Noua țări din care Religia ar putea dispărea

Un studiu care compilează date obținute la recensămintele a 9 țări sugerează că religia ar putea dispărea în 9 țări, ca urmare a faptului că tot mai puțini oameni se declară afiliați vreunei religii.

Cercetătorii americani care au elaborat studiul s-au bazat pe informații adunate prin recensământ, în ultimul secol, din țări precum Australia, Austria, Canada, Republica Cehă, Finlanda, Irlanda, Olanda, Noua Zeelandă și Elveția.

Rezultatul obținut în urma aplicării unui model matematic, numit dinamica nonlinearăa fost că, în timp, numărul persoanelor neafiliate religios va scădea, până la dispariția celor care se declară membri ai unei biserici.

„Idea e simplă,” explică Richard Wiene, de la Research Corporation for Science Advancement și Universitatea Arizona, citat de BBC. „Grupurile sociale care au mai mulți membri vor fi mai atractiv de urmat,” deoarece grupurile sociale sunt utile în stabilirea unui statut social. „De exemplu,” adaugă Wiener, „este mai util social să înveți spaniola, decât limba Quechua din Peru.”

Din observațiile cercetătorilor, în multe din democrațiile seculare se înregistrează o tendință ca oamenii să se declare neafiliați religios. Cei mai mare procent de astfel de oameni s-a înregistrat în Republica Cehă, unde 60% dintre cehi se declară neafiliați religios.

sursa http://www.semneletimpului.ro

Alexandru Grigorescu – predica in strada in Bucuresti

Dumnezeu sa lucreze la inima poporului roman! Published on Jun 4, 2012 by alexandrugriorescu

Vizioneaza

• Marturie – Alexandru Grigorescu – De la droguri si puscarie la predicarea in strada!
• Marturia de la Conferinta Strajeri 
• Pagina MARTURII

Video of the Week – Eliza Pirosca – „Abia astept s-ajung acasa” (live)

O voce „diferita”, angelica cantand spre slava lui Dumnezeu.

Primul video este live si calitatea sunetului nu este atat de bun ca si celelalte fisiere inregistrate in studio, si din cate am inteles sunt din primul album al Elizei.

Eliza Pirosca

Abia astept s-ajung acasa

Eliza Pirosca – Liniste

Eliza Pirosca – Oare de ce-i atat de greu

Eliza Pirosca Tumult

Uploaded by xyzwsabdr on Nov 10, 2008

America’s moral schizophrenia

Ken Connor over at the Christian Post writes about America’s contradictory beliefs on whether government should impose morality on its citizenry. His example is New York’s Mayor Bloomberg’s campaign to legislate the size of soft drinks due to what Connor accurately describes

the tendency of the eco-conscious, health-obsessed culture that characterizes America’s urbane elites, which widely considers it to be a moral imperative for government to do whatever it can to stem the tide of obesity in America.

And he goes on to note Mrs. Obama’s and Bloomberg’s zeal to take a firm „moral” stand on the issue of nutrition. Yet, when it comes to abortion Connor points out:

Ironically however, both Bloomberg and the First Lady are fervent advocates of a woman’s „right to choose” abortion, and view any efforts by government to restrict such choice as inappropriate and overly intrusive. Which brings us to another story making headlines in recent days: Congress’ refusal to outlaw the abhorrent practice of gender-based abortion. Most Democrats are so terrified of appearing even slightly judgmental about the morality of terminating a pregnancy that they can’t even bring themselves to vote on the subject!

His assessment is right on the mark when he says that, „when you jettison the moral truths that inhere in the Judeo-Christian tradition, the world turns topsy turvy”.

So we find ourselves living in a society where our elected officials see nothing strange about using the power of government to impose a morality of nutrition while shying away from using that power to protect the lives of innocent unborn children. How can this be? What kind of mindset can embrace such moral schizophrenia? I would humbly suggest that when you jettison the moral truths that inhere in the Judeo-Christian tradition, the world turns topsy turvy. Our elected representatives, the Muppets of Sesame Street, and Oprah devote hours of time, effort, and money in order to educate the masses about the dangers of high fructose corn syrup while ignoring the crises of crumbling families and a culture that increasingly celebrates hedonism and death. Our government won’t allow you to enjoy a Big Gulp, but it will stand aside and let you choose to kill your unborn daughter simply because you’ve already painted the nursery blue. Heaven help us!

 He concludes:

We should be very wary of a government unconstrained by traditional notions of right and wrong. When men in power take it upon themselves to decide what is just, what is true, and what is good; when they look inward to their own sinful hearts and outward towards a crumbling culture for guidance instead of upward to the Creator, they will inevitably choose the wrong path, and civilized society will suffer.

Congress had an opportunity to send a signal to the American people and to the rest of the world that we are a nation that cherishes our founding principles, honors the sanctity of life, and values equally the worth of baby boys and girls. Instead, they chose the coward’s way and cast a shadow of shame over what is supposed to be the land of the free and home of the brave.

Read the entire article here at the Christian Post – http://global.christianpost.com

Related articles

• The Real War on Women: House Rejects Sex-Selection Abortion Ban (ferrellgummit.wordpress.com)
• Some people call it a „choice”… (patheos.com)
• Government Gone Too Far?: Mayor Bloomberg Plans to Ban Large Sugary Drinks From New York City (foxnewsinsider.com)
• NYC mayor wants ban on super-size soft drinks (abc.net.au)
• New York mayor wants big sugary drinks banned (news.blogs.cnn.com)
• Mayor Bloomberg’s Sweet Sugary Nanny State (txwclp.org)

Man acting as a devil – Horatius Bonar

Horatius Bonar  – The Surety’s Cross via http://www.gracegems.org

In the cross, we see what is in man. In the cross, man has spoken out. He has exhibited himself, and made unconscious confession of his feelings, especially in  reference to God–to His Being, His authority, His character, His law, His love. It was man who erected  the cross, and nailed the Son of God to it! Permitted by God to give vent to the feelings of his heart, and placed in circumstances the least likely to call forth anything but love–he thus expressed the feelings of his heart in hatred to God and to His incarnate Son!

Reckoning the death of the cross, the worst of all deaths–man deems it the fittest for the Son of God! Thus, the  enmity of the natural heart speaks out, and man not only confesses publicly that he is a hater of God–but he takes pains to show the intensity of his hatred! More–he glories in his shame, crying aloud, „Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

The cross thus interprets what is in man’s heart. The cross rips the mask of pretended religion from his face; and exhibits man overflowing with the malignity of hell!

You say, „I don’t hate God! I may be indifferent to Him. He may not be in all my thoughts; but I don’t hate Him!”

Then, what does that cross mean?

Love, hatred, indifference–which? Does love demand the death of the loved One? Does indifference crucify its objects? Look at your hands! Are they not red with blood? Whose blood is that? The blood of God’s own Son! No–neither love nor indifference shed His blood. It was hatred that did it! Enmity–the enmity of the carnal heart!

You say that I have no right to judge you. I am not judging you. It is yon cross which judges you, and I am asking you to judge yourselves by it. It is yon cross that interprets your purposes, and reveals the thoughts and intents of your heart!

Oh, what a revelation! Man hating God–and hating most, when God is loving most! Man acting as a devil–and taking the devil’s side against God!

The cross, then, was the public declaration of man’s hatred of God, man’s rejection of His Son, and man’s avowal of his belief that he needs no Savior!

„What do you think of Christ?” was God’s question. Man’s answer was, „Crucify Him!”

O what must man be–when he can hate, condemn, mock, scourge, spit upon, crucify, the Lamb of God; when coming to him clothed in love, and with the garments of salvation?

And what must sin be–when, in order to expiate it, the Lord of glory must die upon the tree–an outcast, a criminal, a curse!

Published on Jun 3, 2012 by stack45ny Man Acting as a Devil – Horatius Bonar

Horatius Bonar playlist: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=18634AFFD4BC6BEF

Mark 15:12 Pilate answered and said to them again, „What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?” 13 So they cried out again, „Crucify Him!” 14 Then Pilate said to them, „Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, „Crucify Him!”

Horatius Bonar – (1808-1889), Scottish churchman and poet

Horatius Bonar had a passionate heart for revival and was a friend and supporter of several revivalists, He was brother to the more well-known Andrew Bonar, and with him defended D. L. Moody’s evangelistic ministry in Scotland. He authored a couple of excellent revival works, one including over a hundred biographical sketches and the other an addendum to Rev. John Gillies’ Historical Collections bringing it up to date.

He was a powerful soul-winner and is well qualified to pen his brief, but illuminating study of the character of true revivalists.

Horatius was in fact one of eleven children, and of these an older brother, John James, and a younger, Andrew, also became ministers and were all closely involved, together with Thomas Chalmers, William C. Burns and Robert Murray M’Cheyne, in the important spiritual movements which affected many places in Scotland in the 1830s and 1840s.

In the controversy known as the „Great Disruption,” Horatius stood firmly with the evangelical ministers and elders who left the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly in May 1843 and formed the new Free Church of Scotland. By this time he had started to write hymns, some of which appeared in a collection he published in 1845, but typically, his compositions were not named. His gifts for expressing theological truths in fluent verse form are evident in all his best-known hymns, but in addition he was also blessed with a deep understanding of doctrinal principles.

Examples of the hymns he composed on the fundamental doctrines include, „Glory be to God the Father”…..on the Trinity. „0 Love of God, how strong and true”…..on Redemption. „Light of the world,” – „Rejoice and be glad” – „Done is the work” on the Person and Work of Christ. „Come Lord and tarry not,” on His Second Coming, while the hymn „Blessed be God, our God!” conveys a sweeping survey of Justification and Sanctification.

In all this activity, his pastoral work and preaching were never neglected and after almost twenty years laboring in the Scottish Borders at Kelso, Bonar moved back to Edinburgh in 1866 to be minister at the Chalmers Memorial Chapel (now renamed St. Catherine’s Argyle Church). He continued his ministry for a further twenty years helping to arrange D.L. Moody’s meetings in Edinburgh in 1873 and being appointed moderator of the Free Church ten years later. His health declined by 1887, but he was approaching the age of eighty when he preached in his church for the last time, and he died on 31 May 1889.

Related articles

• Because of Christ – Horatius Bonar Quote (haroldcameron.wordpress.com)
• THE CROSS by H. Bonar (justificationbygrace.com)
• Horatius Bonar on First Importance (ioan17.wordpress.com)
• LOVE NOT THE WORLD by Horatius Bonar (sovereigngraceanniston.com)

A W Tozer – Riches that Bring No Sorrow

A W TOZER – Sermon PAGE

Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.

From the introduction:

The blessing of the Lord; what it is and what it means to us and it leaves no bitter taste. Solomon was one of the richest and the wisest and as he writes in Proverbs in his old age, he says very simply that a man who has God’s blessing on him is a rich man and that he will never have any regrets or sorrow as a result of those kinds of riches.

Here was an old man, Solomon and he had lived it up in his days, he had plenty of everything and time was running up on him and he was writing his proverbs. Solomon wasn’t putting sour grapes in here, he watched the drama of humanity  and he looked in his own heart and saw how empty it was, and so he said, „The blessing of the Lord maketh rich”. What is this blessing of the Lord?

If I was reading this without the benefit of reading the rest of the Bible I wouldn’t know what this man means; but, when you allow the rest of the Bible to be a commentary on this, then you know what this means. It began back there, when God said to Abraham, „Abraham, come out of that country and thy kingdom and  come to a new place and I will show thee and I will bless thee and make thy name great…

Published on Jun 3, 2012 by stack45ny A.W. Tozer Sermon – Riches that Bring No Sorrow

A.W. Tozer sermon playlist: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=66987CD6E419E258

Aiden Wilson Tozer was born April 21, 1897, on a small farm among the spiny ridges of Western Pennsylvania. Within a few short years, Tozer, as he preferred to be called, would earn the reputation and title of a „20th-century prophet.” Able to express his thoughts in a simple but forceful manner, Tozer combined the power of God and the power of words to nourish hungry souls, pierce human hearts, and draw earthbound minds toward God.

When he was 15 years old, Tozer’s family moved to Akron, Ohio. One afternoon as he walked home from his job at Goodyear, he overheard a street preacher say, „If you don’t know how to be saved . . . just call on God.” When he got home, he climbed the narrow stairs to the attic where, heeding the preacher’s advice, Tozer was launched into a lifelong pursuit of God. In 1919, without formal education, Tozer was called to pastor a small storefront church in Nutter Fort, West Virginia. That humble beginning thrust him and his new wife Ada Cecelia Pfautz, into a 44-year ministry with The Christian and Missionary Alliance. Thirty-one of those years were spent at Chicago’s Southside Alliance Church. The congregation, captivated by Tozer’s preaching, grew from 80 to 800.

In 1950 Tozer was elected editor of the Alliance Weekly now called Alliance Life. The circulation doubled almost immediately. In the first editorial dated June 3, 1950, he set the tone: „It will cost something to walk slow in the parade of the ages while excited men of time rush about confusing motion with progress. But it will pay in the long run and the true Christian is not much interested in anything short of that.”

Tozer’s forte was his prayer life which often found him walking the aisles of a sanctuary or lying face down on the floor. He noted, „As a man prays, so is he.” To him the worship of God was paramount in his life and ministry. „His preaching as well as his writings were but extensions of his prayer life,” comments Tozer biographer James L. Snyder. An earlier biographer noted, „He spent more time on his knees than at his desk.”

Tozer’s love for words also pervaded his family life. He quizzed his children on what they read and made up bedtime stories for them. „The thing I remember most about my father,” reflects his daughter Rebecca, „was those marvelous stories he would tell.”
Son Wendell, one of six boys born before the arrival of Rebecca, remembers that, „We all would rather be treated to the lilac switch by our mother than to have a talking-to by our dad.”

Tozer’s final years of ministry were spent at Avenue Road Church in Toronto, Canada. On May 12, 1963, his earthly pursuit of God ended when he died of a heart attack at age 66. In a small cemetery in Akron, Ohio, his tombstone bears this simple epitaph: „A Man of God.”

Some wonder why Tozer’s writings are as fresh today as when he was alive. It is because, as one friend commented, „He left the superficial, the obvious and the trivial for others to toss around. . . . [His] books reach deep into the heart.”
His humor, written and spoken, has been compared to that of Will Rogers–honest and homespun. Congregations could one moment be swept by gales of laughter and the next sit in a holy hush.

For almost 50 years, Tozer walked with God. Even though he is gone, he continues to speak, ministering to those who are eager to experience God. As someone put it, „This man makes you want to know and feel God.”

A W TOZER – Sermon PAGE

Modesty of lifestyle

Whenever I post such pictures, the intention is not to make us all feel guilty that God has provided us with a home, and food to eat, but it is meant to show us PERSPECTIVE and to remind us how thankful we should be for whatever we do have, and when we have a little extra, there are plenty places in the world where the contribution of our little extra ($$$) means de difference between the life and death of a person. This is heartbreaking:

from the Los Angeles Times – A Pakistani child, whose family fled their village due to tribal fighting lies in a bed outside her home in Islamabad.