Myth Buster: Evil Christians Started the Holy Wars

People of all classes joined the crusades for various reasons:

some to take Jerusalem back, some to be freed from landlords,

some to make money, and some to be freed from sin.

Photo from religionwiki.mvcsnow.org

On February 2, 2015, at a National Prayer Breakfast, President Obama compared the current Islamic state to the Christian Crusades that occurred over a thousand years ago.  He used this as justification for his reluctance to identify the threat of radical Islam.

He said:

“Humanity has been grappling with these questions throughout human history. And lest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ,”

This sound all fine and dandy until you realize that the assumption by Obama is that the Christian crusades were an effort by Christians to force their religion on non-Christians.  But this is not what happened at all.

Most people don't realize this, and apparently Obama doesn't either, but the Christian crusades that took place during much of the 8th, 9th, and 10th centuries were peaceful. Christians believed the trek would absolve them from their sins, and the Muslims welcomed the Christians. (1, page 106)

This all went fine and dandy until the 10th century when the caliphs of Palestine imposed a tax on those seeking to visit the Holy Land.  It was this tax that ultimately lead to war between the Christians of Europe and the Muslims of Palestine. This was fine for Pilgrims with money, although the poor pilgrims often had to wait at the gates of Jerusalem for some rich person to pay their tax.  (1, page 106)

Historian Thomas Bradford explained what happened next: 

The sum from this tax was a mine of wealth to the Moslem governors of Palestine. At the close of the 10th century it was thought that the end of the world was at hand, the thousand years of the Apocalypse was near completion, and Jesus Christ would descend upon Jerusalem and judge mankind. Panic seized the weak, the credulous, and the guilty; forsaking their homes, kindred and occupation, they hastened to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Lord, imagining that their pious pilgrimage would free them from sin. The road from the West of Europe and Constantinople became a great highway of pilgrims and beggars; the monks, the almsgivers of the times, were obliged to refuse aid to the hordes; many lived upon berries that ripened on the roadways. Swarms besieged the Holy Land; the Turks were annoyed by the number that overran their country . . . they plundered them, beat them with stripes, and kept them for months at the Holy Gates in lieu of the golden bezant for admission. The day of judgment did not come, and so pilgrims a few at a time returned to Europe and told of their sufferings. These cruelities became the wrongs of Christendom. Fresh hordes now hastened on the difficult journey, sure of gaining the favor of heaven by visiting the holy sepulchre. (1, pages 106-107)

So you can see that the crusades were not an attempt by Christians to force their religion on the Muslim people.  It was merely an attempt to continue visiting the Holy land, something that the Muslims had no problem with for over 300 years.

It was these events that incited the wars.  Bradford said:

In 1095 there appeared one Peter the Hermit, a man enthusiastic, chivalrous, bigoted, and probably crazy. He had been a monk of Amiens, and previous to this a soldier. He had visited Jerusalem and was filled with indignation at the cruel persecutions inflicted on the Christian pilgrims. He returned to his home and began a crusade of wild preaching against the abominations of the infidels and their defilement of the Holy Places of Jerusalem and Palestine. He called upon the people to arm against the infidels, incited the clergy, and aroused the enthusiasm of the people and nobles. Musing in Palestine he planned to rouse the powers of all Christendom to rescue the Christians of the East from the thraldom of the Mussulmen, and the sepulchre from the infidel. Peter told his views to Simeon, Patriarch of the Greek church at Jerusalem, and this good prelate sent letters to the pope and to the monarchs of Christendom telling of the sorrows of the Christians of Jerusalem and urging that arms be taken up in their rescue. Peter now hastened to Italy. Pope Urban II. sat on St. Peter's throne. He listened to the sad story and read the letters and appeals. At the Council of Clermont Urban gave Peter full powers to go forth and preach his holy war to the Christian nations of the world. (1, page 107-108)

The crusade had now become an effort to help the Christians who feared that they would not be saved if they did not reach the Holy Land.  Bradford continued: (1, pages 108-109)

The nations were aroused; eternal rewards were promised to all who assumed the red cross; halt and lame, women and children, the pious, the fanatic, the needy, the dissolute, all enrolled themselves in this remarkable army. Walter the Penniless set out with the first army in the spring of 1096; each one was his own leader. Soon other bands were formed. It is said that 300,000 men, women and children of the lowest of Europe spread themselves over Hungary and Germany. (1, page 108)

They robbed and murdered, and in self defense the Hungarians were obliged to fight with them. Walter straggled on to Constantinople with his horde. Peter the Hermit was not far behind him. He led another rabble, and riot and rapine went with him. It was everywhere; all Europe was mad. This rabble did not conquer the Holy City, but a more orderly and soldierly expedition was organized under certain noble knights, among whom was Godfrey of Bouillon, duke of Lorraine, and count Raymond of Toulouse. Several armies were raised and marching by different routes united at Constantinople. He besieged several cities, among which was Antioch; at this place, when the Christian host were worn and tired, Peter had a vision in which he saw the lance that pierced the side of Christ, and telling where to dig they found it. He had another vision and was directed to carry the spear at the head of the army. Dreaming became contagious; other monks had dreams. So time passed; Antioch was taken, battles were fought, disruptions were prevalent. At last Godfrey set fire to his camp at Archas and set forward in the night. After a march of several hours the sun rose, and before our army lay the sun kissed towers of the holy city. The soldiers knelt upon the ground exclaiming, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem," in pious joy. After a long and bitter siege, on July the 15th, 1099, the city was taken, the Christians were free. (1, pages 108-109)

When Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1493, this is credited by many as the beginning of the Renaissance, a time when a dark ages of medicine occurred in the east, and the light started to shine again in the west. When this occurred, many other Greek classics made their way from Byzantine to Europe, thus opening the minds of Europeans. (2, page xxi)

So the Christian Crusades were peaceful until the Muslims decided to tax them.  The chaos the ensued due to Muslim actions is what lead to the Crusades, not an attempt by the Christians to force their religion on others.  So Obama was wrong to compare the current persecution of Christians by radical Muslims with what happened over a thousand years ago.

References:

1. Bradford, Thomas Lindsley, writer, Robert Ray Roth, editor, “Quiz questions on the history of medicine from the lectures of Thomas Lindley Bradford M.D.,” 1898, Philadelphia, Hohn Joseph McVey
2. Brock, John, "Galen on the natural faculties," 1916, London, New York, William Heinemann, G.P. Putnam's Sons
3. Watch how Obama just compared Christianity with Islam
4. Glenn Beck: Obama lectures Americans on Islamic State... because Christians did something wrong a long time ago

How to defeat an atheist

One of the most difficult choices we can make as humans is to believe in God. There are simply so many people who have chosen not to believe in him for one reason or another, and many of them work hard to try to pull you away from God. So what do you do in the face of such challenges? What do you say? 

Here is a list of some of the things people might say to challenge your faith, and what you may consider saying to them.

1.  Science proves God does not exist.  Einstein believed in God, and said that he saw no reason why God and science cannot co-exist. He said, "Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind."

2.  Well, Einstein found the Bible Primitive, Childish.  That's because the Bible IS primitive and childish. That's just how people wrote back then. It was allegorical. 

3.  Nobody lives the way the Bible preaches. No person lives completely by their Faith, which is why we have forgiveness. For example Chris Kyle had Faith and he carried the Bible with him, but he did not read from it every day

4.  The Bible is not historically accurate. Actually, whether you believe in God or not, the Bible is one of the most significant historical documents ever written. I have read many history books where the Bible is used as a reference to paint a picture of the era in which it was written.

5.  The Bible is not factual.  Christians believe everything in the Bible is true.  If everything in the Bible is true, does this mean that Christians have to choose between science and the Bible.  The key to understanding the Bible is to understand the difference between truth and fact.  Simply put, something can be truthful without being factual.  For example, if you are trying to download a large file onto your computer and it is taking a long time, you might say that it is "taking a million years." You would be speaking the truth: the file is taking a long time to download.  Figurative language such as this communicates truth without relying totally on facts.  We say that as Christians, we believe everything in the Bible is true.  What we mean is that the Bible teaches us, without error, the truth about God.  Although the Bible does contain historical information, the authors of the Bible were not primarily concerned with historical or scientific facts.  Their goal was to teach the truth about God.

6.  Science proves that God could not have created the world in seven days.  The first creation story in the Book of Genesis is true, although it does not attempt to teach scientific facts.  It teaches us truths about God and his relationship with creation, such as: God is the author of all creation, God brings order out of chaos, human beings are created in God's image, and everything God created is good. As Christians, we can learn from what scientists are teaching us about creation and, at the same time, learn from the Book of Genesis about the religious truth of Creation. Besides, God actually created the world over six eras.

7.  Adam could not have lived 930 years.   Once again, you have to consider the era in which the Bible was written.  People back then never even considered the idea of keeping track of a person's time in this world.  When the Bible says that Adam lived to be 930 years old, it is teaching the religious truth that he lived a long life, which is a sign of God's blessing. 

8.  The story of Noah could not have happened.  Actually, there is historical evidence of a great flood that wiped out much of the population of the world that then existed.  So this story is based on this historical fact.  However, the story of Noah teaches the truth that we drown in sin and only those who obey God's voice are saved. 

9.  Jonah could not have lived in a fish.  The story of Jonah is true: when you say no to God's will, you will find yourself in darkness. You see, much of the Bible is told allegorically.  This was simply how people wrote back then.  

10.  The entire old testament is poppycock.  Look, again, don't be concerned with historical fact or scientific fact when reading the Old Testament.  What you should be concerned with is learning the truth about God.  Remember, everything in the Bible is true.  After all, God has given us his Word.

We do know what dead people thought!!!

We do know what they thought because they wrote a lot.

Quite often I find myself quoting the founding fathers or other dead people.  Recently I did this while debating with a friend of mine who happens to be a liberal and an atheist.  I essentially was explaining to her that belief in God is integral to any functioning society, and the founding fathers knew this.

She argued that there is no way I could know what the founding fathers were thinking.  She said there are many times people like me (meaning God fearing conservatives) say that they know what people of the past were thinking, and that this is not possible. Her exact words were:  "But, you shouldn't claim that dead people believed things that you can't personally witness."

To this I said: "Isn't that the purpose of writing, to share what you witness?"

Thomas Jefferson was a founding father, and we have many copies of things he wrote while he was alive, and it is through these writings that we know what he thought on various issues. It's often believed that he did not believe in God. Whether this is true or not does not matter.  

Jefferson and John Adams wrote many letters back and forth, and in many of these letters they discussed the importance of religion.  They discussed how the young United States could not afford to keep up a military, and therefore they were concerned that the nation would be able to prevent people from committing crimes that might destroy the nation from within.  

By their review of history, they believed that no nation could exist without people who were fearful of a greater power.  They believed that nations that feared God and the Devil were able to keep their people under control.  

It was for this reason the founding fathers believed it was essential for America to be a Christian Nation. It was for this reason the Ten Commandments are etched on the walls where the Senate meets.  It's for this reason "In God We Trust" is engraved on coins.  

This strategy worked, thus holding the nation together through some really defenseless and tough times early on it its existence.  This strategy worked until the 1960s, when progressives started to break down the infrastructure of this nation, first and foremost by their efforts to extricate God from schools and God from Government.  

My point here is that we do too know what dead people thought, especially when these dead people wrote their thoughts and opinions when they were alive.  

However, despite her claims that there is no way I could know what dead people thought, she wrote: "Einstein found the Bible 'childish, primitive.'  

So, while I can't say that dead people believed things, she did the same thing.  So obviously, either she has been reading the writings of Einstein, a dead person, or she somehow knows what a dead person thinks.  Yet since she doesn't believe in God, nor angels, then how is it that she can possibly speak with dead people? 

So I come back with this: "Einstein believed in God, and said that he sees no reason why God and science cannot co-exist. He said, 'Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind.'

Rush Limbaugh once said that liberalism is the cowardly choice, because all you have to do to be a liberal is say you care for something or someone, and come up with a solution that someone else pays for.  Then when someone criticizes your idea, you attack them with vitriol such as: "You are an idiot, Nazi, child hater, women hater, homophobe, racist."  Sometimes they say nice things like, "You are not being nice."

In this case, such vitriol came out as, "You can't possibly know what dead people thought." In other words, she had no argument to refute what I said, so she attacked my words.  She did this even though what she said was untrue, made no sense, and was hypocritical.    

I'm used to this, as this is what usually happens when you debate someone who has no facts to back up their opinion.  That's how these discussions usually go.  This is what I'm used to, considering I like to challenge people with facts and logic.  Sometimes though, as was the case here, continuing the discussion wasn't worth my time. 

My point here is not to criticize my friend's comments. My point is that I often like to quote the founding fathers to prove a point that my liberal friends have no counter argument for.  So, instead of citing facts, they attack me with vitriol like, "There's no way you can possibly know what dead people thought.  

Quite the contrary: "You can know what dead people thought."

Who gets to Heaven?

Whether you get to Heaven is between you and God.  So it doesn't matter what I think, nor what I assume.  However, it appears to me that not all people who believe will get to Heaven.

So what does the Bible say about Heaven and who will get there.  The answer comes from Psalm 15, or a Psalm of David, "Who Shall Abide in God’s Sanctuary?"  David asked: "O Lord, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill?"

The Lord answers: 

"Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right, and speak the truth from their heart; who do not slander with their tongue, and do no evil to their friends, nor take up a reproach against their neighbors; in whose eyes the wicked are despised, but who honor those who fear the Lord; who stand by their oath even to their hurt; who do not lend money at interest, and do not take a bribe against the innocent. Those who do these things shall never be moved."

The subject was addressed again in John 14: 2-3.  Here,  Jesus said:

"Do not think of trouble. You believe in God. Believe in me also. In my father's house are many rooms. What I tell you is true. I will go there to prepare a place for you. Because I will prepare a place for you, I will come back for you. Where I am you will be also. You know where I am going. You also know the way"

Doubting Thomas, a friend of Jesus, said, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?"

To this Jesus replied, "I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. Nobody comes to the father except by knowing me"

So the way to Heaven is to believe in Jesus and to live through Him.  The way Jesus would live is described in Psalm 14 by David.

Of course it's not possible for us to live exactly the way Jesus did, and so we all make mistakes (i.e. sins) from time to time.  Good Christians will feel guilty when they sin, and ask for forgiveness.

This brings us to 1 John 1:9, which states, "If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing."

We are all prophets

So God reveals himself through The Word, and The Word appeared as human flesh by the name of Jesus.  So Jesus, in dying for us, made us all prophets.  In this way, we are all -- those of us who are believers, anyway -- unprofitable servants.

Jesus shared his wisdom with the apostles, and through the Church their teachings are shared by the Bishops and the Priests.  They then share the wisdom of the Lord with all the people of the Church.

There's a better way of summing this down a bit.  Consider that in the Old Testament there are 16 books of prophets, or people who listen to the wisdom of the Lord and interpret this wisdom and share it with the people.  

There are various names for such prophets, such as revelators, seers and patriarchs.  For our purposes we will refer to them as prophets.  Some of these prophets include Adam, Abel, Seth, Noah, Zechariah, Abraham, Moses, Isaac, Jacob, Job, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Haggai, and Ezias.  

The New Testament also has prophets, such as John the Baptist, whose prophecy was that Jesus was coming.  Some listened and heard him, while others chose to ignore him. This was the case for all the prophets.  

Jesus made us all prophets.  By his Death, he made the wisdom of The Word available to all who choose to accept it via the Holy Spirit.  Some refer to prophets like us as unprofitable servants of the Lord, meaning that we share His wisdom as acts of charity.

So, your assignment, if you so choose to accept it, is to use your gifts to share the wisdom, either by your actions or your voice.

We are a Judeo-Christian nation

America is a Judeo-Christian nation.  This is important, because this is what all our laws are based on. This is what our Constitution is based on.  This is where our basic rules come from: don't lie, don't steal, don't cheat, don't covet your neighbor's wife.

It is from this that our basic values and morals come from.  It is from this that the founding fathers conceived the idea of natural rights, or those liberties that we are born with, or those liberties that were handed down from a higher power: God.

Everything that our nation was founded on is based on the fact that we are, at the core, a Judeo-Christian nation.  It is by reading the Judeo-Christian Bible that our children learn the basic values that are essential to holding this nation together.

It is from this that we learn to be kind to other people, and to respect other people.  It is from this that we learn to respect ourselves.  It is from this that we learn to take responsibility for our own actions.  It is from this that we learn to resist temptations, such as the temptation to steal, or the temptation to covet your neighbor's wife, or the temptation to consent to mutual sex before marriage.

These are all behaviors, or actions, that lead to controversies.  They are actions that the Bible preaches against in order to create a better world.

When you teach about God, when we read the Bible, we are learning the very values and morals that hold this nation together.  It is only when we get away from this does our nation start to fall apart.  It is only when you ignore the Bible do evil things happen, things that the Bible teaches are sins.

It is only when we get away from the Bible does evil occur.  Lacking a Judeo-Christian upbringing, children are more likely to have children out of wedlock. Lacking the two-parent structure, studies have confirmed (again and again) the age old suspicion that children are less likely learn the Bible, and therefore less likely to become good, honest, and productive members of society.

As a nation we have learned to tolerate such behavior.  We have learned to tolerate the fact that atheists do not want the Judeo-Christian Bible taught in public schools.  And there's this old saying: "What one generation tolerates the next embraces."

Today we tolerate households where children are brought up by only mothers. The next generation will just accept it as the way it is.  Today we tolerate abortion, yet the next generation will just accept it as the way it is.  Yesterday we tolerated atheists attempts to remove Bibles from schools, and now it is just the accepted norm.

By becoming increasingly tolerant we are becoming openly hostile to our own nation; we are becoming increasingly tolerant to the morals and values that set us up as a nation.  We have learned to tolerate, and sometimes even embrace, principles that are the antithesis of our founding principles.

Today we have learned to tolerate certain behavior because we are afraid of causing controversy, or because we want to shut them up.  We have learned to tolerate.  We have become a politically correct nation in our attempt to not make waves, or to take the path of least resistance.

Surely it sounds good when you are a teenager to marry the first person you fall in love with.  But when this happens you set yourself up for a lifetime of misery, as you do not have a job, you will not be able to provide the kind of security your child needs.  How could you?  You haven't even finished your education yet.

But more and more we have become tolerant to this sort of behavior.  Look at Bill Clinton as a perfect example.  He was married, and yet he gave in to the temptation of another woman. Chances are he did this more than once.  Because what he did was against Judeo-Christian values, it did nothing but cause controversy for Mr. Clinton.  It tarnished his reputation.

Yet for those lacking Judeo-Christian values, Mr. Clinton's actions were acceptable.  Many of the people who liked what he was doing as president simply tolerated his actions.  They said things like "that's just what men do."

The best way to reverse this trend is to start with yourself.  Live your life as Jesus would.  Read the Bible every day.  Live by the values taught by the Bible, and set a good example for others to follow.

Okay, so what is a sin anyway?

God gave us free will, the ability to reason, and a sense of moral responsibility, all with the intent that we would use these gifts to live by His law.  When we use these gifts to deviate from Gods law it's called sinning.

Original sin occurred when Adam gave into temptation and ate from the tree of knowledge.  The consequence of this is that all humans are born with an innate desire to sin, making it so that a conscious effort must be made to live by God's law and to receive God's grace.

Personal sins are all the sins that we make by our own personal lives.  There are two types of personal sins:

1. Venial: These usually involve sins that are not of grave matter.  They may also include sins you do not know you are committing, or sins you do not deliberately intend to commit. These sins do not cut you off from the Grace of God as such sins do not mean a person has rejected God.  They may be forgiven by the Sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation (Acts of God's Grace). 
2. Mortal: Sins that are merit damnation without reconciliation. These are sins involving a grave or serious matter, either by intentionally doing something severely wrong or by intentionally omitting something from one's life. Such sins cut the sinner off from God's grace. It's the rejection of God (spiritual death) that results in eternal punishment in Hell.  

Tempting each of us are what are often referred to as the seven deadly sins (also referred to as capital devices or cardinal sins), each of which is associated with one of the seven holy virtues, and each of which may be associated with a venial or a mortal sin.

1.  Pride (Vanity, Superbia): An unrestrained or improper appreciation of your own worth.  It's excessive belief in your own abilities to the point that it interferes with your recognition of the grace of God. It is the sin from which all other sins arise.
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2.  Envy (invidia): The desire to own that of which (traits, status, abilities, situation, materials) is not yours.

3.  Gluttony (Gula): Consuming more than what is required.

4.  Lust (extravagance, luxuria):  Inordinate craving for the desires of the body

5.  Anger (Wrath, ira):  Spurning love in favor of fury.

6.  Greed (Avarice, Covetousness, avartia):  Desire for material wealth or gain at the expense of spiritual wealth or gain.

7.  Sloth (acedia):  Avoidance of physical or spiritual work.

Judges must not force Churches to conform

I'm tired of hearing people talk about how Christians are forcing their religion on other people. This has never happened.  Christians were just going about their daily lives, minding their own businesses, while other institutions, the government included, decided to get involved in the institution.  They got involved, they found a way to create benefitTs for it, to tax it, and to claim it as their own.

Now Christians get blamed for forcing their definition of marriage on everyone else.  No such thing ever happened.  And if the establishment clause is respected, Christian churches should be able to continue performing marriages between a man and a woman as they always have.  In no way shape or form should the Supreme Court Ruling that gay marriage should be legal be forced on the Church.  If it does, all hell will break loose.  Their will, or should, be a public outcry.

The ruling by the Supreme Court only applies to marriages performed by Judges or Justices of the Piece.  They only apply to government marriages.  If anything else happens, if Judges force priests and pastors to marry gay couples, then the opposite will be happening: the minority will be forcing its will on Christianity.

Now, if it is not okay for Christianity to force its views on the rest of society (something that has never happened by the way), then it surely should not be okay for society to force Churches to conform to the current whims of society.

In other words, if the Christian ant-gay marriage stance is bigoted, then so too is the secular stance that Churches must accept gay marriage.

Here's why Christians oppose gay marriage

Tensions are growing since the Supreme Court's controversial decision to make gay marriage the law of the land.  Proponents of gay marriage can still be heard celebrating, and for good reason.  Still, there are many Christians who feel the celebrations are a way of rubbing in their faces that of which they did not want to happen.  This has left many Christians questioning their faith, and why they were against gay marriage in the first place.

So, why is it we support marriage between a man and a woman, and why are we opposed to gay marriage? 

Dan Calabrese, a columnist for the North Star Writer's Group, explains why Christians don't support gay marriage in his column, "A detailed explanation of why Christians don't support gay marriage." I will use this as a reference for the following, although I will also add some of my own thoughts. 

1.  First it should be known that Christians believes that the entire Bible is the inspired Word of God. That’s why, when we cite the Bible, we treat it as authoritative.

2.  The Bible clearly defines marriage as between a man and a woman.  (Genesi 2: 23-2)(Matthew 19: 4-6)(Mark 10: 2-9)

3.  The Bible clearly sates that homosexual life is a moral sin with a penalty. Loving Christians want to see gay people spared of the pain of that penalty.  (Romans 1: 24-28)(Leviticus 20: 10-18)

4.  God is very stern with people who participate in sexual immorality. This is because when you unite with them physically you unite with them spiritually. He wants you to unite spiritually with one other person of the opposite sex of whom you are married.  (Leviticus 20: 10-18)

5. God explains that the reason for laws is for sinners, which includes sodomy (sex with an animal) and fornication (sex outside of marriage).  Timothy 1: 8-11

6.  We are all born into sin, and we are all tempted by our own desires, and we must resist these temptations to avoid the pain of punishment.  (James 1: 14-15)

7.  Liberals believe that people are born perfect and are corrupted by society.  So they believe the way to get the individual back to perfection is to do battle with society.  This explains why they battled so hard to change the definition of marriage.  

8.  Conservatives believe, as the Bible teaches, the people are born flawed, and the way to improve society is through the moral improvement of the individual.  They believe that to make society better you have to start with the individual.  

9.  Now, this is what the Bible says it is not me.  The following quote is from Calabrese.  "For the homosexual who says, “I was born this way,” I will not argue. We were all born with sinful urges of our flesh. Some struggle with anger. Some struggle with heterosexual lust. Some struggle with gluttony or addiction to alcohol. And some struggle with homosexual urges. These are our desires. They come from the flesh and they war against the spirit."

10.  "God’s desire for each person is that they will repent of those desires and surrender to Him so that He can deliver them from these urges by the power of Christ."

11.  "The Christian who loves as God loves certainly does not a hate another human being for having sinful desires of the flesh. We have them too"  So you can see that Christians love our gay brethren as all others. 

12.  Christians, however, recognize these thoughts as sinful, and so they resist the temptation.  They feel guilty when they have these thoughts.  This is God saying, "Stop!" 

13.  We must resist such sinful temptations so we can be right with God. Life is full of temptations, and every attempt at resisting them makes us a better person.  We are rewarded with blessings in our lives.  One such reward is a better society.  In other words, we make society better by resisting temptations.  

14.  The more people who resist temptations, the better society will be.  So society is made better one individual at a time. 

15.  This explains why there is a constant effort to improve the moral standard of the individual through the Church.  It is a constant battle.  We must never quit. 

Now, to tackle the modern issue of gay marriage, Calabrese said: 

I understand why some Christians struggle with this. They know a gay person, or maybe have a gay family member, and they want that person to be happy. It’s enticing to accept the “love is love” argument and to believe that surely God wants that gay person to be in a loving relationship.

But that argument wrongly conflates love with sex. There are a lot of different kinds of love. Hopefully you love a lot of people, but you only have sex with one person - the one to whom you’re married. If you want a gay person to know love in a romantic/sexual relationship, good, so do I. So I will pray that this person is delivered from those urges through the blood of Jesus so that he or she can find the mate of the opposite sex that God always intended for them to come together with.

Still, it must be added that all people have a right to choose the lifestyle the wish to live.  It must be understood, however, that Christians also have this right.  And to choose to be a Christian does not mean that we do not love and respect all our fellow men and women, all of whom we wish the best for.

Further reading:

• A detailed explanation of why Christians don't support gay marriage," by Dan Calabrese
• The Church will survive gay marriage if... National 
• Gay men blow kisses, taunting guy in ‘Ask Me About Jesus’ shirt; watch his reaction
• The Next Gay Marriage Battle: National Review

Values and Priorities

There are many people who read the Bible, and every one of them might have a unique way of interpreting it. This actually occurred recently between myself and one of my patients. We actually both had unique interpretations about the Tower of Babel.

However, in the end, we both decided that every Christian, every person who believes in God, or studies the Bible, however religious, should get two things out of it.

1. Virtues: We must all be virtuous above all else
2. Priorities: We must have our priorities in order

Jesus said that the most important commandment is to believe in God, and the second most important commandment is that you should love your neighbor, and treat your neighbor as you would yourself.

If we can skim it down, if you put God first, then you are putting virtues first. If you are putting your neighbors second, then you are thus putting God first, and thus virtues first. If you are a virtuous person, then you will not only love your neighbor, you will be loved by your neighbor.

So it comes down to -- bottom line -- values and priorities.

Humility

I wrote a while back how life is humbling, it's not just baseball itself is humbling, as many athletes say.  Most God fearing people are trained to be humble, and as we face the trials and trivializations of life this often becomes the case by default.

According to Wikepedia (sure why now), humble is defined as such:

"Humility (adjectival form: humble) is the quality of being modest, reverential, even politely submissive, and never being arrogant, contemptuous, rude or even self-abasing. Humility, in various interpretations, is widely seen as a virtue in many religious and philosophical traditions, being connected with notions of transcendent
unity with the universe or the divine, and of egolessness.

Humility means being aware of the feelings and needs of the people around you and finding a place for them in your heart. Sometimes needs are short term, sometimes long term.

Needs? What are needs?

Needs can be something physical like food and water and shelter, or something internal, like an ear to listen to you, a hug, or a friend.

Most people who who work in the medical profession say they went into medical field because they love people. Yet do they truly have "empathy?" Do they truly have humility?

I don't see humility when I approach the nurses station and the staff is complaining about how they didn't get a raise for the year, and how the bosses are "ignorant" for not giving "me" a raise.

I don't see humility in that, because a person with humility would see that the boss didn't give anyone raises so all staff could keep their jobs. A humble person would jump into his bosses shoes and see what it's like from that perspective (although there are selfish, greedy exceptions of course).

I have humility, I would imagine, when I get called stat to do an EKG that is not needed in my opinion. The whole time I'm walking down there I'm thinking what I'm going to tell the irritating nurses who keeps calling me stat for non life threatening instances.

Yet, once I see the nurse, I see them as the people they are, just working to make a living. So, instead of complaining to them, instead of lecturing them, I keep my mouth shut and just do the job.

I may not do it with a smile, but at least I'm respectful.

Say it's slow at work and your boss says, "One of you RTs needs to go home." Your coworker is burned out and really wants to go home. Yet she says, "Why don't you go home, you have little kids and a wife who is sick."

That was a humble act in my opinion.

Some doctors in the emergency room will not consider the opinions of any other person in the room. They order what they want and complain when it's not done. They walk with their heads high as though they are better than everyone else. Humble they are not.

On the other hand, the humble doctor says, "Does any one else in the room have any ideas that might help this patient?"

Humility is sacrificing your own pride to lift up the other person's pride. Humility is sacrificing your time and energy and your own personal needs to make someone else happy.

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Why the push to get rid of religion?

What harm has religion done to anyone? Why do some people work so hard to try to get rid of religion in this world?  Prominent Cosmologist and theoretical physicist Lawrence M. Krauss believes he has developed a method that would eradicate religion in one generation. Why would he want to?

He said: "“What we need to do is present comparative religion as a bunch of interesting historical anecdotes and show the silly reasons why they each did what they did. Instead of shying away from it, we have to explicitly educate people to confront their own misconceptions.”

Rather than do this, why don't people just leave religious minded people alone. Every study ever done on the matter shows that children who grow up in religious minded homes are more likely to grow up to become productive members of society than children who grow up in non-religious homes.

According to the Heritage Foundation, "Why Religion Matters Even More: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability," by Patrick F. Fagan, studies also show that people who believe in God, and who regularly attend religious services, develop morals and values essential to forming:

• A stable family life
• Strong marriages and stable marriages
• Well behaved children
• Less incidence of domestic abuse
• Less incidence of crime
• Less incidence of substance abuse
• Less incidence of addiction 
• Increased physical health
• Increased mental health
• Longevity
• Educational attainment
• Satisfaction in life
• Higher self esteem
• Increased confidence
• Decreased incidence of divorce 

Perhaps equally important, is that the morals and values inculcated by the Bible are "intergenerational, as grandparents and parents pass on the benefits to the next generation."

And it's not just the Heritage Foundation that reports such studies, as you can find them by any simple Google search.  It's also common sense, as people five thousand years ago found the advantages of religion and Christianity without doing a single poll. 

Faith in God leads to happiness

Not all of the founding fathers believed that Jesus walked the earth.  Yet nearly every single one of them believed that it was important for America to be a Christian nation.  Why?

The answer was that, without having done one scientific study, they realized what the Jews realized over 3,000 years ago: that belief in God made for a safe and happy society.

They knew that those who believed would spend eternal life in Heaven. They knew that those who did not would spend eternal life in Hell.  Belief creates happiness, fear creates respect.  This results in a humble, honorable, and trustworthy society.

The founding fathers, even those who were not true Christians, understood this. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams discussed this subject in many of the letters they wrote to each other in their later years.

They knew that the United States, having accrued a massive debt following their massive campaign for independence, could not afford a militia, and therefore they needed to figure out a way to prevent people from committing crimes.  The way they did this was by inculcating the values and morals of the Christian Bible among society.

It is for this reason that George Washington, along with nearly every president since him, has referenced God and Jesus in many of their speeches.  The idea was to assure that America be an inertly Christian nation.

However, as Tom Knox noted in his column at dailymail.com, The tantalising proof that belief in God makes you happier and healthier:

God has had a tough time over the past few years. On TV, in newspapers and on the internet, the debate as to whether faith has any relevance in a sceptical modern world has been as ubiquitous as it has been vigorous.

And it has been pretty clear which side is the most splenetic. 

From Richard Dawkins’ powerful atheist polemics to Christopher Hitchens’ public derision of the Roman Catholic Tony Blair and Stephen Hawking’s proclamation that the universe ‘has no need for God’, it seems that unbelievers have had the dwindling faithful on the run.

Yet then Knox came to a stunning revelation:

But then I had something of an epiphany. One night, after a long dinner, I was walking back to my hotel in downtown Salt Lake City at 2am and I suddenly realised: I felt safe. As any transatlantic traveller knows, this is a pretty unusual experience in an American city after midnight.

Why did I feel safe? Because I was in a largely Mormon city, and Mormons are never going to mug you. They might bore or annoy you when they come knocking on your door, touting their faith, but they are not going to attack you.

The Mormons’ wholesome religiousness, their endless and charitable kindliness, made their city a better place. And that made me think: Why was I so supercilious about such happy, hospitable people? What gave me the right to sneer at their religion? 

From that moment I took a deeper, more rigorous interest in the possible benefits of religious faith. Not one particular creed, but all creeds. And I was startled by what I found. 

Yet Knox's epiphany should not come as a surprise, as such epiphany's have been the norm throughout history.  The Bible is full of them.  The Bible is also full of stories where people lost Faith in God, such as the Tower of Babel. So what we are facing now is nothing new.

The rise of secularism in America and Europe over the past 60 years comes as no surprise to anyone raised by the Christian Bible.  We have spent our entire lives reading about the temptations of Satan on people throughout history.

We grew up knowing how gifts such as the Holy Spirit and the Theological Virtues create an internal peace even during the most challenging times in life. Such internal peace brings forth joy and comfort.

So while the challenges of life may cause doom and despair in some, those who believe always retain faith and hope, which leads to happiness.

What are the Seven Sacriments

There are seven sacraments of the Catholic Faith, and there purpose is to make people Holy, to build up the body of Christ, and to give worship to God.

The firs three sacraments are the sacraments of initiation, or the primary sacraments for which the rest of our life as a Christian depends.

1.  Baptism: This is when we are cleansed of the original sins, receive the sanctifying grace (theological virtues), and enter into the Church. The receiving of the sanctifying grace prepares us to receive the other sacraments and to live our lives as good Christians, or to rise above cardinal virtues that can be practiced by anyone.

2.  Confirmation: It's the perfection of Baptism, and gives us the grace to live our life as a Christian. This is a process where the individual is educated in the way of the Church, and then graduates (becomes confirmed).

3.  Eucharist (Holy Communion): This is the only one of the sacraments of initiation that is received more than once, and may be received daily.  It is where we consume the Body of Christ in order to unite us with Him and to help us grow in our Faith.

The rest of the sacraments are as follows:

4.  Penance (Confession/ Reconciliation): It is when we ask for forgiveness for our sins, and receive absolution, or forgiveness for our sins. When we sin we deprive ourselves of God's grace, so it is important to acknowledge our sins and ask for forgiveness and absolution. Absolution allows grace to return to our souls so we can once again resist sin. It is one of the sacraments that may be received more than once, and should be received often.

5.  Anointing of the Sick (Extreme Unction, Last Rites): It is administered to the dying for the remission of sins and the provision of spiritual strength and health. It can be repeated as often as necessary.

6.  Matrimony: It is the union between a man and a woman for the purpose of procreation and mutual support, or love. Each spouse in a marriage gives up some rights over his or her life in exchange for rights over the life of the other spouse. Marriage is meant to be a lifelong union.

7.  Holy Orders (Ordination): This sacrament is a continuation of Christ's priesthood, which He bestowed upon his apostles.  It is when man is incorporated into into the priesthood of Christ at one of three levels:

1. Episcopate: The office of Bishop, the first rank of holy orders 
2. Presbyterate: The priesthood, the second rank of holy orders
3. Diaconate: A ministry of mercy who reaches out and offers help to those in need. 

Where do we go to seek God?

All Christians are aware of the importance of saying a prayer, or of communicating with God, both talking to and listening to Him.  Yet as our lives tend to become busy, most of us fail to meet even minimal requirements.  

This was the reflection of our priest recently as he said the following.  

Where do you go to seek God. How often do you go there? All prophets seek a place to be alone with their God. Jesus went off to a deserted place and prayed. We are disciples, and disciples should want to be with their teacher, to a place where we deliberately seek him. Mother Theresa said she encountered the suffering Christ in every face of every poor, sick and dying person she was sent to administer. She mandated all her sisters and all priests to spend three hours in prayer before they started working each day. I’m not advocating we do three hours, but I think it is important to ask: Where do we go to be in communion with God, and how often do we go there?

How and when to pray

If you believe in God you'd probably better pray.  If you don't believe in God, chances are you pray anyway when you're backed into a corner, so you might as well do it right.

When I was a child my mom would have me read, from time to time, a Biblical reading that showed me how to pray.  I remember it saying that one should ideally kneel and pray in silence, and it should be done at least every night, if not more frequently.

As a typical guy, I never could remember the passage she had me read. Sometimes I would ask mom, and she would tell me where to find it in the Bible. Yet even after asking her 20 times, I still don't remember it, even though the last time I asked was probably over 30 years ago.

I don't know if it was a passage that she learned from her mother or religious upbringing, or whether she learned it through a newspaper clipping.  I do, however, remember that the prayer was sometimes in the paper, and she'd cut it out and give it to me.

Today I do not know the passage. I could ask mom, but have not gotten around to it. With the gift of the Internet and Google I thought I could find it online, although, even if I read it, I'm not sure I'd know if I was reading the same passage. However, I have this feeling that I'd just know.

As of yet I have not found it.  However, there are many websites that quote scripture on how to pray, such as christianity.about.com and biblegateway.com:

• (Matthew 6:6):  But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you
• (Matthew 6:7):  “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases (do not babble on and on) as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. 
• (Ecclesiastes 5:2):  Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. 
• (Luke 11: 1-4):  He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”  He said to them, “When you pray, say:  Father, hallowed by your name.  Your kingdom come.  Give us each day our daily bread.  And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.  And do not bring us to the time of trial... 
• (Luke 11: 9-13):  “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."

There are many verses that explain how to pray, or why to pray, although these are the basic ones. When I was a kid I would try to pray on my knees as my mother instructed, although such a task was sometimes impossible due to exhaustion, laziness or even embarrassment.  

The issue of embarrassment didn't come into play until college when I had roommates.  It seemed silly to kneel before the bed and pray, so prayers were done under cover of blankets.   Sometimes I'd feel guilty for not kneeling, although there was no way I'd do it with people around.  

Then one day one of my roommates and I had a nice discussion about prayer.  He said he was taught that it didn't matter how or where you prayed so much as that you did it.  So it was on his advice that the guilt subsided. 

The Bible describes praying in every position imaginable, such as standing (1 Kings 8:22), bowing, (Exodus 4:31) sitting, kneeling (1 Kings 8:54), or lying down.  A prayer may also be cited in silence, or aloud, and at any point during the day.  

The general consensus, I believe, is that a person should find time to pray at least once per day.  Some say it should be in the morning to thank God for helping you make it through the night, and to ask for help through the new day.  Some say it's best to pray at night, in order to thank Him for helping guide you through the day, and for continued guidance.  Some recommend praying both in the morning and at night.  

I'm more of a nighttime prayer, and this is when I'm most likely to pray with my children.  Recently, however, I read Psalm 3, which is a prayer David said in the morning after he ran away from his son Absalom.  In it, he thanked the Lord for a safe night while fighting was ongoing around him.  So some believe a morning prayer is necessary when the Lord keeps us safe in the night.

What you say in the prayer is up to you, so long as, according to Matthew, you do not babble on and on.  A prayer should be short and sweet, or pithy.  Surely I like to ask, although almost always I start by thanking.

All that said, it is Matthew who gives the basic prayer, one that most Christians, or at least most Catholics, should know by heart.  There are various versions of it, yet they all mean the same (Matthew 6: 9-13).

“Pray then in this way:
Our Father (who art) in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts (trespasses),
as we also have forgiven our debtors (who trespass against us).
And do not bring us to the time of trial (lead us not into temptation),
but rescue us from the evil one (but deliver us from evil).

If you're one of those who pray in desperation, chances are you believe deep down.  For the rest of us, prayers should easily transition into our daily lives.

The habit of prayer

When I was a kid I as encouraged by my mother to get on my hands and knees and pray every night.  Sometimes, when I was very little, she would kneel with me.  This was good because her words taught me how to pray, and her doing it with me made praying habitual.

As is perhaps the intended consequence of being a Catholic, on those nights when I didn't pray I felt guilty.  More often than not this guilt turned into a prayer. Mom said that, if you are tired or time is limited, even a sign of the cross is considered a prayer.  Sometimes I took advantage of this, thus making my prayers short.

Sometimes I would forget how to pray, and I would ask mom how.  When I was younger she'd pray with me.  When I was older, she read to me a passage of the Bible that explained how to pray.  When I was even older, she'd give me the name of the passage and have me look it up myself.  Perhaps this was her way of getting me to memorize the passage.  I did not.  Although, I wonder if it is one of these.

As I grew older and my life became busier, praying remained a habit.  I didn't always get down on my knees, but more often than not I did.  And, when I did, I usually felt that much better about my prayer.

During my six month stay at the asthma hospital in Denver I prayed on my back every night until I got my own room, and then I prayed on my knees.  There was always the risk a counselor could open the door and catch me, although, in retrospect that doesn't seem like such a bad thing.

When I returned from Denver life quickly got busy, and praying on my knees became a major challenge, especially as I had room mates in college.  So it became customary for me to pray while tucked under the covers in bed.  Still, the habit inculcated into me by my mother continued.

So I have a habit of praying at night.  I try the best I can to share this habit with my children.  I sometimes do it with them as mom did, although rarely do we kneel.  A childish feeling of guilt usually rushes through me when we do not kneel, and an even deeper guilt when we pray not at all.

When we do pray, our prayers are simple.  Laney uses the word "I wish" instead of "I pray." Yet I pray that she picks up the habit as I have.  Surely it helps during the course of this life.

When was Jesus born?

Back in 2009 the History Channel did a series on Christmas.  One of the shows depicted the Birth of Christ and how it might have actually occurred.  It also noted that one of the major errors of the story of Christmas was the date that it actually occurred, and it explained why this error was made.

In other words, most evidence suggests that December 25 is not the day Christ was born.  Likewise, most evidence suggests that the year 1 was not the year of the lord.

To be honest, none of this surprised me, as I was taught this at an early age.  I'm certain most children are taught the same, especially in the secular world we live in today, a world where people will do anything to prove Jesus is a fraud.

Yet as a Christian, and as a Catholic, I find that this information has little significance, and in no way proves that Jesus did not exist. Still, I believe it is good to be accurate with facts, especially considering most rulers throughout history believed an ignorant populace benefited the state.

Anyway, one episode discussed when Jesus might have been born. Yet most societies back then used random Roman kings to base their calendars on, and so there was no consistent calendar.  It is partly for this reason, and the fact that most people were illiterate and did not record history, that the actual birth of Christ remains a mystery to history.

Of course another reason why the Birth of Christ remains a mystery to history is because the main emphasis in the early years of Christianity was on the death of Christ, not on the birth of Christ.

However, what we do know is that several hundred years after the Birth of Christ, Christian Priests got together and they thought it would be really cool to have a calendar based on the birth of Christ, as opposed to some random Roman King.

So, since there was no knowledge of the actual birth of Christ, December 25 was chosen as the day to hold the celebration of Christmas.  This date was chosen for no other reason than that it was the date of a chief pagan holiday.  The idea was the celebrating Christmas on this date would be a great way of overriding the old celebration and bringing in the new.

This turned out to be perhaps the #1 most effective and significant public relations strategy in the history of the world, as, in the United States alone, 90 percent celebrate the birth of Christ, including 80 percent of non-Christians.

Of course this should be of no surprise, because, after all, Christianity is the only true religion.  And one must not doubt for a moment that God, or the son of God (the Word), helped the men in charge of the campaign.

So what started out as a cult following grew to become the most significant religion in the history of mankind. This is (was) a huge PR success story.

But I digress.

A scholar determined that Jesus must have been born on year 473, or something like that, of the Roman calendar.  So a week after the Birth of Christ starts the new year. That pretty much put to rest the search for the date of the Birth of Christ.

Eighteen hundred years later, researchers determined that the scholar who chose that year failed to take into account a few specific details mentioned in the Bible. For one thing, Jesus was born during the rein of King Herad, who died in 2 BC.

Therefore, since Herad is mentioned in the Bible for 4 years after the birth of Jesus, then Jesus must have been born in 6 BC.

Another scientist used information about the star of Bethlehem that the three Kings (of course the Bible does not say how many Kings there were) used to find the baby Jesus. The Bible states it occurred in the East. In Jesus's time, the east referred to the Eastern sky in the morning where the sun rises.

So, the search was on to determine what event would have occurred in the Easter sky that might have occurred around 6 BC.

Another account of the Bible states that Jesus was born in a manger, during a time when the Shepherds were watching their sheep. During the time of Jesus Shepherds only watched over their sheep at night, which meant he was born at night.

Also significant, most of the year sheep were not watched. The only time they were was in the spring.  So Jesus would have been born in the spring not winter.

Another scientist determined that other manuscripts of the time make note that the star occurred in the constellation (what was it called?) that was a symbol of of Judaism.

Likewise, Zeus was also mentioned. More significant, the planet that represented Zeus was Jupiter. Thus, this scientist determined that the star of Bethlehem would have been an event involving Jupiter in the eastern sky, at night, and in the spring, and around the year 6 BC.

So, using his computer, he set out to determine when such an event would have occurred, and he determined, according to his computer, that Jupiter would have been aligned in the Easter sky in this particular constellation on April 18, of 6 B.C.

This date lines up perfectly with all the significant historical events described in the Bible.  It was during the rein of King Heran; it was during the spring; it was during the phase of the moon and other things in the sky depicted in Biblical stories.

The experts note that the result of such an alignment in the sky would have made for a remarkable sight, although it would not have

The result of such an alignment would have been a remarkable sight for those who saw it the night Jesus was born.  Still, it would not have been too bright.  This would have made it obvious to those who were looking for it, and not so obvious to those who were not.

This was significant, because the kings (magi, magicians, wise men) had to convince King Herod there was such a sight in the sky the night Jesus was born.  It had to not only have been there, but had to have been not so obvious for un-knowing to have seen.

Merry Christmas.

God made man in his own image

As we learn by our understanding of the Creed, God shares his Wisdom with us through the Holy Spirit.  This is the feeling that burns inside of us, and what allows us to accept God.  The Holy Spirit is the sense of Glory, Faith and Hope inside us. It's the feeling of love, joy, and happiness.

On the sixth day (which means era in ancient Hebrew) God created man in his own image.

Genesis 1:26 says:

Then God said, ‘Let us make people who are images of us. Let them be similar to us. Let them rule over the fish of the sea. Let them rule over the birds of the air. Let them rule over the animals. Let them rule over the whole earth. Let them rule over every crawling animal that crawls on the earth.’

Genesis 1:27 says:

So God created people who were images of himself. He created them as images of God. He created man and woman.

Genesis 1: 28 says:

God promised good things to them. He said, ‘Have large families. Increase so that you fill the earth. Rule over the earth. Rule over the fish in the sea. Rule over the birds that fly in the air. Rule over every living animal that moves on the earth.’

Allow me to break this down:

1.  "Then God said, 'Let us make people who are images of us. Let them be similar to us.'"

By "us" God is probably referring to the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit).

2.  "So God created people who were images of himself. He created them as images of God. He created man and woman."

By "images of us" he does not mean that we look just like God, because that would be impossible.  We are not like God, as we are made of flesh and have brains like animals.  But we are made in His image in that He gave us the Spirit.  It is this Spirit that is like God.

Again, it is through the Spirit that we can know and accept God.  It is also through the spirit that we are superior to animals, because, while they have a body and a brain, they do not have the spirit; they are not made in the image of God.  

3.  "Let them rule over the whole earth. Let them rule over every crawling animal that crawls on the earth."

This was the job he gave to humans.  He gave them the responsibility of taking care of the earth and all the animals and plants on the earth.  He told them that they must look after them and take care of them.  That is part of our duty to God. 

Because we have the Spirit, we have the ability to think and to ration, unlike animals. It is for this reason that he put us in charge of the animals and the planet. 

He also gave us natural rights, or liberties handed down from him.  He could have made a perfect world, but he made a flawed world. In this way, it was the job of humans to try to perfect the world.  This would give those who chose wisely a sense of satisfaction.  

Then it was only through death that perfection, a true euphoria, would be  found in Heaven.  Yet only those who chose to listen to the Spirit and accept God and His Word would be able to find eternal life in Heaven.  

Theological Virtues

There are three theological virtues.  Unlike the Cardinal Virtues which can be practiced by anyone, theological virtues can only be practiced by those who receive them, and they are gifts of grace from God.

They are habits that become stronger as we practice them. Their immediate and proper object is God, and so they are infused in our soul. Like all virtues, they become a habit.  The include the following.

1.  Faith: It is showing our love for God through our action, such as practicing the cardinal virtues. It's a gift that allows us to reason that God exists, and that all knowledge extends from Him.  It is knowing that knowledge extends far beyond our intellect. So faith helps us grasp the truth of divine revelation. Faith is also knowing that man cannot fully grasp the true nature of the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), which is why it's referred to as a mystery. Since humans have free will, we can reject the gift of faith.  When we revolt against God through sin, God may withdraw the gift of faith.

2.  Hope: It can only be practiced by those who believe in God, and has as it's ultimate object union with God in Heaven.  It is trusting that God will grant eternal life if we practice what He has taught us. It is knowing that we cannot achieve eternal life on our own, it's belief or confidence that God will show us how to obtain eternal life, and belief or confidence that He will actually grant it to us when the time comes.

3.  Charity:  It's loving God above all else, and loving others for God's sake.  The exercise of it increase our love for God and our fellow man. It depends on faith, because without faith in God we cannot love, nor can we love our fellow man for God's sake. It is considered by many to be the greatest of all the virtues.