallout. For instance, giant retailers such as Wal-Mart reported yesterday their worst October in over a decade. But this is just the beginning of sorrows.

As one commentator put it today: "The dollar fell another 2 per cent last night, gold soared to $840 per ounce, oil topped $98 per barrel, General Motors reported a $39 billion loss after the market closed on Tuesday, the real estate market continued its downward slide, and the major investment banks are marching in lock-step towards bankruptcy..."

For many months now we have been saying that this Housing bust will be the worst (by far) that this nation has ever seen. This is no longer a "controversial" viewpoint. Even many of the most mainstream economists now openly admit the same thing.

The "D-WORD" that I mentioned in the title of this article is, of course, the word "DEPRESSION". I continue to stand by my statement of many months ago that within 3 years this nationwill be in a terrible financial depression - possibly the worst thatit has ever seen. Right now, things are right on track to see this fulfilled.

But WHY?? The answer to this question mostly lies in one word - "GREED".

There has been an absolute orgy of Greed in this country - from the Investment Bankers selling shady Mortgage-Backed Securities to the condo flippers and Real Estate Appraisers and "Junk Bond"specialists and "Liar's Loan" officers. And what is left is an absolute mountain-pile of shameful, unethical financial garbage - which nobody is willing to swallow any more. -And then there are the DERIVATIVES. -A market worth over $400 TRILLION which, if itever gets infected by this toxic junk (-which is close to happening), may cause the WORST SYSTEMIC AVALANCHE that the world has ever seen. GREED is the word. At the end of the day, all of this has been for the love of the Almighty Dollar. In fact, even CHRISTIAN AMERICANS love the Almighty dollar so much that they are willing to make up ENTIRE DOCTRINES to prove that God loves money just as much as they do. It is a new kind of gospel - never seen in the history of the world before.

The Americans invented it and spread it around the earth. And now, even in REVIVAL COUNTRIES, this gospel of greed is taking over. Carter Conlon says that he was in a poor African nation recently where there are 700,000 little children living without parents on the streets - and yet the PASTORS ARE DRIVING BMW's and preaching SELFISH PROSPERITY. Where did they get such sickness? -They got it from America. We beam it to them live by satellite. And this is why I believe God is about to make an EXAMPLE of the USA. -He has to. All the nations follow her lead. The entire church worldwide looks to her for guidance. And she has become a center of corruption and spiritual sickness almost without precedent in the history of the world. She has made the whole earth "drunk" with her fornications, her movies, her MTV, her music, her rebellion, her love of money. And so I am convinced that God is about to make an 'example' of her before all nations. He cannot have a "Christian" country spreading such things in the earth.

When I am in Nigeria again this February I plan to preach this very thing. -That God is making an example of America so that all the nations will fear. -That this is what happens when you follow a creed of "God wants me rich", of pleasure-seeking, materialism, selfishness and greed. -That God is about to demonstrate to the whole earth what will happen to such a nation. Do you think He is just going to stand by and watch us ruin His Revivals forever?

God has a controversy with you, America. He is girding Himself up for war. I hope you are ready to find out what it is like to get yourself on God's "wrong side".

Enjoy the coming Christmas, America. It may be your last really enjoyable one for a very long time.

This article is being discussed at- http://www.revivalschool.com


A watchman of the Lord, Andrew Strom.

What is a Biblical Worldview?

We as Americans today are in the midst of a worldviews war - a war between two philosophies of what the nature of life is and how things really work. One side supports freedom, values, and God's Word, and the other side does not.

The Declaration of Independence tells us, “All men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights…. To secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” The Founding Fathers held the Biblical worldview.

Karx Marx in contrast believed in Communism (an example of the Evolutionary worldview), which, he stated, "abolishes eternal truths, it abolishes all religion, and all morality."

Another way to express "unalienable rights" or "eternal truths" is absolutes. The Biblical worldview, in short, is one of complete reliance on God and His instructions. The Biblical worldview is that of Sola Scriptura (The Scriptures alone).

Let us take a brief look at the tenets of this belief system.

The basic premise of the Biblical worldview is that God is the Creator, and is supreme over all things. Since God created our universe, He knows everything about it and its workings. It thus follows that His Word must be supreme, and true in all matters. Finally, because the Bible contains (true) promises that it would be preserved, it must have been!

Government under the Biblical model exists only to protect one from harm. Government does not have an inherent sovereignty over its citizens. It can do nothing which would overreach God's moral boundaries which apply to everyone.

Science is the way we learn about the world. It is not a method for discovering origins, but a tool which enables us to serve God with knowledge and efficiency.

Work is good and necessary. The free enterprise system is the normal system which has existed throughout civilization, and is the way which God intended commerce to be.

Education of children should be accomplished by parents, either directly or indirectly. The State has no place in determining the societal future of any person.

Religion is not something to be stacked up and stored in the church, but something to be integrated into every facet of our lives. Our "rely"gion in God must continue everywhere.

Those who hold the Biblical worldview believe in proclaiming God's Truth, exemplifying morality, justice, and appreciation for others, and encouraging others to do the same. Finally, they treasure God's commands as contained in His Word, and live with Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives.

Let us each live with the Biblical worldview.


-R. Josiah Magnuson

P.S. Here's how to get started!

The Democracy Problem (a re-post)

By R. Josiah Magnuson

The Constitution of the United States, Article IV, Section 4 states, “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a republican form of government.” Why not democracy?

Karl Marx, in The Communist Manifesto, Section II declared the climactic goal of Communist revolution to be “to raise the proletariat to the position of ruling class; to win the battle of democracy.”

The Founding Fathers generally expressed distain for democracy. Benjamin Rush, for example, referred to democracy as “mob rule.” James Madison declared that “democracies have ever been found inconsistent with personal security or the rights of property” and noted that in a democracy "there is nothing to check the inducement to sacrifice the weaker party or the obnoxious individual."

Yet some leading "Christian conservatives" believe that the solution to the decline of morality in this nation is promotion of democracy!

Just what is democracy? It is the reign of the omnipotent Majority. It is government by changing public policy and demagoguery. It is actually THE RULE OF RELATIVISM, and as such, becomes merely popular dictatorship!

A republic, on the other hand, is a government created by the people (or someone truly acting in the interest of the people) for the protection of their rights. The word republic has of course been defined in various ways. However, it is apparent in true republics that although the opinion of the majority is respected, individual rights are supreme. For instance, the Founding Fathers often referred to republics as "the rule of laws and not men."

Rights are, by nature, enduring and absolute. Therefore, they must be granted by a source from outside man; that is, man’s Creator, God. Such rights are indeed implicit to His Law. The Law includes primarily the Ten Commandments, or Decalogue, and then also the rest of the directives in the Bible.

A republic is therefore THE RULE OF THE LAW OF THE CREATOR. It is separation of powers, checks and balances, and perhaps most importantly, limited government. In a republic, no dictator or even Majority class can change the individual's unalienable rights as given in God's absolute Law!

Democracy has become a major problem in America. Because people have been taught to believe that everything must be decided by majority vote, they are led to believe that individuals' liberties and even the essence of Truth itself are subject to question based solely on popularity.

Thomas Jefferson wrote, “The people are inherently independent of all but moral law.” This fact is recognized in republics. The converse is true in democracies, where the people are “freed” from God's principles and moral law, only to be chained to the arbitrary whims of those in power (the majority).

Clearly, “republic” and “democracy” are not simply two forms of free government. They are the difference between a liberty in law and a liberty from law. America is a republic, and must regain its moral foundation and traditional understanding of limited, lawful government in order to be safeguarded from democracy and a tragic, chaotic end.

Ron Paul Traffic

from Bill Rummell, Meetup Group member

The www.ronpaul2008.com ranks #12,424 in the WORLD of tens of millions of web sites!.....

I plugged in the variables at the top of the graph with the other candidates websites and WOW.... look at what you find!!!

http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ronpaul2008. com

Now tell me if you will who looks more popular? The graphs or THE SPIN YOU SEE AND HEAR ON TV?? GO RON PAUL!!!!!! Ohhhh it gets even better...plug in Hillaroid's website and click on 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and last 7 days....ROFL!!! It's too much!

Don't believe the "border security"

I posted a column the other day which supported a bill introduced by Congressman Health Shuler (D-N.C.) which supposedly increases border security. The concept is that of Attrition Through Enforcement, the same idea advanced by people such as Tom Tancredo. However, I did not realize that part of the program would be the creation of a mandatory employee database on a Federal level. I have thus removed the article and am replacing it with the following response (to a news email) written by an American citizen named Vicky Davis.

This email makes me really sad. Roy Beck is gleeful that a Democratic Congressman has a bill requiring employers to eVerify every potential employee before hiring them. Why is this something to be sad about? Because they (the traitors who are running our government) are insulting your intelligence and they are taking another step toward government management of the labor force.

The Problem
The scam was relatively simple. Allow Mexicans to flood into our country and pretend that we couldn't tell the difference between a hispanic American and a Mexican. Cripple border patrol and ICE.

The Solution
Step One: The eVerify system is the first step to get employers to use the Internet - government system to verify the legal status of an applicant.

Step Two: There will be crys and moans from employers that this will put them out of business - they will have "shortages of workers". So what the government must do is to establish a "Guest Worker" program. (demanding a solution)

Step Three: There will be a system (it already exists) for employers to put in their requests to the government for "guest workers". The hitch will be that they must list the jobs for which they claim to need guest workers on the government job search website (this already exists too). Listing on the government job search engine will eventually be a requirement for all employers just like the eVerify. The reason given will be that the Labor Department needs to be able to assess the Labor Market demands for that particular job type. If the listings show high demand over a long period of time, that would indicate that a shortage exists and the guest worker applications would be approved. At the point when all jobs must be listed, all job seekers will also register on the system as a matter of necessity if they hope to obtain a job. Otherwise, a job they might get could be given instead to an imported guest worker. For children who are in school, their information will automatically be in the government registry system because the computer systems for the schools and workforce are already integrated. This is the cradle-to-grave national workforce management system designed by Marc Tucker of the NCEE as described in a letter to Hillary Clinton in 1992.

End Game
At this point, the Labor Department has full control over the labor market and will be able to set wages by controlling the supply of labor in the market. They will also have the control mechanism for people by allowing or inhibiting their access to gainful employment. This is a classic Hegelian Dialectic which is being used to "transform" the United States to a communist system to "compete" with the COMMUNIST Chinese slave labor system.

I hope to God you're smarter than they think you are.

Ron Paul on Nov.5th Success

Amazing! I have to admit being floored by the $4.2 million dollars you raised yesterday for this campaign. And unlike the fatcat operations of the opposition, the average contribution from our 36,672 donors was $103.

I say "you raised," because this historic event was created, organized, and run by volunteers. This is the spirit that has protected American freedom in our past; this is the spirit that is doing so again.

Some of the mainstream media have sat up and taken notice. Others have pooh-poohed our record online fundraising. But the day is coming--far faster than they know--when they will not be able to ignore our freedom revolution.

We are working hard, with you, to spread our message far and wide-in New Hampshire, in South Carolina, in Iowa, and in every other state with a primary. And people are listening.As you and I know, there is hope for America-in liberty and peace, and the prosperity they bring. There is hope for America--in a sound dollar, the rule of law, and the Constitution. There is hope for America--in a people's revolution that brings us all together, of whatever race and age and background.

What momentum we have! Please help me keep it up. As you and I know, and our opponents are only suspecting, we have Success on our minds, and in our hearts.

Freedom! Surely it is worth all our hard work. Please help me continue to do that work, with your continuing support https://www.ronpaul2008.com/donate Without your help, this campaign would be dead in the water. Help us keep steaming towards victory.


Sincerely,
Ron

Support Morality

Please visit here to send a brief message expressing your support for family values and free speech for Christians. There is a bill progressing through Congress which would ban discouragement of "gay" behavior by anyone. Noting the fact that this lifestyle is sinful and immoral would legally be considered a hate crime. Don't ignore the possibility of this bill being enacted... it's up to us to stop stuff like this.

American View

I finally was able to log in yesterday to the American View web forum.

This is a good site with good ideas. If you can get in into it, you can contribute to the forum some more good ideas! It is run by Mike Peroutka and John Lofton.

From Josiah

What a day, and counting

I am listening right now to Ron Paul Radio with live coverage of the historic November 5th event. The campaign has already received more than $2.5 million today! Wow...

The target amount is $10 million, but most people are projecting 5 or 6. Help complete the boost! Donate now!

Also, here is a YouTube video of Ronald Reagan which contains quite near direct quotes from Ron Paul. Or could it be that it's the other way around...? Hmmm


Thanks From Josiah

P.S. We need at least $3.2 million to break the current record, set by Mitt Romney in January.

Please donate RIGHT NOW

Today is November 5th!!!

www.ronpaul2008.com/donate

Freedom of religion for our military

We had a quick battle over the last three days or so which was amazingly won just as quickly.

The US Department of Veterans' Affairs received a letter expressing displeasure that prayer and mention of God was allowed at military funerals. The VA succumbed and banned these things, news of the decision was spread all over the country, and thousands of Americans sent a blitz of outraged e-mails. There even were several Congressmen who spoke out on the issue. Suddenly, the VA issued a statement saying people were allowed to invoke God after all! Of course the VA was never trying to infringe on free speech - this statement was nothing more than a "clarification." ;-)

But who cares what they call it? We won it!

The Foundation for Moral Law, and our hero Roy Moore, played a large part in this victory. Thanks, y'all! Praise God for wonderful efforts like these.


-R. Josiah Magnuson

RP and me

Here is a link to a video of Ron Paul on Jay Leno's Tonight Show.

Also, I am posting a picture of myself with Congressman Paul, which I just received back from whoever were the photographers for the event in July. I'm not sure why it is so yellow.

Our family would not have been able to get in to get our official pictures with Dr. Paul, had it not been for some special Providence, and generosity on the part of a leading figure in the national r3VOLution campaign, who paid for everyone who had been involved in Ron Paul sign-making.


Thanks From Josiah :-)

A Ron Paul Poem

by Nathaniel Duarte, 11 year-old homeschooler

From Ron Paul Homeschoolers website

We want Ron Paul for President,
He is the best we know,
He will follow the Constitution,
Say yes to Dr. No.

Working Americans like lower taxes,
Claims the Honorable Paul,
So we must vote for him next year
To make the IRS fall.

Taxpayers best friend
Is the name that fits him best,
For he won’t raise our taxes;
Doesn’t he sound better than any of the rest?

The war in Iraq must end,
Our own country we need to defend,
Says Republican Candidate Ron Paul,
To all the Congressmen.

He wants to protect our privacy,
And stop the national ID card;
And he will follow the Constitution,
Let’s campaign with him hard.

Yes, we want Ron Paul for President,
He IS the best we know,
And he will end the IRS,
SAY YES TO DR. NO!

John 15

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

These things I command you, that ye love one another.

If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.

If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.

But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.

Happy Reformation Day!

Today is the 490th anniversary of Luther's 95 theses. This series of concepts presented for discussion dealt with whether a believer in Christ was to continue repenting from sin throughout his life, or whether he was instantly and forever absolved from responsibility. Here is a link to the document.

Luther, while not correct on every issue, had right the principle of Sola Scriptura: The Bible is the sole and complete rule of faith and practice.

Today is also the first anniversary of the existence of this website, The Worldviews Revolution. We have already seen numerous triumphs, as well as numerous persecutions. Praise be to God!

Let us continue to stand for the Scriptures alone as the key to all liberty, justice, revival, and Reformation!


-Your friend in Christ,

R. Josiah Magnuson

Business Cards with a Bang

Wow! Our new business cards are really being used! This weekend, from Friday night to Sunday night, I distributed (if I remember correctly) 31 cards, at three main events: first, a Boy Scout birthday party which we were invited to; second, the Bible quizzing competition; and third, a church we visited.

Fifteen of the cards went to other young people, mostly at the Bible quizzing. Twelve were placed in restrooms. Four went to adults. A whole bunch more, of course, were given to you distributors for future use.

Here is a picture of the current cards. I bought them from Vistaprint.

I think we need a different slogan below the name, for our next edition. Rather than "For Liberty In Law" which is rather bland and repetitive, we might say "Proclaiming God's Absolutes" or "Fundamental and Constitutionalist" or "Support Truth" or "A Bible-Believing Team" or so on. Please help me brainstorm on this one.

For these and other ideas, you may leave a comment below or email me at rjmpilgrim@aol.com.

Thanks From Josiah :-)

DeMint speaks out on LOST and DREAM

Here is a perhaps surprising letter sent out by our junior Senator here in SC, Jim DeMint. Mr. DeMint did not use to be so strong on immigration or sovereignty. There was a noticable change in him after Patrick Tyndall ran against him in 2004, forcing him to become educated on these issues. In any case, please take heed to what Mr. DeMint is saying here, especially about LOST.

Dear Friend,

I have some good news and some bad news. First, the good news:

Once again, the Democrat Senate attempted and failed to ram an amnesty bill through Congress. The large majority of Republicans rejected this attempt to reward illegal behavior because the American people have rightly demanded that we first secure our borders, enforce our laws, and create a legal immigration system that works.While advocates of the DREAM Act claimed it would be narrowly targeted to help children forced to come to the United States by their parents, the bill actually would have permitted millions to gain amnesty within a system ripe for fraud and abuse.

The Democrat DREAM Act would have allowed any illegal immigrant (including those with criminal records such as a DUI conviction) under t he age of 30 to apply for amnesty, as long as they claimed to have entered the country before the age of 16. Once the person is given legal status under the DREAM Act, they would then be able to claim legal status for other family members -- including parents and siblings who brought them to the country illegally in the first place. Additionally, the DREAM Act would give illegal immigrants access to publicly funded universities and colleges at in-state tuition rates, as well as access to federal aid and student loans. These rewards for illegal behavior would have only encouraged millions more to enter our country illegally.

It is certainly true that our government's failure to enforce its immigration laws has created many tragic circumstances for children and families, but the solution is not more of the same. We must have border security, enforce our laws and create a legal immigration system that works. Only after we have restored the confidence of the America n people can we begin to solve the problems associated with those here illegally.

Now, for some bad news: Currently, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is preparing to rubber stamp an international treaty under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) is a terrible idea because it creates a new unaccountable international bureaucracy that could impose taxes on Americans and infringe upon our nation's sovereignty. Under this treaty which includes Iran as a signatory, America will be forced to pay dues that amount to 25 percent of the operating costs of the organization.This week the Wall Street Journal summed up my opposition to this treaty:

Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina, who is leading the fight against ratification... insists that the Treaty is as wrong today as when Reagan opposed it. "We know from international groups like the U.N. that many signers of these agreements do not act in the best interest of the United States or the world." Now that sounds a lot like Ronald Reagan.

I hope you will join me in fighting this unnecessary international governing body that could significantly disrupt America's economy and our military operations. For more information on the Senate's rejection of the DREAM Act or on the upcoming debate about LOST, please visit my Web site.

Sincerely,

Jim DeMint

How's this name?

Here is a name I thought of last night for our YCLA newsletter. I had posted several ideas here before regarding this need, and as I told you, only the last one seemed to fit. Realizing later, and having talked to David about it, I began to see that "The Celestial Citizen," while being onomatopoeic, was not strong-sounding enough. So, the latest idea is "The Citizen-Leader." I googled this name and it has not been taken as a newsletter; the only meaningful usage was on a couple university websites. I think this is probably the best idea yet.

Thanks! From Josiah

New HTML objects

As you may have seen, I have added a bunch of HTML objects to the side here. The one thing I may delete after reviewing their look is the poll. I think it makes it too busy.

The "Friend of Ron Paul" flag links to a coalition site for friends of Ron Paul. You may go there to see others across the web who are supportive of his campaign. One site I found is that of Homeschoolers for Ron Paul. A couple days later, the Paul campaign announced that this person was being given a special new place on their main site! Wow!

The "November 5th" thing links to a site hoping to achieve the largest single-day campaign donation amount in history: 10 MILLION dollars, or $100 from each Meetup Group member. Please subscribe there, and/or donate as much as you can on November 5th, for a gigantic boost to our Christian constitutionalist creationist pro-freedom non-interventionist non-flip-flopper best-voting-record-ever... etc. Presidential candidate. :-)

The precious metals price tracker is from Kitco.com. I stuck it on here mostly for myself so I could have a quick summary of that stuff when I wanted it. Of course, it also gives an indication of how large inflation is becoming! Aw, not another Ron Paul issue... :-)

The final object has been there a while but I've never explained it. It is a web visit tracker from Sitemeter. Click on it to view nearly anything about those who come here, from how many to who sent them, and from their location in the world to how long they spent on this site. So far there have been almost 1,500 visitors!

You are one of those who is making that happen, and of course I really appreciate it! Come back again. From Josiah

Companies supporting the NAU

Here is a list of corporations which are members of the North America Competitiveness Council, the main group supporting and encouraging the progress of the coming union of Canada, the United States, and Mexico. (Here is a good report from FaxDC.com: Canadians are insisting upon a national up-or-down vote on the union! Follow the link to get more info)

• Campbell Soup Company
• Chevron Corporation
• Ford Motor Corporation
• FedEx Corporation
• General Electric Company
• General Motors Corporation
• Kansas City Southern
• Lockheed Martin Corporation
• Merck & Co., Inc.
• Mittal Steel USA
• New York Life Insurance Company
• Procter & Gamble
• UPS
• Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
• Whirlpool Corporation

We should try to purchase as little as possible from these corporations. Especially stuff we don't need anyway, like Merck drugs! :-)

Thanks From Josiah

Ron Paul's record on health freedom

From the Ron Paul campaign
October 22, 2007

When health freedom advocates need a congressman to fight against attempts to restrict access to dietary supplements, they turn to Dr. Ron Paul. Dr. Paul is the leader in Washington who is not afraid to fight the powerful special interests that want to limit access to dietary supplements.

When Dr. Paul learned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was trying to censor truthful health claims by supplement manufacturers, he introduced the Health Freedom Protection Act (H.R. 2117).

"The Health Freedom Protection Act will force the FDA to at last comply with the commands of Congress, the First Amendment, and the American people by codifying the First Amendment standards adopted by the federal courts. Specifically, the Health Freedom Protection Act stops the FDA from censoring truthful claims about the curative, mitigate, or preventative effects of dietary supplements, and adopts the federal court's suggested use of disclaimers as an alternative to censorship. The Health Freedom Protection Act also stops the FDA from prohibiting the distribution of scientific articles and publications regarding the role of nutrients in protecting against disease," Dr. Paul explained.

Our health freedom is also threatened by attempts to "harmonize" American laws with those of other countries, thus forcing Americans to live under European-style restrictions of dietary supplements. Dr. Paul worked to add language to the 1997 FDA Modernization Act forbidding the FDA from harmonizing our rules with those of any other nation.

The primary instrument of "harmonization" is the Codex Alimentarius Commission, a group of international bureaucrats who are developing "health care standards" for the United Nations and the World Trade Organization. The FDA is an enthusiastic participant in the Codex process.

When Dr. Paul learned the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) contained language that might facilitate the imposition of Codex's restrictive standards on American consumers, he informed his congressional colleagues of this danger with a series of letters. In addition, Dr. Paul sponsored several briefings on the issue.

More recently, Dr. Paul has shown how the FDA is working with its counterparts in Canada and Mexico on a Trilateral Cooperation charter that could "harmonize" regulation of dietary supplements among the three countries. Dr. Paul led a congressional inquiry into the Trilateral Cooperation, forcing the FDA to go on record about its involvement in the Trilateral charter.

As a congressman for 10 terms, Dr. Ron Paul has fought to protect your health freedom. Imagine what he will do as president.

Donate today: https://www.ronpaul2008.com/donate/

Editor's note: Congressman Paul is also unofficially endorsed for President by Major General Albert (Bert) N. Stubblebine III (U.S. Army, Retired) and Rima E. Laibow, M.D., co-founders of the Natural Solutions Foundation.

REAL-ID subcommittee videos

Here are some more videos of the REAL-ID battle from last spring. I think these are the ones of the subcommittee hearing. My Dad just uploaded them today for the people working in Pennsylvania. From Josiah

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bvm_sOTTP2Y

http://youtube.com/watch?v=tXrQMDDRZpA

I Peter 4

Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

Baldwin on BJIII's Romney Endorsement

Bob Jones' endorsement of the former Massachusetts governor illustrates just how low the Religious Right will go in compromising bedrock principle for the sake of political expediency. Jones says he is supporting Romney so as to help defeat Rudy Giuliani. I very much want to see what Jones will do if and when Giuliani gets the Republican nomination. I would anticipate that he will continue to follow his current modus operandi and support Giuliani, because he would then say that Giuliani is the "lesser of two evils."

Why do I say that? Because Jones is already demonstrating that he will support one liberal over another liberal. Mitt Romney is not a conservative--not by any measure of the word. And I am confident that Bob Jones knows it.

Read more here: http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2007/cbarchive_20071019.html

Naming the Newsletter

We have been thinking lately about what to call our YCLA newsletter.

Our first main concept was something having to do with battle or militarism. "The Battle Cry" is already taken, however, as well as several others like it. Besides, with the events which have gone down in the last couple weeks, we have decided to let slide the militaristic theme at least for a while.

The next idea was one having to do with Biblicism or Sola Scriptura, but we realized it would be very wierd having a bunch of youngsters claiming to have "one up" on all the supposed scholars. A title with that implication would appear proud and vastly arrogant. After all, we do not want to get ourselves in the mode of never being able to learn new things, or thinking that we have somehow got a handle on it all.

I thought about "The Pilgrim." This title, though, is rather trite and does not describe us.

Another thought was "The Bible Investor." But does that one even make sense? It doesn't really describe us anyway.

The YCLA is about civil stuff in relation to God and freedom. So my last idea was "The Heavenly Citizen." In order to make it more onomonapaic, I tried "The Celestial Citizen."

I believe that is a good name for us. If you have any thoughts or comments, leave them here or e-mail me at rjmpilgrim@aol.com. Thanks!


-R. Josiah Magnuson

Propagation for the YCLA...

We had a great time with the Aguilars and Hacketts on Sunday. We assembled with ------ in the morning, ate lunch at the Aguilars' house, and then went to two recitals (Rahab's for organ, and Paul's for violin) in the afternoon.

I and David worked on the design for a newsletter (to be published via email for now).

We were also able to pass out about a dozen brochures to various young people, as well as adults we thought might be interested.

Then today, I received in the mail some business cards from Vistaprint.com. These were the low-quality type, but I was able to get some free premium-quality ones because of my creation of an account with them! Those cards (which look really good) will be coming sometime before the first of November.

Yes! :-) From Josiah

Columbus Day

"Your Highnesses, as...princes who love and promote the holy Christian faith, and enemies of the doctrine of Mahomet, and of all idolatry and heresy, determined to send me, Christopher Columbus, to the above-mentioned countries of India, to see the said princes, people, and territories, and to learn their disposition and the proper method of converting them to our holy faith; and furthermore directed that I should not proceed by land to the East, as is customary, but by a Westerly route, in which direction we have hitherto no certain evidence that any one has gone."

-Journal of Christopher Columbus
Friday, 3 August 1492

Find more of Columbus' Journal here.

Proverbs 12:1-13:6

Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.

A good man obtaineth favour of the LORD: but a man of wicked devices will he condemn. A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not be moved. A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones. The thoughts of the righteous are right: but the counsels of the wicked are deceit. The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood: but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them. The wicked are overthrown, and are not: but the house of the righteous shall stand.

A man shall be commended according to his wisdom: but he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised. He that is despised, and hath a servant, is better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread. A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding. The wicked desireth the net of evil men: but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit.

The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble. A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompence of a man’s hands shall be rendered unto him.

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise. A fool’s wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame.

He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit. There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health. The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of peace is joy. There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief. Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight. A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness. The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute. Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad. The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them.

The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious. In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death.

A wise son heareth his father’s instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke. A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence. He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction. The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat. A righteous man hateth lying: but a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame. Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner.

Propaganda on Bible Doctrine: A Summary

There are a number of propaganda techniques available for use by misinformers, and we all know what they are. However, I will give an overview here of how they seem to be used in discussions on Bible doctrine. You name the issue, if you are right and another is wrong and they know it but don't want to change, you will more than likely have one of these thrown at you. I've had it happen to me on more than one occasion.

The most important lesson for us to learn from this list is how not to defend our own ideas. If we are wrong, we should admit it and be willing to modify our positions to conform to Biblical truth.

Emotional appeal - "But don't you know, that's so divisive!" or "Can't you just see how much trouble (fill in the blank) has caused you?"

Straw man - "So you believe in (THIS obviously un-Biblical position!)"

Endorsement - "What about all the godly men that have believed (this)?" or "(So-and-so) believes (this), do you really think he's wrong?"

Non Sequitur - "(The weather is so nice today); what you're saying is a lie from the devil!"

Red Herring - "(The weather is so nice today.)"

Circular reasoning - "I believe (this) is true; I wouldn't believe it if it weren't true."

And the all-time favorite:

Bandwagon - "The vast majority of Christians hold to (this), why don't you?"


Thanks From Josiah

Ron Paul messages on the phone

Try it for yourself! Dial 1-641-715-3900

US Foreign Policy	4 min.	Ext. 35004#
Protecting Civil Liberties	3 min.	Ext. 35005#
Healthcare Reform	5 min.	Ext. 35006#
Fixing the Inflation Tax	2 min.	Ext. 35007#
Taxes and the IRS	2 min.	Ext. 35008#
Entitlements	4 min.	Ext. 35009#
Second Amendment	3 min.	Ext. 35010#
Immigration Sanity	3 min.	Ext. 35011#
Our Constitutional Republic	6 min.	Ext. 35012#
Hear the latest from Ron Paul		Ext. 35013#

The Real Meaning of Freedom

by Ron Paul, MD September 6, 2007

“…Man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: As government expands, liberty contracts.”
Ronald Reagan

We’ve all heard the words democracy and freedom used countless times, especially in the context of our invasion of Iraq. They are used interchangeably in modern political discourse, yet their true meanings are very different.

George Orwell wrote about “meaningless words” that are endlessly repeated in the political arena*. Words like “freedom,” “democracy,” and “justice,” Orwell explained, have been abused so long that their original meanings have been eviscerated. In Orwell’s view, political words were “Often used in a consciously dishonest way.” Without precise meanings behind words, politicians and elites can obscure reality and condition people to reflexively associate certain words with positive or negative perceptions. In other words, unpleasant facts can be hidden behind purposely meaningless language. As a result, Americans have been conditioned to accept the word “democracy” as a synonym for freedom, and thus to believe that democracy is unquestionably good.

The problem is that democracy is not freedom. Democracy is simply majoritarianism, which is inherently incompatible with real freedom. Our founding fathers clearly understood this, as evidenced not only by our republican constitutional system, but also by their writings in the Federalist Papers and elsewhere. James Madison cautioned that under a democratic government, “There is nothing to check the inducement to sacrifice the weaker party or the obnoxious individual.” John Adams argued that democracies merely grant revocable rights to citizens depending on the whims of the masses, while a republic exists to secure and protect pre-existing rights. Yet how many Americans know that the word “democracy” is found neither in the Constitution nor the Declaration of Independence, our very founding documents?

A truly democratic election in Iraq, without U.S. interference and U.S. puppet candidates, almost certainly would result in the creation of a Shiite theocracy. Shiite majority rule in Iraq might well mean the complete political, economic, and social subjugation of the minority Kurd and Sunni Arab populations. Such an outcome would be democratic, but would it be free? Would the Kurds and Sunnis consider themselves free? The administration talks about democracy in Iraq, but is it prepared to accept a democratically-elected Iraqi government no matter what its attitude toward the U.S. occupation? Hardly. For all our talk about freedom and democracy, the truth is we have no idea whether Iraqis will be free in the future. They’re certainly not free while a foreign army occupies their country. The real test is not whether Iraq adopts a democratic, pro-western government, but rather whether ordinary Iraqis can lead their personal, religious, social, and business lives without interference from government.

Simply put, freedom is the absence of government coercion. Our Founding Fathers understood this, and created the least coercive government in the history of the world. The Constitution established a very limited, decentralized government to provide national defense and little else. States, not the federal government, were charged with protecting individuals against criminal force and fraud. For the first time, a government was created solely to protect the rights, liberties, and property of its citizens. Any government coercion beyond that necessary to secure those rights was forbidden, both through the Bill of Rights and the doctrine of strictly enumerated powers. This reflected the founders’ belief that democratic government could be as tyrannical as any King.

Few Americans understand that all government action is inherently coercive. If nothing else, government action requires taxes. If taxes were freely paid, they wouldn’t be called taxes, they’d be called donations. If we intend to use the word freedom in an honest way, we should have the simple integrity to give it real meaning: Freedom is living without government coercion. So when a politician talks about freedom for this group or that, ask yourself whether he is advocating more government action or less.

The political left equates freedom with liberation from material wants, always via a large and benevolent government that exists to create equality on earth. To modern liberals, men are free only when the laws of economics and scarcity are suspended, the landlord is rebuffed, the doctor presents no bill, and groceries are given away. But philosopher Ayn Rand (and many others before her) demolished this argument by explaining how such “freedom” for some is possible only when government takes freedoms away from others. In other words, government claims on the lives and property of those who are expected to provide housing, medical care, food, etc. for others are coercive-- and thus incompatible with freedom. “Liberalism,” which once stood for civil, political, and economic liberties, has become a synonym for omnipotent coercive government.

The political right equates freedom with national greatness brought about through military strength. Like the left, modern conservatives favor an all-powerful central state-- but for militarism, corporatism, and faith-based welfarism. Unlike the Taft-Goldwater conservatives of yesteryear, today’s Republicans are eager to expand government spending, increase the federal police apparatus, and intervene militarily around the world. The last tenuous links between conservatives and support for smaller government have been severed. “Conservatism,” which once meant respect for tradition and distrust of active government, has transformed into big-government utopian grandiosity.

Orwell certainly was right about the use of meaningless words in politics. If we hope to remain free, we must cut through the fog and attach concrete meanings to the words politicians use to deceive us. We must reassert that America is a republic, not a democracy, and remind ourselves that the Constitution places limits on government that no majority can overrule. We must resist any use of the word “freedom” to describe state action. We must reject the current meaningless designations of “liberals” and “conservatives,” in favor of an accurate term for both: statists.

Every politician on earth claims to support freedom. The problem is so few of them understand the simple meaning of the word.

*Politics and the English Language, 1946.