How to Destroy a Nation by Attacking Christians

Cathedral of Christ the King was destroyed by Stalin but has been rebuilt.

The main target of the anti-religion campaign in the 1920’s and 30’s was the Russian Orthodox Church.  Because it had the largest numbers of faithful followers and the most clergy it suffered most. Many clergy, some 92,000, were shot or sent to labor camps. Theological schools were closed and church publications were prohibited. By 1939 only 500 of over 50,000 churches remained open and about 12,000 were destroyed or used as museums for atheism.

Perhaps the most devastating event occurred not in outright persecution or killing but in a subtle act of the Central Committee. On April 8, 1929, the Party made the following decree about the church.

You say you are not of this world. Well then, there is nothing for you to do in this world. That is why I forbid the church to set up benefit societies, cooperatives of industrial societies, to offer material aid to your members, to organize children’s and young people’s groups for prayers and other purposes, or general, biblical, literal or handicraft groups for the purpose of religious instruction and the like, or to organize groups, circles or sections; to arrange excursions, kindergartens, open libraries and reading rooms, organize sanatoria 

or medical aid. This forbids the development of all charitable foundations, Christian worker groups, and giving food, clothing and shelter to members. 

 

 Does this sound like any nation you know?  

Although this was a terrible thing the most devastating result, according to Solzhenitsyn, was agreement by church leaders. As a result, the focus of the church became “other worldly” so the church’s entire practical ministry to people was lost.  The spiritual life of prayer and the after-life was the only emphasis. Pastoral care, childcare, counseling, marriage, family life, medicine and economic issues were totally neglected. The church answered the Party by saying:

You are right to prohibit these things. We only multiply our sins by occupying ourselves with good works. We have not yet learned to pray-how could we get involved in kindergartens. The church is for prayer and not for worldly cares.

This reduced the church from teaching about new life and the care of body and soul of the faithful to an emphasis of caring for only one’s own soul. This led to a lack of interest in social relations, family life, work, health care and Christian growth. This was a return to the Gnostic heresy that sees the body as dirty and evil and the spiritual nature as holy and pure. 

Does it sound like any church leadership you know? What leaders attack psychology, medicine, helping the poor and good physical conditioning? 

Go to our bookstore and You Tube Video library for materials on how to heal the whole person.   Support our ministry in Russia.

How to Destroy a Nation

A modern bathroom and shower in 2008 shows how Socialism impacted the Russian people


For the past few days I have been overwhelmed with events and activities plus very high blood pressure. Maybe the two are related. Here is my next post in the series about how to destroy a culture, a nation and a people for generations.

The Communist Manifesto
 (Most of these ideas came from the book, Under the Rubble, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Mikhail Agursky, Evgeny Barabanov, Vadim Borisov, F. Korsakov and Igor Shafarevich, Regeny Gateway, Washington, D.C., 1981. See Schism Between Church and State, pp 172 ff by Evgeny Barabanov.)

Anyone reading the Communist Manifesto with an open mind will be shocked to see the space given to the destruction of the family, rearing children away from their parents in state schools and to wife sharing. All modern left wing movements adopt the slogans for the sexual revolution, gay rights, abortion, divorce, and devaluation of marriage and destruction of gender.

The left wing Japanese Red Army became famous for a series of murders based on these ideas. They hated members who refused to totally split from family members. Many were sentenced to death for “acting like a husband or wife”. The partner had to carry out the killing to prove his/her loyalty to the Socialist ideals. 

Modern Socialists are not carrying their ideas that far in most places today but the killing of the soul continues  all over the world in Left Wing politics.

The basic principles of socialism are: Abolition of private property, destruction of religion, destruction of family and destruction of individual human rights. All such groups think sex within marriage is one of the worst things imaginable. Women and children always suffer the most from these socialist regulations for they are given the hardest work.  (P 30)

Look at the ideas, policies of the Left. They continue to promote the death and destruction of parenting, family relationships, sexual fidelity and harmony from generation to generation. Look at Russia and the former USSR. It is the only nation in modern history where the health and welfare of the populace has fallen dramatically. The reason, Socialist governance that attacks family life, religion and caring relationships.

Sweeten Life Is dedicated to and actively involved in promoting Great relationships with God, self and others with a special emphasis on building great families.

Recovering Alcoholics break the generational bondage of Socialism

Go to Sweeten Life for materials on healing the family.

How to Destroy a Culture and Country

Have we ever seen the demise of a nation  and culture? Especially in  modern times. More to he point, have we ever seen a culture attacked with the specific desire to destroy it? Yes, we have.

The country is Russia or more broadly several nations associated with Russia and called The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Let us look at the current health and welfare situation in the former USSR.

Now, some 75 years after the Russian Revolution in 1917, despite supposedly free health care, the Russian people are experiencing alcoholism rates of over 50% among adult males. Premature death is rampant.  Hospitals are in awful shape. I visited the #2. Cancer Hospital in St. Petersburg in 1995 and it looked as if it were in the Thirties in terms of medication and technology. Of all modern countries, only they have a decrease in longevity. 

What happened to keep one of the richest countries on earth so poor? Why do so many live in hovels and cardboard huts when the gold, silver, diamonds and oil reserves are as great as any nation on earth? 

There are several answers but none as important as what the Communist Party told the churches in 1929. Have you ever heard of The Law of 1929? Before reading the next installment, take some time to guess what they required the churches and especially the Russian Orthodox Church to do and not do.  

Go to our web to see how we bring health and healing to Russia. 

Gary Sweeten

sweetenlife.com

 

The Greatest Sins in America

I read a lot of blogs, papers and research reports from Christians of every stripe. Many of them are written by people who are considered to be Leaders, Influencers, Counselors, Speakers, Travelers and Experts.  Today all one must do to be considered an expert is to write a blog, preach a sermon or comment on a spiritual, social, religious, political or family matter.

We live in an era of punditry. Almost anyone can go on radio, TV, the Web and pontificate. That is not the problem. I like free speech. The problem comes from so many people who believe what is being said. We are a pretty gullible bunch of people in America.

We like big ideas. We love positive endings. We fall for positive promises as well as predictions of gloom and doom, especially when the good guys are said to win and the bad guys get hammered.

One topic that gets a lot of press and a lot of heat is sex. Immorality and sexual deviation are very HOT topics! One of the announcers for the Baltimore Ravens has the same name as a disgraced coach from Penn State who is in prison for his sex crimes. Despite the fact of different spelling and not being in jail, Gerry gets a lot of hate mail from irate but ignorant listeners and fans.

The Conservative Christian community also gets all hot and bothered by the sexual practices of Americans, especially young people. But hardly anythings hits our hot buttons like same sex attractions and pornography.

The red hot rhetoric of bloggers, preachers and letter writers would cause many to thin that sex causes more sin than anything else. I would love to read what you think. Many Liberals poo poo that notion that same sex liaisons are worse than gossip, failure to recycle and voting for Conservatives. 

Conservatives tend to say same sex and porn use are doubly wrong because they are intentional, ongoing rebellion. Their answer to these issues? Just say NO!

What think thee? What area of sinful life will tick God off more and are likely to bring His wrath?

Leave your comments here or on Facebook.

Want to learn how to help people break the cycle of sexual addiction? We have helped thousands of people leave their addictions behind.

Go to Sweeten Life and download my book, Breaking Free. Gary Sweeten

Is America Cursed?

It seems as though the USA is going through a series of terrible events both here and around the world. Our economy stinks, our foreign policy stinks, former allies are being rejected and radical Muslims are burning down our embassies and killing our diplomats who are supposedly their best friends. What is happening to us? Wars and rumors of nuclear devastation are front page news?

Thankfully, many Christians are praying for the upcoming election, wisdom for current leaders and repentance from Believers! The theme is consistent from year to year. It is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14

If my people
Who are called by my name
Shall humble themselves and pray
And turn from their wicked ways
I will hear and hear their land.

(Sweeten Paraphrase)

Here is a question for you. What do we Christians need to confess and repent about?

Write your comments and let us know what the Holy Spirit is telling you to do.

Can you find a scripture that suggests something a people will be punished for? Do we need to worry about these things at all?

Go to our web to find materials on how to pray for family and generational healing. Check out two books on healing and spiritual warfare.They are Breaking Free and How to be me in my Family Tree

We need to learn how to identify the areas of warfare where the enemy has a foothold and pray into the situations from the past.

Gary Sweeten

How to Encourage People in Pain

For the last few posts we have looked at ways to bring discouragement to people who are already discouraged. In my day we called it, "Kick em while they are down".

It has been said over and over that "Christians are the only people who shoot their wounded". This is a very disturbing and sad statement but it is not true. In fact, about every culture and group know how to hurt people who are already hurting emotionally and spiritually.

So why do we criticize Christians and the Churches to whom they belong come in for so much criticism?  I do not know exactly but I have some ideas why.

Because shooting victims is so far from what the Bible teaches. The core of Christianity is love. God is love. God offers grace and mercy while attacking the wounded depends upon justice, anger, bitterness and arrogance. (I am well acquainted with them all!)

Love and grace start by lifting others up with a special emphasis upon the sick, downtrodden and injured. The Bible says that we are to never allow anything that does not build others up come from our mouths. But boy do we ever violate that principal.

I read an article today that severely and harshly criticized Joel Osteen for his "Positive Confession Theology". The idea was that Mr. Osteen was not focusing enough on sin, bad behavior and God's justice.  There is no question that God is holy and that sin or a lack of holiness is rampant. I think Mr. Osteen would agree with that. However, he preaches about the positive results of affirmation and faith, hope and love.

In my experience, people are overwhelmed with their sins, guilt, shame and failures. What they lack is hope that God can love them. People tend to put up a lot of bravado and tough guy rejection of the need for God, but I think that often covers up a little boy or a little girls who believes there is no hope for them to be forgiven or redeemed.

Remember the Prodigal Son who shamed his dad, left home with the family inheritance and squandered it on wine women and song? He ended up in a pig sty eating with the pigs but knew he was too far gone to even ask the Father to take him back.  He knew his sin. He was overwhelmed by guilt. But most of all he was contaminated with shame.

His daddy accepted him back into the family with singing and dancing as well as a party. Dad could have lectured him to make sure he understood the damage he had done. He could have said, "Go down to the barn and sleep but he did not cause the son more pain.

Here is a video that Charley McMahan and I did last winter on this topic. Take a look and let me know what you think of it.

Gary Sweeten
sweetenlife.com
 

Great Non-Profit Opportunity

 

Flywheel is an organization dedicated to assist businesses get involved in good works and non-profits become more business like.  

 They are providing great training for leaders and also consult with organizations so they can increase their marketing, sales, and income. Sweeten Life Systems is currently attending their training and using them to consult with us on financial sustainability. 

 

Flywheel Classes are also very well done and extremely helpful to leaders of a charity. One will be held next week and it is free to non-profits.

Social Enterprise 201

Flywheel: Social Enterprise Hub continues their training series with Social Enterprise 201 on October 9, 2012 at the Health Foundation. This seminar will teach you how to turn your idea into action utilizing a feasibility assessment, market research, and a right-sized business plan. Organizations are encouraged to bring 2-4 people to work together as a team.

• Tuesday, October 9, 2012 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm
• Held at: The Health Foundation, 3805 Edwards Rd #500, Cincinnati, OH, 45208
• At this workshop learn how you can turn your idea into action – organizations are encouraged to bring 2-4 people.
• Free to nonprofit organizations
Click here to register: 

Business Planning Training

Flywheel: Social Enterprise Hub is finishing off its training series with Business Planning Training on November 2, 2012 at the Health Foundation. This session will breakdown the process of writing a business plan into easy-to-follow steps and will show you how to stand out from the crowd.