Month: August 2017 Page 3 of 4

From: lifesitenews.com

The disturbing secret message of the ‘gay pride’ flag

May 3, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) — Flags and banners are important symbols that claim and establish territory or convey an important message.

Many would say that the White House bathed in the colors of the rainbow flag on June 26, 2015, was nothing more than a sign of celebration, a well-deserved message of congratulations to the LGBT community after the Supreme Court’s ruling. A senior official at the White House tweeted that this was a declaration that “Love wins!”

But there is clearly something more behind the rainbow-colored White House. It was a sign of victory, and more than that, it was a declaration of dominance.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines dominion as “control over a country or people, or the land that belongs to a ruler.”

This is what dominion — the hostile ideological takeover of a great nation by a foreign occupying force — looks like:

D   O   M   I   N   I   O   N

Underlying it all is a mocking proclamation of the ruler of this world that reason, natural law and the common good can be impeached and banished in favor of sophistry and the institutionalizing of the untenable, outrageous notion of genderless marriage. And that as ruler he maintains his own brand of influence over the United States: over political leaders, even those in the highest realms of government; over judges in the highest court in the land and many lower courts; over media and many thought and opinion leaders; over many major corporations, and over academia at every level.

It also stands as a warning of judgment and doom for those who oppose this occupying force, who stand against this ideological colonization, meant to demoralize and create a sense of hopeless, totalitarian inevitability, of surrender and defeat.

Scripture makes it clear that Satan seeks dominion over every heart, every government:

“We know that we are God’s children, and that the whole world lies under the power of the evil one,” (1 John 5:19). He is “The “ancient serpent … who leads the whole world astray” (Revelation 12:9).

This is his purpose, to deceive and distract all from the magnificent glory of the Gospel, of God’s eternal plan for humanity. In particular, he seeks to deceive passive, dull-minded, unaware believers: “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by its cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3).

In our day, we witness the attempted obliteration of gender, complementarity, and conjugal marriage as a means of undermining both the preaching of and experience of the Gospel.

But it’s just a pretty flag

It’s not just the government that has been overtaken by the rainbow flag. We’ve also watched as the rainbow colors have infiltrated some churches and denominations, small and large. While these are intended as signs of inclusiveness and tolerance, their presence is in reality a sign of the unabashed brazenness of the ancient enemy of Christ planting his flag wherever he can to claim God’s people for himself.

The Cross is the great symbol of God’s people, a declaration in every Church and in every Christian home of our deep, living connection to Him who died that we might live, that we are created for Christ and that through the power of His Blood and Cross, we are made new creations in Him.

But the presence of the rainbow flag as a sign of “marriage equality” is meant to supplant the Cross and dilute its meaning. It stands in stark opposition to the eternal intention of Christ who has made us clean through the shedding of His Blood in order to “… present [his Bride] to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless … ” (Ephesians 5:27; See also Revelation 19:8).

It is an attempt to erase the blueprint that God has provided for us: Without conjugal, complementary marriage, understanding of the Gospel is dimmed.

The rainbow flag in churches stands in judgment and mockery of the Primordial Sacrament, Christ’s spousal love for his perfect complement, his Betrothed, the Church.

It’s just an equal sign: Dismantling the Cross of Christ

Are the red and pink symbols heralding genderless marriage as fully equal to conjugal marriage really just pink equal signs against a red background?

And its older genderless sibling — the Human Rights Campaign’s logo consisting of a yellow equal sign against a blue background — is it too nothing more than what it appears to be?

Or is it possible that in both cases the parallel bars insidiously represent the dismantled beams of the Cross of Christ? The vertical component that represents humanity’s connection to God has been laid on its side, deemed irrelevant in these modern times.

Whether wittingly or unwittingly, the Human Rights Campaign is a conduit for the father of lies to mock and ridicule the great Truth of the primordial sacrament, Christ and His Bride. These symbols exist to invite judgment and condemnation of not only Christianity but every clear-thinking Christian. They are a vehicle through which the “accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10 KJV) condemns both believers and the heart of the Gospel.

The presence of “equality” banners in churches and elsewhere is an outright condemnation of complementarity, meant to dismantle and disengage the terms bride and groom, husband and wife, so that they can be reassembled in a mocking manner as groom & groom, husband & husband, bride & bride, and wife & wife.

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From: Zero Hedge

STUDY WARNS OF BINGE-DRINKING “CRISIS” AS ALCOHOLISM RATES SPIKE 49%

AUGUST 10, 2017

Americans are hitting the bottle harder than ever, according to a new study published by JAMA Psychiatry, posing new challenges for the US’s strained health-care system as local hospitals and first responders struggle with the spike in substance-abuse related maladies, including overdoses and alcohol poisoning that warrant urgent care.

The JAMA study showed that rates of dangerous binge drinking rose dramatically between 2001 and 2013, with women, ethnic minorities, Americans over the age of 65 and low-education adults registering the largest increases.

“Twelve-month alcohol use significantly increased from 65.4% in 2001-2002 to 72.7% in 2012-2013, a relative percentage increase of 11.2%. Significant increases, seen across all sociodemographic subgroups, were particularly notable among women (15.8%), racial/ethnic minorities (from 17.2% among Hispanic to 29.1% among Asian or Pacific Islander individuals), adults 65 years and older (22.4%), and respondents with lower educational level and family income (range, 11.7%-22.3%).”

Furthermore, rates of diagnosed alcoholism climbed 49% to roughly one in eight Americans.

“The prevalence of 12-month DSM-IV AUD increased significantly from 8.5% to 12.7% (change, 49.4%) in the total population. Significant increases in AUD were seen in all subgroups except Native Americans and those residing in rural areas. Notable increases were found among women (83.7%), racial/ethnic minorities (51.9% for Hispanic and 92.8% for black individuals), adults 65 years and older (106.7%), those with a high school education (57.8%) and less than a high school education (48.6%), those earning incomes of $20?000 or less (65.9%), those living within 200% of the poverty threshold (range, 47.1%-55.8%), and those residing in urban areas (59.5%).”

Rates of “high risk” drinking increased by 30%, with women and minorities again registering the biggest gains.

“The prevalence of 12-month high-risk drinking increased significantly between 2001-2002 and 2012-2013 from 9.7% to 12.6% (change, 29.9%) in the total population. Significant increases in high-risk drinking were also seen for all sociodemographic subgroups except Native Americans and respondents residing in rural areas. Increases were most notable among women (57.9%), other racial/ethnic minorities (from 40.6% among Hispanic to 62.4% among black individuals), adults 65 years and older (65.2%), persons previously married (widowed, divorced, or separated) (31.9%) and married or cohabitating respondents (34.2%), those with a high school education (42.3%) and less than a high school education (34.7%), those earning incomes of $19?999 or less (35.1%), and those residing in urban areas (35.1%).”

The spike in abuse rates among women was perhaps the study’s most alarming finding. The study’s authors speculated that, although men still struggle with higher rates of alcohol abuse, several factors are helping women close the gap. Women increasingly hold high-stress jobs, and social mores surrounding female behavior have grown more permissive.

“Greater sensitivity to adverse health effects of heavy drinking among women are potential biological factors influencing the convergence of rates between the sexes within the context of increasing rates of high-risk drinking and AUD. Drinking norms and values have become more permissive among women, along with increases in educational and occupational opportunities and rising numbers of women in the workforce, all of which may have contributed to increased high-risk drinking and AUD in women during the past decade.”

The rise in alcohol-abuse rates among older Americans was another discouraging revelation from the study – particularly because they’ve typically exhibited lower rates of abuse in the past. The study uncovered an unprecedented increase in abuse rates among the elderly, which is particularly problematic given the increased risk of mortality. Data for the study was collected from surveys of nearly 80,000 people, with the first conducted in 2001-2002, and the second in 2012-2013.

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