Click or Tap Icons to Share! Thank you!

Authored By  :
Published On :
Last Updated :

NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.



This same sentiment was expressed yet again in a November
2004 article published in Newsweek International. It stated
in part:

----- Begin Quote -----

". . . you might think that the chief obstacles to turning
stem cells into cures were political. But the technical ones
are legion. Stem cells taken from days-old embryos have the
ability to produce any type of human cell, which makes them
potentially so useful. But harnessing this ability has
proved to be challenging. Left on their own, a clump of stem
cells begins to form a hodgepodge of human cells, which
won't do much to repair a damaged spinal cord. Scientists
have had some success in using chemicals to direct stem
cells to grow into various types of tissue, but the cells
have an annoying tendency to disobey, preferring certain
types of cells over others. Perhaps the cells get subtle
cues from surrounding tissue? Nobody yet knows."

"Even if the levers were found to make stem cells grow into
replacement parts, scientists would still have to get them
to work together with surrounding cells. To be a functioning
replacement for damaged brain or spinal-cord tissue, for
instance, neurons grown from stem cells would have to
connect to the body's neural networks."

"If these problems sound tough, consider that scientists at
present don't really even know how to identify stem cells.
They can test cells by injecting them into animal tissue to
see if they form embryonic tissue, but such tests are
cumbersome. Scientists would like a way to identify whatever
DNA mechanism makes a cell a true stem cell, but they don't
yet know what that might be."

----- End Quote -----

The above quotes again beg the question: If non-controversial
and more promising techniques exist, such as using adult stem
cells, and "de-differentiation", why do some companies such
as Stemagen still insist on conducting embryonic stem cell
research? Is it just some fanatical fascination with feeling
empowered like some god, because they can create and destroy
human life at will?

In case you didn't realize it, a few moments ago, I pulled
the old "switcheroo" on you. What am I talking about? Well,
consider this: I just spent a major portion of this series
explaining to you how President Bush has appeared to remain
firm in his rejection of embryonic stem cell research for
the past eight years. Bush has placed conservative-minded
judges wherever he can, whenever he can, and he has beaten
back those nasty pro embryonic stem cell research boys and
girls in the US Congress whenever he can, by wielding the
presidential power of the veto.

So the question is this: In light of everything that George
W. Bush has done, how is it possible that Stemagen was able
to achieve their task? Isn't this exactly what Bush has been
trying to prevent over the past eight years? Sadly, just as
with the abortion issue, and the gay and lesbian "marriage"
issue, it appears that the American public was promised one
package prior to his election, and even seemed to be getting
that package with his two-time electoral victory, but in the
end, it has never fully received the promised goods. In other
words, technically-speaking, he kept his promise. Some would
even say that he fought his hardest to prevent federal funds
from being used to finance embryonic stem cell research. But
you see, (and he obviously knew this all along), once he put
up the legal roadblocks for federal funding, scientists who
wanted to continue their research simply found other sources
of financing, thus bypassing Bush's vetoes, and they broke
no federal laws in the process.

In short, just as abortion is still the law of the land; and
just as a pregnant minor can still obtain an abortion in some
places without either parental consent or notification; and
just as more gays and lesbians are now getting "married" than
ever before, Bush's actions actually did very little to stop
embryonic stem cell research. Scientists simply changed gears
in light of the new situation, while the gullible American
public has believed that Bush kept his word. After all, as I
said, he did promise to hold back federal financing, and he
did do that, as far as we know. Such is the shrewdness of all
American politicians. They have the ability to make you think
that they have done what you have asked of them, when all the
while, they are doing something entirely different.

As I told our mailing list readers in February of 2007, the
USA has very few righteous leaders left. They are all slowly
becoming godless and corrupt; corrupted by power, by money,
by powerful lobbyists, by self-interest and by fame. As God's
Word tells us:

"Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to
any people."
Pr 14:34, KJV

"But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh
righteousness, is accepted with him."
Acts 10:35, KJV

A year and nine months ago, I asked our mailing list members
what the American Christian Right was going to do during the
2008 presidential race. I predicted that as they had done
during the George Bush/John Kerry race, they would probably
end up choosing what they view as the lesser of two evils.
They wouldn't find a worthy candidate, so they would settle
for second best. But as I said earlier in this series, there
really is no second best. Either a candidate is fully on the
side of the Lord, and leads the nation by Christian example,
and supports and promotes only Godly laws and principles, or
else he doesn't.

While many American Christians voted for George W. Bush as a
result of his publicly-stated position regarding the three key
issues that we have examined in this series, and because they
assumed that he would be a very Christian president, as we've
now seen, if we dare to delve beyond surface impressions, and
look deeper at these issues, George W. Bush has not been as
effective in these three areas, as it would seem. I would like
to say that perhaps Bush held back the tide of evil a little
longer, but even that isn't true. In my view, in all three key
areas, the situation has gotten worse during the past eight
years. Millions of babies have continued to be aborted. Three
states have now legalized gay and lesbian "marriages" whereas
before there were none. Embryonic stem cell research has not
been stopped, in spite of a lack of federal financing.

Add to the above America's two prolonged wars in which many
thousands of people have died needlessly; and the fact that
America is hated the world over more than ever before and is
viewed as an oppressive bully and unilateralist; and the fact
that the entire world is currently engulfed in a very serious
recession such as it has not seen in many decades, which is a
direct result of American greed; and the fact that George W.
Bush has not come to the aid of the poor, the sick, the needy
the elderly, or the young; and one must truly wonder what his
legacy will be? How will history remember him? I suspect that
the two wars, as well as the global economic collapse, will
play a greater role in determining how the world remembers
George W. Bush. The other internal national issues will seem
minor by comparison, particularly if you realize that a large
part of the world is not even Christian, and so won't judge
Bush by Christian standards.

Let us briefly return now to our discussion of Senator Barack
Obama and John McCain. In spite of his current attempt to try
to distance himself from George W. Bush, and paint himself as
some sort of free-thinking "Renegade Republican" who will do
a much better job as the next president of the United States,
the truth of the matter is that John McCain will continue to
implement some of the very same policies as Bush, because he
and George Bush are basically of the same stock. McCain is a
friend of the rich and the powerful, and has publicly stated
that he would make the Bush tax cuts permanent. Like Mr. Bush,
McCain is a gung-ho war-monger, and he has no intentions of
quickly pulling American troops out of Iraq or anywhere else.
In fact, his goal is to have American troops remain in Iraq
until 2013. This is an individual who still relishes telling
the story of his years of captivity as a POW in Viet Nam. War
is simply in his blood. Some people say that he would even be
worse than George W. Bush when it comes to a choice between
pulling the trigger, or relying upon slower diplomacy. I can
certainly see John McCain taking the war to Iran in the blink
of an eye.

As far as the gay and lesbian agenda is concerned, as we saw
earlier, John McCain was one of seven Senators who failed to
support the gay "marriage" ban amendment. He was obviously
very wrong to do so. Concerning abortion, John McCain is in
favor of repealing Roe v. Wade. He has supported most bills
related to restricting the current laws pertaining to this
ungodly practice, such as banning partial birth abortions,
prohibiting the practice of taking minors across state lines
in order to obtain abortions, maintaining a ban on Military
Base Abortions, supporting notifying the parents of a minor
when said child obtains an abortion across state lines, etc.
While John McCain voted yes to ban human cloning, in April of
2007, he also voted yes to expand research to more embryonic
stem cell lines. In short, John McCain is a mixed bag of
tricks, just like George W. Bush.

The idea of John McCain being even worse than Bush is a very
interesting point. According to a New York Times article from
October 30, 2008, President Bush's approval rating remains at
twenty-two percent. According to the article, this makes Bush
tied for the lowest presidential approval rating on record.
President Harry S. Truman's approval rating was also a very
low twenty-two per cent, according to a 1952 Gallup Poll. In
an editorial from November 1, 2008, also taken from the New
York Times, Op-Ed writer Nicholas D. Kristof states that:

----- Begin Quote -----

"An unscientific poll of 109 professional historians this
year found that 61 percent rated President Bush as the worst
president in American history."

"A couple of others judged him second-worst, after James
Buchanan, whose incompetence set the stage for the Civil
War. More than 98 percent of the historians in the poll,
conducted through the History News Network, viewed Mr.
Bush’s presidency as a failure."

----- End Quote -----

Had John McCain won the 2008 election, and if he were to have
kept American troops in Iraq until 2013, as he had intentions
to do, and if he were to have bombed Iran, I suspect that his
approval rating would have quickly dropped to zero. The world
at large would simply not tolerate such actions, and under a
McCain Administration, America would be even more hated than
it already is. Likewise, given current American opinions of
the Iraq occupation, in a Democratic-controlled Congress, it
may have even lead to McCain's possible impeachment. America
needs healing, not more wars, and that may possibly be one of
the few good things that will come from Mr. Obama's victory.

And what about Senator Barack Obama? Once all of the election
season euphoria has worn off, and Mr. Obama has settled into
his new position as the President of the United States, what
should we expect? If past Democratic administrations are any
indication, and if we look at Obama's seriously left-leaning
voting record over the past several years, then there is no
doubt that America can look forward to the promotion of some
very liberal causes with which we as Christians simply don't
agree. Obama's public voting record, as well as his verbal
record are quite clear. Consider the following points, and
keep in mind that Vice President-elect Joseph Biden adheres
to some of the very same positions. Among other things:

01. He supports Roe v. Wade.

02. He voted against prohibiting minors from crossing state
lines in order to obtain an abortion.

03. He voted against notifying parents of minor children who
obtain out-of-state abortions.

04. He voted in favor of expanding research to include more
embryonic stem cell lines.

05. He is undecided on whether or not life begins at
conception.

06. He voted against banning partial-birth abortions.

07. He stated that we should trust women to make their own
decisions regarding partial-birth abortion.

08. He is opposed to a constitutional ban on gay and lesbian
"marriage".

09. He believes that homosexual relationships are no more
immoral than heterosexual relationships.

10. On one occasion, in reference to gay and lesbian
marriages, he stated ". . . nor am I willing to accept a
reading of the Bible that considers an obscure line in Romans
to be more defining of Christianity than the Sermon on the
Mount".

11. He opposes gay marriage, but supports civil unions and
gay rights.

12. On one occasion, he remarked that he does not believe
that being homosexual is a curse, and also stated "I do not
believe being gay or lesbian is a choice".

13. He has been strongly opposed to the Iraq war since its
inception.

At this moment, many people are rejoicing, particularly those
who are of Afro-American heritage. After a long, hard battle,
they indeed have a good reason to rejoice, and this is truly
their moment, a historical moment which they should cherish,
and which will never be taken from them. In a strange sort of
way, this victory by Barack Hussein Obama and Black America
has a certain prophetic nature to it; for it was forty years
ago, that another Black man was gunned down in cold blood. As
one Black man fell by an assassin's bullet, another has risen
to take his place forty years later, powered by an undeniable
electoral victory. As Christians, we must recognize that for
whatever His reasons, the Lord has permitted this historical
moment to occur; for to deny this, would be to deny His Holy
Word, which clearly tells us that God is sovereign above all,
and He sets up one leader, and puts down another, according
to His Divine Will:

"Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck.
For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the
west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth
down one, and setteth up another."
Psalm 75:5-7, KJV

"Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for
ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth
the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up
kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them
that know understanding:"
Daniel 2:20-21, KJV

"This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the
demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the
living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of
men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up
over it the basest of men."
Daniel 4:17, KJV

"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness
is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the
word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being
king. And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have
transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words:
because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. Now
therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with
me, that I may worship the LORD. And Samuel said unto Saul,
I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word
of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king
over Israel."
1 Samuel 15:23-26, KJV

But what about us Christians? Should we too rejoice this day?
Perhaps we can be happy in knowing that the hateful scourge
of racism was defeated yesterday; and we can be happy because
Black America is feeling vindicated today, but that is as far
as it can go. From reading the previous points regarding Mr.
Obama's record on the issues, it is obvious to me, as I hope
it is also obvious to you, that no true Bible-believing, God-
fearing Christian can fully support Obama's views or programs,
unless they are really deceived. Similarly, John McCain does
not possess a record with which we Christians can fully agree
either; so in my view, to have voted for him would be a clear
betrayal of some of our most cherished beliefs. So as I have
said so many times before, it doesn't really matter who would
have won this election insofar as we Christians are concerned
because we would've lost out either way; because no political
candidate is ever fully on the Lord's side when it comes to
the important issues.

Some of you reading this may now be protesting, "Now, wait a
minute! What are you saying? That we simply shouldn't vote if
none of the candidates meet our expectations as Christians?"
Well, obviously, I cannot tell anyone how to vote, or even if
they should vote. That is a very personal decision which you
alone must make, based upon your personal belief system, and
what you have learned about each of the candidates.

Having said that, let me ask you a simple question; and we
will base it upon the current election. If you honestly don't
agree with or like all of the positions which are embraced by
a particular candidate, or by any of the candidates, then why
in the world would you vote for any of them? In the USA, lots
of people like to talk about freedom, democracy, the precious
right to vote, etc.; but here is something which perhaps you
have never considered: If you are forced to vote for someone,
or feel pressured to vote for someone, even though you really
don't want to, is that really freedom and democracy?

The way I look at it is this: If I don't like or agree with a
person, or if I don't like or agree with the positions of any
of the available candidates, then I am not going to vote for
any of them. By not voting for one person, or for any of the
candidates, I have in fact cast my vote. I have expressed my
right as a free citizen. I have expressed both my voice, and
my voting choice. In other words, I believe that a "non-vote"
is in fact a vote. It is a vote of "no-confidence". It is a
vote of protest against a corrupt political system, and it is
a vote which says "I don't like or fully agree with any of
you, and I am not going to compromise my Christian beliefs,
just because I may agree with you on a few issues."

There's no way that I could have voted for an individual like
John McCain, who, like President Bush, not only is obviously
a man of war, but who also would do very little to assist the
sick, the elderly, the poor and the downtrodden. Furthermore,
the fact that McCain voted against the federal amendment on
gay "marriages", and also chose to support expanding federal
financing for embryonic stem cell research, only served to
further solidify my vote against him. In like fashion, there
is no way on Earth that I could possibly have voted for a man
like Barack Obama. While we were repeatedly informed that he
is a Christian during the campaign, given the liberal ungodly
nature of his campaign platform, his liberal voting record,
and his obvious rejection of some of the core beliefs of our
Christian faith, I seriously have to wonder how he can even
dare to refer to himself as a Christian.

It might interest you to know that I sat here and listened to
live ABC coverage of Obama's victory speech over the Internet.
I was waiting, listening and hoping for something specific in
his speech, which might give an indication that I was wrong
about the man. Sadly, it never came. It was only at the very
end of his speech, as he pronounced his parting words, that
he said "God bless you all; God bless America!". Of course,
that was not meant to be taken as a profession of faith. It
was merely a popular, much over-used, meaningless political
slogan which any candidate could have uttered.

Therefore, because of the aforementioned reasons, I remain
fully convinced that neither McCain or Obama would have been
a suitable wise choice for real Bible-believing, God-fearing
Christians. It would have been a mistake for me to vote for
either one of them; because by doing so, I would not only be
giving him my support on the things that I agree with, but I
would also be giving him the power to implement those things
with which I do not agree. I would in effect become a willing
accomplice to his sins against the Lord.

On the other hand, when you vote for someone even though you
honestly don't agree with them on certain issues, as some of
you obviously did, in my view, you have in fact surrendered
your free will, and your right to choose, or not to choose.
Perhaps without even realizing it, you have become a victim
of political correctness. Why is that? Quite simply, because
it has been bred into Americans over the years, that if you
don't vote, then you must be unpatriotic. Maybe you are even
one of those pinko commies. So rather than face being called
unpatriotic, you bow to pressure, to political correctness,
and you go out and vote for someone, with whom you don't even
fully agree. Now is that crazy or what?

Now, I want you to stop and think about something. Right now,
this very minute, there must be literally dozens, hundreds,
or perhaps even thousands of very intelligent people in the
United States, who are qualified to lead the country. If a
one-term Black Senator, with no foreign relations experience
can be elected to the highest office in the land, then so can
many other equally-qualified individuals. So why aren't they?
Every four years, you as an individual are told that you must
choose between just two men, and if you don't go out and vote
for one of those two men, surely you must be unpatriotic. Can
you see the controlling factor in all of this? While you are
constantly being pounded with all of this talk of freedom and
democracy, the truth of the matter remains that your freedom
of choice is intentionally limited by the powers-that-be; and
the power that they use is vast sums of money. One of the big
reasons why Barack Obama won the election, is because he was
able to shout longer, louder and in more areas, because of
his basically unlimited financial reserves. Money, and not
just his message, gave him the vote.

Now that Obama has won the election, I suspect that he may
owe so many favors to so many different powerful people, that
in spite of his good intentions, (at least from his liberal
point of view), he may become just another ineffective puppet
leader whose strings will be pulled by the rich and powerful,
while the poor will continue to suffer, and the principles of
the Bible will be trampled under foot. Even if Mr. Obama does
retain the freedom to be his own man, the Bush Administration
has created so many serious problems which he will have to
address, and in short order, that even trying to fulfill some
of his campaign promises may be easier said than done.

While I have stated that I believe that Barack Obama has won
the election by God's Design, please do not misinterpret the
meaning of my words. Just because the Lord has allowed Obama
to win, does not mean that he's a good person, or will make a
good leader for America. Quite to the contrary, as I pointed
out a moment ago, we Christians really have little to rejoice
over with Obama's landslide victory. As you can see from the
verses I shared earlier, while the Lord gave the Israelites a
king, because that is what they truly wanted, He realized in
advance that this is not what they truly needed. As a result,
while He gave them the desire of their hearts, the Israelites
later grew to regret their decision, as Saul was a terrible
king, (just like Bush), and the Lord eventually rejected him.
Saul was cursed, and he and his sons died in battle, as per
the prophecy of the Prophet Samuel.

As I point out in other articles, you need to remember that
God allows certain leaders to come to power for different
reasons. Some may be blessings to their people, while others
will be curses. Sometimes the Lord allows a particular person
to come to power, simply so that He can use them to chastise
the very people who have elected him to office. I have long
believed that God gives the people the leader that they truly
deserve, and Barack Obama is no exception to that rule. Black
America may rejoice and the leaders of other nations may also
rejoice, but it remains to be seen exactly what kind of king
Obama will turn out to be. If there is one thing that can be
said beyond a shadow of a doubt, it is that God has given a
very liberal king to a supposedly Christian nation, which has
has become increasingly liberal, and increasingly ungodly in
its moral standards, as the years have progressed. Some of
the developments of the past several years have certainly
proved this point.

Regardless of what happens or does not happen during the next
four years, as Christian believers, we must never forget that
our loyalties must remain first and above all to the Kingdom
of God. He is our Commander-In-Chief, and the One from whom
we take our orders. As God's Word plainly teaches us, we are
not of this world, and our Kingdom is not of this world. In
light of these facts, we shouldn't participate in the affairs
of the world, any more than what is absolutely necessary. If
this seems like a strange doctrine to you, then I encourage
you to consider the truth found in the following verses:

"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."
John 15:19, KJV

"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate,
saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will
receive you,"
2 Corinthians 6:17, KJV

"No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of
this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be
a soldier."
2 Timothy 2:4, KJV

"These all died in faith, not having received the promises,
but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them,
and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers
and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things
declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they
had been mindful of that country from whence they came out,
they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now
they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly:
wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he
hath prepared for them a city."
Hebrews 11:13-16, KJV

"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the
friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever
therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of
God."
James 4:4, KJV

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the
world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is
not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the
flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is
not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world
passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the
will of God abideth for ever."
1 John 2:15-17, KJV

So as you can hopefully see, like our spiritual forefathers
of old, we are strangers and pilgrims in this world, and we
are merely passing through it, on our way to a much better
Home in Heaven. The things of this current world will soon
pass away, because they are temporal; or as the Apostle Paul
once wrote, they are like wood, hay and stubble which will
ultimately be burned by the purifying fires of the Lord's
righteous Judgment. Only God, and His holy Kingdom, are
truly eternal; and as I mentioned at the beginning of this
series, one of these days, perhaps when we least expect it,
all of the corrupt worldly kingdoms and nations of human
invention will be smitten by the Rock from Heaven, as Jesus
Christ set ups His own righteous, literal Kingdom upon this
Earth. Then, and only then, will all of the people of the
world be treated righteously and fairly, because corrupt,
partisan politics will have become a thing of the past; and
there will only be God's politics. If you want a real reason
to rejoice, I've just given you one. Think about it.

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

Click or Tap Icons to Share! Thank you!

---

---

Please avail yourself of other areas of the Bill's Bible Basics website. There are many treasures for you to discover.