Did Ancient Israelites Drink Beer?
Fr. John A. Peck, Preachers Institute
The drinking of beer was prevalent across the Ancient Middle East, and a daily libation in the Ancient world. So why don’t we see the word ‘beer’ in the Bible?
Germany ‘exporting’ old and sick to foreign care homes
Kate Connolly, The Guardian
Pensioners are being sent to care homes in eastern Europe and Asia in an austerity move dismissed as ‘inhumane deportation’
Christians Besieged
Benny Avni, New York Post
The Christmas season’s become a time to reflect on the fate of Christians around the world, from the besieged ancient communities of the Middle East to the tyrannized worshippers in China. But let us not ignore the violent threats to Christians in Africa.
Ten ways redefining marriage would damage civil liberty
Peter Saunders, LifeSiteNews
Freedom to disagree and the right to private conscience are fundamental liberties in any truly open society. Yet, the Government has utterly failed to consider the impact on civil liberty of its plans to redefine marriage.
“Registrars who have a conscientious objection to the new definition of marriage will be dismissed unless they are prepared to act against their beliefs. ”
Currently, it is legal for heterosexuals to marry three, four … even ten times in the course of their lifetime. They can go through spouses more often than they change bed sheets. In fact, some “pro-family” politicians and commentators seem to be making a concerted effort to outdo King Solomon in their number of wives (even if they’re consecutive rather than concurrent).
Not that a registrar has ever bothered inquiring as to the number of previous marriages or nature of their dissolution, but should one actually have the moral consistency to do so, would they be able to refuse to provide a civil marriage license and keep their jobs if the answer was not to their liking?
If not, why is requiring they provide civil marriage licenses to gay couples any different? How is it some form of “persecution” when the other scenario is not?
You are right, James. We should refuse marriage licenses to those ‘serial polygamists.’ That doesn’t mean that we should allow homosexuals to marry, though. Nice try on the bait and switch.
” We should refuse marriage licenses to those ‘serial polygamists.’ ”
At least you’re consistent!
That doesn’t quite answer the question, though: can registrars deny marriage licenses to heterosexual couples who can be married under that state’s law but where that couple may be entering an “unbiblical” marriage?
I’m thinking not, in which case I don’t see how legalized gay marriage creates an undo imposition on anyone’s rights in a way that doesn’t exist already. In other words, the charge that gay marriage imposes something new upon religious believers is entirely bogus.
Back to your statement, though: you acknowledge that there are legal civil marriages for heterosexuals that some churches may not deem valid. Is this an error, do you think?
Should there be some sort of panel who imposes some sort of religious test upon those who are seeking to enter a heterosexual civil marriage? If so, who would participate in this panel, and what should their criteria be?
Your sidebar argument is irrelevant to the issue of homosexual marriage. Legislation will never supercede a God-ordained covenant. Homosexuals cannot have marriage or be married. It never was their institution and it never will be. By your acknowledgement that there is a standard which the state should hold marriage to, you are conceding to the notion that marriage has been morally defined. So by what standard do you define it? You ask if we need a panel to define it. It is defined. Since you want to re-define it, the burden of setting the standard falls on you, not me. I have a clear definition. I didn’t need a panel. I really didn’t even need the state to define it for me–anyone can discern the clear roles of man and woman and the complementary way one man and one woman participate in a marriage. God has set the definition in the physical bodies of husband and wife and the roles they play in this institution. A husband will never be a mother and a wife will never be a father.
Regarding the other topic you bring up, it is tragic that there are those who don’t take the marriage covenant seriously enough to refrain from marrying many partners. That this happens doesn’t mean we simply lower the standards of what constitutes a marriage to include homosexuals.
Thanks for the interesting beer in the bible article.
Somehow I thought the flavored beer was an innovation. Berries in lienenkugel, that must be heresy! Who knew it was an ancient practice.
That stuff about beer is fine, but what we really want to know is whether they ate pizza with their beer, or just pretzels! :)