Transcript: AAC — 27 Mar 2026 (Q&A)

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It is the 27th of March, 2026.

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I am Corey J.

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Mahler, and this is At Any Cost.

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This is episode 22, a Q&A episode.

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And before I get into the questions for tonight, I'm just going to do a little bit of housekeeping, just three things really quick.

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Three questions that are pushed to next week.

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That's the housekeeping.

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The first is about Japan, China, and India, and how religion has played a role in that, and either preserving or degenerating those people.

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So, really a question about Shinto versus Confucianism versus Hinduism.

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And then the second is the connection between Japheth and Jupiter, and related things to that, various pantheons, and how they tie into Christianity or corruptions of Christianity.

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And then the last one is National Socialism, and how it is consonant with Christianity, because I have, of course, posted before that National Socialism was a translation of Christianity into politics, and I do believe that.

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So, I want to treat that at greater length and greater depth, so I'm pushing that to next week when I have more time to prepare it.

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I didn't have time this week.

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But moving on to the questions for this week, and I have noted the questions that have come in so far in the chat, so I've added those either for this week or next week, depending on whether or not I'll get to them.

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The first question, rather timely, considering just a few days to go for this.

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Question one, so this year, I noticed in my church's app that we are hosting a Passover Seder service on Palm Sunday.

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However, this is not part of the main service.

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It is an optional event you can go to later in the evening.

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It is alarming me because this seems like a very Judaizing move.

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It is.

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They will be hosting a speaker by the name of Marie Tillis Tiles.

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I don't know how he pronounces his name.

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He is a Jewish Christian, in quotes.

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That's appropriate.

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A man that runs an organization called Light of Messiah Ministries.

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Links to the website.

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His whole modus operandi, from what I've read on his site, seems to be to bind the conscience of Christians to Jews in Israel.

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That's expected.

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The nation state, of course, he's speaking of, and he has that here as a parenthetical.

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Perhaps trying to make sure that the boomer glue is still adhesive and emphasizing the Jewishness of Jesus, in quotes.

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Also fighting anti-Semitism, also in quotes, is one of their missions.

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I am not sure what to do or say about this.

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If it were just myself, I would be compelled to raise concerns to the pastors about this.

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However, I am a member alongside my parents, who are very entrenched there.

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Many years, I only became a member of the church a year ago.

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My dad has been part of the music ministry for many years, and my mom is very involved in small groups.

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I do not want to embarrass them or alienate them from their peers or the pastors by being the person that sounds the alarm.

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I want to keep the Fifth Commandment.

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I assume he means the reform numbering, so the Fourth Commandment for those of us who are Lutheran.

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Honor thy father and thy mother, of course.

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My parents, especially my dad, are quite aware of my weariness of the Jews and my distrust of them.

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As we talk about politics and the Jews frequently, I am 34 years old and can look for another church at any time, but I love being there with my family as a whole.

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Side note, something that also makes my ears perk up is that my pastor has been increasingly using the pronoun Yahweh to refer to God, and this appears to be a fairly recent phenomenon.

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I've also never heard any dispensationalism or Zionist teaching coming out of the church or from this pastor, the head pastor, so this sort of Judaizing has kind of taken me by surprise.

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This is obviously going to be an issue that is going to face many, and has faced many in the past, say, ten years or so.

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There is a very real push to try to keep Christians on the reservation, as it were, to keep Christians believing that the Jews are chosen in some way, they're special, and that we have to support them and blah, blah, blah.

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The first point I would make is that anyone who calls himself a Messianic Jew, that's a red flag.

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Why is he calling himself a Messianic Jew instead of a Christian?

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The handful of Jews, after the very early church period, when the first century or two, many Jews converted, they did, and then mostly were slaughtered by their brothers for their trouble.

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But after that point, any Jew who converted did not call himself a Messianic Jew.

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He called himself a Christian.

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And so these Jews who are calling themselves Messianic Jews, all they're doing is hedging their bets.

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They're doing the same thing that Jews have done down through history.

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You control the opposition, you play both sides.

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I would never trust someone who calls himself a Messianic Jew.

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If he calls himself a Christian, I still have some reservations, and I'd like him to be over in Israel being a Christian, over there instead of here.

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And that raises other problems as well.

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But if he's calling himself a Messianic Jew instead of a Christian, that is such a major red flag that absolutely no, he should not be speaking at a church.

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What gives him some sort of authority or anything, really?

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What gives him the teaching ability?

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Is it just because he's a Jew?

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That's what's being implied here.

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No, being a Jew does not give you the ability to say anything about the Christian faith.

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If anything, it's a handicap, and you should say nothing about the Christian faith.

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So, in your case, obviously, there are some other considerations.

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If this is a church where your family has been for some period of time, in the American context, a lot of times, you don't have someone who's been at a church for generations, so a long time may just be five, six, ten years, whatever it happens to be, which is not a trivial amount of time.

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It is in the grand scheme, but not for human life.

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So, do you go to another church, I think, is really the core question here.

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And I think the answer is, if they continue down this path of judaizing, which is what this is, you correctly recognize that, that's open judaizing, if they continue down the path, you're going to, for the sake of your conscience, have to find a new church.

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Because this is probably not going to get better, it's probably just going to get worse.

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And you're at the age where your parents are probably old, Gen X instead of Boomers.

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Right around that age, it kind of depends on some various factors.

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But, so, six years different from me, my parents are, of course, baby Boomers.

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This is going to be an issue for those of us kind of in that age range, because if you want to continue attending church with your parents, which is a good thing, you should want to go to the same church as your parents, your siblings, your cousins, you should want to be with family, that's a good thing.

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But, the most important thing is that you're going to a church that is actually teaching correctly, that is teaching right doctrine, that is administering the sacraments, that is an actual church.

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So, this is going off the rails, it will probably get worse, that's just the reality here.

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If you raise it with the pastor, right, in this case, multiple pastors, you raise it with a head pastor, remember, it happens to be, he's probably just going to brush you off, and then watch you like a hawk.

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Maybe they won't go after you right away, or kick you out, but they're going to watch you closely, and they may try to make life difficult for you, that's just the reality of it.

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You may realize that, for better or worse, some men who call themselves pastors are not in fact Christian.

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They really only care about the money, the Jews, and Israel.

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And if this is a man who has before this not been Judaizing, and now he's suddenly doing so, I would kind of wonder why, what changed?

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Did something in his family change?

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Did money exchange hands?

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Why did this happen?

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Maybe you can't find out what happened there, but if he's made that sort of change, the odds of him becoming your enemy, if you point this out, are very high.

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So that doesn't mean that you don't bring this up.

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It doesn't mean that you don't leave and attend another church.

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Maybe you have to do that.

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It does mean that you need to keep that in mind.

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There may be those sorts of consequences.

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You mentioned that you discuss these things with your parents.

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So, if you can discuss this with your parents and get them to recognize that this is contrary to what Christianity actually teaches, it's contrary to what all Christians have believed down through the centuries, then maybe you can get them to leave the church with you and you can all together go to a new church.

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That would be certainly a better outcome than you simply leaving and going to a new church on your own.

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But the baseline here, I think, is that this is probably going to get worse and you're probably going to have to find a new church.

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So, if you can take your parents with you, that's great.

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I don't think that you necessarily have to confront the pastor on this because the odds that's going to go anywhere beneficial to anyone are just about zero.

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If you feel that you are compelled to do so, if your conscience is convicted, you feel that you need to go and tell the pastor what he's doing is wrong.

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This is not Christian.

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This is sinful.

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You need to stop.

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You need to desist.

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Then by all means, obey your conscience.

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But if you don't feel that compulsion to do that, then just out of an abundance of wisdom, it's probably better not to bother in this case, because the odds of anything, again, anything positive happening are basically zero.

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This is a pattern that I have seen many times.

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I've had people DM me.

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They've DMed Woe and others.

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This happens a lot.

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So it's where we are today with the churches, and we're sort of in a transitional period because we're still building up new and better churches to replace these old ones.

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But a lot of places, you're not going to have one of those churches readily available to you.

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And so the boomers still control these churches.

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They've not quite gotten old enough yet to stop being elders and pastors.

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As they retire and leave, that presents a real opportunity to shift things.

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So as I've mentioned before, it's tangentially related.

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If you can get on the elder board of your church and start to shift things away, and then you were probably one of the ones who has a vote to call a new pastor, by all means do that.

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That's one way you can return a church to faithfulness, a particular church body to faithfulness.

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But I think here this is a matter of conscience.

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If your conscience is pricked, then perhaps you have to go and confront that pastor.

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Nothing positive will come of it, just letting you know that.

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And if it continues down this path, probably find a new church.

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Hopefully alongside your parents, but if not, then attend the new church, and hopefully over time, you can raise the issue with them.

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Maybe they'll see the light.

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Next question, question two.

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Sort of related to question one, actually.

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It seems that most governing church bodies are a shell of their former selves and deteriorating rapidly.

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In today's climate, I am struggling to see how this will be beneficial for either party in the long run.

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So the basic question is, should we join a church body?

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I've answered this one a number of times, but it's always worth repeating.

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By and large, the corporate church bodies, and it doesn't matter which one you have in mind here, whether it's the LCMS and the Lutheran case, or it's any of the various Presbyterian or Reformed ones, or it's the Church of England, in our case, the Anglicans over here, whatever it happens to be, they're basically all, if not outright apostate, very close to it, at the upper echelons, which is to say, the leadership.

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The same thing, of course, is true of the Roman Catholic Church.

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I don't know anyone who's actually a true conservative Christian who likes the current pope or who liked the previous pope.

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There were a handful who liked the former Hitler Youth guy.

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Unsurprising, he was actually good on some things.

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But, as far as church bodies go, you're not so much joining the church body as you are joining the local church.

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Now, there are some obvious differences there, some difficulties for those who are Roman Catholic, right?

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Because when you're joining a Roman Catholic Church, you're kind of joining Rome.

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So, that's more difficult for them.

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For those of us who are Protestant, it's not a problem.

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Because what you're really joining, yes, there are some that are Episcopal, and so there's a bishop over your pastor, and things like that.

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You have a little bit of that over with Protestants, in the US., not as much, more over in Europe.

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In the Lutheran case, for instance, basically all Lutheran bodies are Congregationalist, which just means the local parish owns the building, the land, leases it, whatever it happens to be.

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And the vice president, who is a bishop, that's all he is, he's just changed his title, doesn't have that much authority.

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He can't really tell the pastor, you have to do X, Y, and Z.

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Now, there are formal ways to deal with disagreements, right?

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For instance, if someone is excommunicated, then it can be appealed, and then there can be sort of a dispute between the bishop and the church.

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But by and large, the parish has some level of autonomy.

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And so what you want to find is a faithful parish.

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And once you have found that, then you can help to move that parish to be more faithful, or if necessary, you can push for leaving the national body, which is perfectly fine, because then you can join a faithful national body at some point in the future.

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Like I've said before, for those who ask me, which Lutheran church should I attend, I'm in X area.

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You're going to have to check, because some of them will be faithful, and some of them will have a pastor who's just a company man who's going to follow whatever sin it tells him to do.

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And that guy will stab you in the back.

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So it doesn't mean that there are no good churches.

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It just means you can't look at the sign and know by what denomination or tradition the sign has on it, whether it's a good church or not.

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Because these days, it may mean very little.

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So is it worth joining a church body?

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Absolutely, because there are still good churches, and you should not forsake the gathering together of the saints.

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Starting up a home church is sort of the extreme option.

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And let me know in the chat if the birds are coming through a little bit too loudly.

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I'm in the south and it's spring, and the birds are very excited, the sun's setting.

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But if you join a church body, you are joining that local parish, and it may very well be a very good church, and that's great if you have that.

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Starting up a home church is the last resort.

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That is, if you don't have faithful church bodies, if they are all so apostate around you that you cannot in good conscience attend any one of them, then start a home church.

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That's basically the hierarchy.

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Find a good parish.

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If none are available, start a home church.

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Nothing wrong with starting a home church.

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It's just not preferable.

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You don't really want to have to go back to 100 AD, right?

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You'd sort of rather have the benefit of all of the development in terms of the building and the liturgy and all those things over the last 2,000 years.

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But if you have to, start a home church.

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Question three.

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My brother and his wife are pregnant.

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Hopefully, just he's pregnant, but with their first child, they did the ultrasound, sadly.

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I don't have a problem with ultrasounds, but that's not the question.

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And found out that their first child will be a boy.

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Would I be sinfully binding my brother's conscience by telling him that I believe circumcision is not a wise decision?

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Do we know for certain that the procedure of circumcision that God commanded the Israelites is not the same procedure that is performed today?

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I'll take those in reverse order.

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So we do know that the procedure that was done back then is not the same.

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It was a cutting of the tip of the foreskin, not the removal of the full foreskin.

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There are a number of places in scripture where you can infer this.

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Now, archaeologically and historically, we know that is the case, but there are a number of places in scripture where there are narratives that do not make sense if it were a removal of the full foreskin.

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One of the most telling is when Joshua crosses over the Jordan and they're going toward Jericho to sack Jericho, they have to circumcise everyone who was wandering in the desert because they weren't circumcised on the way.

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So, you know, these are 30, 40-year-old men and others as well, obviously, eight days old and up, right?

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These are the men who are then going to have to go and walk around the city for a number of days and then fight and take the city.

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If it were the removal of the full foreskin, I think all the men in the audience recognize, you would need a little while to recover from that as a 40-year-old man or a 30-year-old or 20-year-old man, whatever it happens to be.

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They didn't really need much time to recover.

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Another one would be when the angel of the Lord is pursuing Moses as he is going from Midian back to Egypt because he had failed to circumcise his sons while he was in Midian, and his wife takes a stone tool and circumcises the son.

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You're probably not going to do that quickly with a stone tool if it is the removal of the full foreskin.

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I think that's pretty obvious.

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That's kind of a delicate operation that requires a degree of skill and much better tools.

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So I think taken together, it's pretty obvious which sort of circumcision is in view in scripture.

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It's just the removal of the tip of the foreskin or a cut in the foreskin.

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It's not total removal, completely different thing.

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That is a modern abomination that has been pushed on many in the world, particularly Americans.

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So would you be binding his conscience by telling him, say, it's Judaizing, it is impermissible, mutilation of your son, something like that?

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You are binding his conscience, but I think it's permissible.

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And I think that if you succeed in that, his son will certainly thank you later in life when he realizes who did that for him.

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So I don't think that it is objectionable to bind your brother's conscience with regard to this.

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He should put his foot down and say, I am not circumcising my son, and his wife just has to obey in that.

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So I think that that is not just something that you could do, but something that you should do in this case.

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And also, the historical argument, this is not something Christians did.

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The Greek converts, with very few exceptions, were not circumcised, and basically every Christian convert after that was not circumcised.

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This is completely novel and almost exclusive to the American context outside of parts of the world that are, say, Islamic, where they practice it as well.

00:19:47.019 --> 00:19:53.859
Question four, I have recently gotten a girlfriend, and this woman is everything I have ever wanted in a woman.

00:19:53.859 --> 00:19:56.039
She wears head coverings and skirts without being asked.

00:19:56.039 --> 00:19:57.899
She wants to cook and do the dishes for me.

00:19:57.899 --> 00:19:59.799
She wants multiple children.

00:19:59.799 --> 00:20:04.159
She is deeply caring and concerning, and there are many other things.

00:20:04.159 --> 00:20:10.539
I think she would make an amazing wife, and yet I seem unattracted or bored, although she is somewhat cute.

00:20:10.539 --> 00:20:15.199
I was very infatuated with her in the first few weeks that I met her, but it is not quite the same now.

00:20:16.039 --> 00:20:19.239
I know I would be an absolute fool to throw away such a good thing.

00:20:19.239 --> 00:20:22.619
I do really like her, and I deeply care about her, but I have that problem.

00:20:22.619 --> 00:20:28.579
Am I just getting used to her in my life, and have gotten over the initial thrill of finding exactly what I want?

00:20:28.579 --> 00:20:33.179
Am I trying to be emotional about her when I don't need to be as a man?

00:20:33.179 --> 00:20:34.699
In parentheses there.

00:20:34.699 --> 00:20:36.039
Will my feelings grow?

00:20:36.039 --> 00:20:40.079
Is there just an ebb and flow that I am making out to be more than what it is?

00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:44.219
I was exhausted the day that I thought this, so perhaps I'm overthinking it.

00:20:45.999 --> 00:21:00.639
This touches obviously on a number of profound issues, but I think the general takeaway is that there is a fundamental difference between infatuation and love, right?

00:21:00.639 --> 00:21:06.999
Now, for some people, the one can kind of shade into the other to some degree.

00:21:06.999 --> 00:21:09.159
For men, there's obviously a spectrum.

00:21:09.159 --> 00:21:12.299
Not all men are monolithic in one way or the other, right?

00:21:12.779 --> 00:21:15.839
And this is also going to be racial a little bit, too, obviously.

00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:22.779
Germans are not going to behave in the same way as the Spanish, or certainly as Africans or Asians.

00:21:22.779 --> 00:21:28.139
There are different ways of expressing these things, and different ways of feeling them to some degree as well.

00:21:28.139 --> 00:21:36.779
So perhaps the early feelings there that you had could correctly, as you said, be termed infatuation.

00:21:37.919 --> 00:21:43.139
It's a sort of different thing from building marriage, right?

00:21:43.139 --> 00:21:51.359
Marriage is a lifelong, long-term serious commitment, and it is something that is built over a course of years.

00:21:51.359 --> 00:21:56.759
Part of the way you build that is by having children and living with this person.

00:21:56.759 --> 00:22:06.659
Now, you don't need to be emotionally tethered in the way that you perhaps desire right now.

00:22:06.659 --> 00:22:09.339
That will develop over time.

00:22:09.339 --> 00:22:23.299
For men, that is going to be something that is going to deepen as you spend years with this woman, as you build your life with her, as she births your children, takes care of your home, cooks you meals, does all these things, right?

00:22:23.299 --> 00:22:29.499
That is something that is accumulated over time, and we all recognize this with regard to almost everything, right?

00:22:30.379 --> 00:22:39.699
You know, I could say, I don't actually have a favorite pen, but you know, if I had a favorite pen, it's partly going to be because of how often I've used the thing.

00:22:39.699 --> 00:22:42.659
It's not going to be just because, oh, I found a shiny pen, very neat.

00:22:42.659 --> 00:22:45.159
I conveniently picked a shiny one.

00:22:45.159 --> 00:22:51.339
I do have some that I like more than others, that I write with all the time, and it's partly because I write with them all the time.

00:22:51.339 --> 00:22:53.179
I've had them for a long time.

00:22:54.619 --> 00:22:57.659
So you shouldn't look at this as a negative.

00:22:57.859 --> 00:23:06.259
If this is not a problem, maybe you just, if this is the first serious girlfriend you had, then this is a new experience for you.

00:23:06.259 --> 00:23:17.199
You've not developed the responses, and you don't know your own internal states with regard to how you're going to deal with this new part of your life.

00:23:17.199 --> 00:23:20.839
So no, I don't think that you need to be concerned about this.

00:23:20.839 --> 00:23:30.819
Be glad that God has blessed you with this sort of woman, and hopefully everything turns out well, and you marry her and have some number of children, whatever number God chooses to give you.

00:23:32.479 --> 00:23:39.559
So I think it is important, though, to draw that distinction between sort of the emotional infatuation of something novel.

00:23:39.559 --> 00:23:39.899
Right?

00:23:40.399 --> 00:23:43.379
It's the level of excitement of opening an Amazon box.

00:23:43.379 --> 00:23:45.919
It's like, oh, I have new stuff.

00:23:45.919 --> 00:23:47.119
Okay, fine.

00:23:47.119 --> 00:23:49.359
That little dopamine hit, great, whatever.

00:23:49.359 --> 00:23:55.119
That's not what sustains, in this case, one of the most important relationships in your life.

00:23:55.159 --> 00:23:59.579
That's not what builds something long term.

00:23:59.579 --> 00:24:00.779
That's a completely different thing.

00:24:00.779 --> 00:24:01.699
It's not nothing.

00:24:01.699 --> 00:24:04.059
It's not unimportant.

00:24:04.059 --> 00:24:09.519
But with regard to this, with regard to marriage, I don't think you have to worry at all about that.

00:24:09.519 --> 00:24:11.159
Just put that out of your mind.

00:24:11.159 --> 00:24:16.859
Particularly if you were tired that day, then by all means, sleep it off and see how you feel the next day.

00:24:16.859 --> 00:24:21.119
But no, infatuation is not love, and love is not infatuation.

00:24:21.119 --> 00:24:25.479
And if the infatuation fades, that doesn't mean there's no love there.

00:24:31.967 --> 00:24:33.727
Question five.

00:24:34.867 --> 00:24:46.607
Is there a biblical principle for the punishment of a human judge who releases a violent criminal who subsequently commits murder, similar to Exodus 21, 29?

00:24:46.607 --> 00:24:48.147
So, I'll pull that up.

00:24:55.126 --> 00:25:00.886
Let me go ahead and pull that up so everyone can see what I see.

00:25:03.866 --> 00:25:17.386
Yes, but if the bull was prone to gore before yesterday and before the third day, and they warn its owner, and he does not restrain it, and it kills a man or woman, the bull shall be stoned, and its owner shall die as well.

00:25:17.386 --> 00:25:25.386
And so, of course, this is one of the sections that gives you a standard for basically prior knowledge.

00:25:25.386 --> 00:25:45.346
If you have knowledge of the nature of one of your animals, and you know it is prone to hurt people, so perhaps we can think of a certain species, certain breed of dog here, but if you have an animal that is known to injure, and then it goes and does that, it is a different thing from if the animal just suddenly spooks and does something, right?

00:25:45.346 --> 00:25:55.066
And so, I think that there is somewhat of a parallel we can draw out there, but I would think maybe go to Exodus 23.

00:25:55.066 --> 00:25:56.586
Let me find the verse.

00:25:59.206 --> 00:26:04.506
Starting with verse 6, I think, is going to be a little more on point here.

00:26:04.506 --> 00:26:07.246
You shall not pervert judgment of a poor man in his trial.

00:26:07.246 --> 00:26:10.086
From every unjust thing said, you shall keep away.

00:26:10.086 --> 00:26:16.686
An innocent and just person you shall not kill, and you shall not acquit the impious person for the sake of bribes.

00:26:17.206 --> 00:26:23.806
And you shall not take bribes, for bribes blind the eyes of those who see, and corrupt just matters.

00:26:23.806 --> 00:26:31.886
So, judges are put in a particular position of authority, and they have duties both to society and to God.

00:26:31.886 --> 00:26:43.126
And when they fail in those duties, yes, I think it is the higher magistrate, so whomever that happens to be, he then has a duty to punish them.

00:26:43.126 --> 00:26:49.926
So our system kind of makes it a bit of a hash, quite a mess, as to which individual is supposed to punish whom, right?

00:26:49.926 --> 00:26:53.126
Who has authority over judges, okay?

00:26:53.126 --> 00:27:00.966
But that doesn't mean that just because we've tried to attenuate things, that God's going to go, oh, your system is confusing and complex, you're morally excused.

00:27:00.966 --> 00:27:02.486
That's not how it works.

00:27:02.486 --> 00:27:09.506
Kind of ties back into the vice presidents and the LCMS calling themselves vice presidents instead of bishops.

00:27:09.506 --> 00:27:11.066
You're still getting a bishop's judgment.

00:27:11.066 --> 00:27:13.206
Doesn't matter what you call yourself or put on your business cards.

00:27:13.926 --> 00:27:25.986
So, yes, a judge who releases a violent criminal, knowing him to be a violent criminal, has perverted justice and should be punished by the higher magistrate.

00:27:25.986 --> 00:27:28.306
And I think that that runs all throughout scripture.

00:27:28.306 --> 00:27:42.946
All of the places that deal with justice and God's care for the poor man who can't receive justice, or his hatred of those who pervert justice for the sake of the wealthy, which is also in play here, right?

00:27:43.546 --> 00:27:48.326
Because you have all these organizations that advocate for not punishing the guilty.

00:27:48.326 --> 00:27:49.666
That's the same thing as a bribe.

00:27:49.666 --> 00:27:53.486
Just because money didn't exchange hands doesn't mean it doesn't count as a bribe.

00:27:53.486 --> 00:28:00.666
Because you still have the social perks and all of the articles, the op-eds in New York Times and things like that, right?

00:28:00.666 --> 00:28:03.926
Those are also bribes, morally speaking.

00:28:03.926 --> 00:28:08.146
And so that thread that runs all throughout of scripture is very clear.

00:28:08.366 --> 00:28:11.966
Yes, judges that pervert justice must be punished.

00:28:16.166 --> 00:28:18.146
Question 6.

00:28:18.146 --> 00:28:30.046
If the following three things had to be ordered from most important to least in deciding where to move, how would you rank them, assuming only a single option is possible without the other two?

00:28:30.046 --> 00:28:32.586
Land or self-sustainability is the first.

00:28:32.586 --> 00:28:35.346
The second is church community that is compatible.

00:28:36.306 --> 00:28:37.966
So, for the family.

00:28:37.966 --> 00:28:41.346
And three is to be near your aging parents.

00:28:44.466 --> 00:28:50.566
The problem that I have in answering this one, and I guess I don't need the Logos window up right now.

00:28:50.566 --> 00:29:04.226
The problem that I have in answering this one is, it would depend on if you're asking me as me, or me as a hypothetical man, because, you know, the hypothetical man, well, do you have a wife and children for whom you have to care?

00:29:04.606 --> 00:29:10.046
Then, obviously, self-sustainability, land, that's going to rank higher for that man, right?

00:29:10.046 --> 00:29:13.946
I don't have that particular set of duties.

00:29:13.946 --> 00:29:20.046
And so, that is going to rank lower in my case, although I moved to Tennessee in part so there's land.

00:29:20.046 --> 00:29:30.226
But I think it's going to depend on where you are in life, and what you have that has been entrusted to your care.

00:29:31.046 --> 00:29:41.546
So, if you're a single man, then obviously being near to your aging parents to care for them is going to rank higher because you don't have competing duties.

00:29:41.546 --> 00:29:55.966
But I think the overall answer here, to ignore the restrictions on the question, but to give the answer that I would actually give, find somewhere that you would have good employment, whether that is land and self-sustainability.

00:29:57.526 --> 00:30:05.846
I have mixed feelings on you, the whole homesteading thing, because if society collapses, are you really going to provide for everyone around you and defend it and all that?

00:30:05.846 --> 00:30:10.246
But that's a sort of tangential discussion.

00:30:10.246 --> 00:30:17.086
But find somewhere that you can live, provide for yourself, those entrusted to your care, move your parents with you.

00:30:17.086 --> 00:30:26.906
If they are your aging parents, and it's to the point where you need to take care of them, they probably don't have that many of their friends left around them just because of the reality of age.

00:30:27.806 --> 00:30:33.586
So, move them with you, so they'll be near their grandchildren, if God has blessed you with grandchildren.

00:30:33.586 --> 00:30:35.966
And if there is a good church, great.

00:30:35.966 --> 00:30:37.326
If not, start one.

00:30:37.326 --> 00:30:40.846
Same answer as always, start a home church if you can't find a good church.

00:30:49.786 --> 00:30:52.326
Question seven, I was just looking briefly at the chat.

00:30:52.326 --> 00:30:53.526
I see there are some questions.

00:30:53.526 --> 00:30:55.146
I may note those for next time.

00:30:55.366 --> 00:30:58.086
I may not get to them tonight.

00:30:59.106 --> 00:31:08.726
Bolsheviks aside, do you think any explicit deals were made with the devil by any of the allies in either world war, as opposed to merely his usurious children?

00:31:10.786 --> 00:31:15.126
I don't know that there were any sort of explicit deals with the devil.

00:31:15.126 --> 00:31:19.866
I don't know that there was any demonic rituals involved.

00:31:20.986 --> 00:31:32.286
Other than, of course, the fact that you had a lot of freemasons and their rituals are demonic, so that's sort of the easy answer is yes, because, but was there anything sort of above and beyond that?

00:31:32.286 --> 00:31:32.786
I don't know.

00:31:33.426 --> 00:31:36.326
I'm not aware of any particular evidence for it.

00:31:36.326 --> 00:31:53.086
I do know that there is a lot of involvement in the demonic and the occult, with regard to the early foundations of computers, and also on certainly the part of the Americans, probably the Russians as well, the space race.

00:31:53.086 --> 00:31:58.326
Because, for instance, the head of JPL was good friends with Crowley.

00:31:58.326 --> 00:32:13.886
So, for those who know the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, one of the most advanced for that particular area of research, and then Alastair Crowley basically created his own version of Satanism and demon worship.

00:32:13.886 --> 00:32:18.666
So, yeah, there's definitely stuff involved there after the war.

00:32:18.826 --> 00:32:20.926
I don't know if there was anything explicit during the war.

00:32:20.926 --> 00:32:26.146
There was a lot of weird stuff going on during the war, though, so it would not surprise me in the least.

00:32:30.126 --> 00:32:31.686
Question 8.

00:32:31.686 --> 00:32:35.346
I guess this is actually related to the previous one, tangentially.

00:32:35.346 --> 00:32:40.666
You've brought up 40k a couple times, so I'm curious what your involvement with the hobby is or was.

00:32:40.666 --> 00:32:42.946
I actually have never played 40k.

00:32:42.946 --> 00:32:44.466
I haven't even played the games, incidentally.

00:32:45.066 --> 00:32:54.546
I've just picked up some of the lore, as it were, from being around others who have played the games, and both the computer games and the tabletop.

00:32:54.546 --> 00:32:58.746
So it has a lot of interesting themes in it.

00:32:58.746 --> 00:33:06.766
So I think probably despite, seemingly despite, the intentions of the creators, it really does have some pretty strong Christian themes in it.

00:33:06.766 --> 00:33:15.826
But that's just going to come through for a creator, an author living in a Christian environment, but because you're steeped in it, you can't avoid it.

00:33:15.826 --> 00:33:21.186
So, but no, I haven't personally played any of it.

00:33:21.186 --> 00:33:25.786
I don't really want to get into a hobby that is going to take up more space and time.

00:33:25.786 --> 00:33:27.426
I have enough, and it's expensive.

00:33:27.426 --> 00:33:29.266
I have enough of those as is.

00:33:30.366 --> 00:33:31.246
Question nine.

00:33:31.246 --> 00:33:42.926
From a Lutheran slash Christian perspective, is xenotransplantation, which then in parentheses explained, using animal organs like pig hearts, kidneys, and human patients, ethically acceptable?

00:33:42.926 --> 00:33:49.406
How should Christians balance caring for human life with concerns about stewardship of animals and crossing natural boundaries?

00:33:49.406 --> 00:33:55.846
And more broadly, how should Christian think about this in light of the modern pursuit of extending human lifespan?

00:33:55.846 --> 00:34:01.046
Does this reflect faithful use of medicine or a problematic desire to push beyond God-given limits?

00:34:11.725 --> 00:34:19.845
Well, without this sort of medical treatment, you would not have stone choir, at least not in the form that it took.

00:34:19.845 --> 00:34:22.165
Not in my case, but in Woe's case.

00:34:22.165 --> 00:34:25.005
So, I don't have an objection to it.

00:34:25.005 --> 00:34:28.985
I don't think that it is immoral or unethical.

00:34:28.985 --> 00:34:32.405
After all, we use animals for many different things, right?

00:34:32.405 --> 00:34:38.645
We use them as draft animals, we use them as companions, we use them for food, certainly, you know.

00:34:38.645 --> 00:34:40.905
I have chickens, I eat the eggs.

00:34:41.565 --> 00:34:45.405
I haven't slaughtered any of the chickens yet, but I certainly eat the eggs.

00:34:46.445 --> 00:34:48.965
You know, wearing clothing that came from animals, things like that.

00:34:48.965 --> 00:34:56.085
They didn't have to die from my clothing, but God gave all of the animals to us for our use.

00:34:56.085 --> 00:34:59.145
And yes, we have to steward them, we should not abuse them.

00:34:59.145 --> 00:35:01.725
I think that animal welfare laws are good.

00:35:01.725 --> 00:35:04.165
I think that we should have stricter ones.

00:35:04.165 --> 00:35:07.865
Now, I will note, I do not believe in animal rights.

00:35:08.685 --> 00:35:13.325
I believe that we have duties with regard to the natural world.

00:35:13.325 --> 00:35:18.585
It's not that the animal has a right that we are violating, it is that God has given us a duty that we are violating.

00:35:18.585 --> 00:35:23.225
So really, it's worse, because you're disobeying God, right?

00:35:23.225 --> 00:35:26.785
You can think of the Psalms, of course, against you, you only have I sinned.

00:35:28.305 --> 00:35:40.565
But I do think that we should translate those things into our positive law, and that we should have strict laws protecting animals with regard to their treatment and slaughter practices and things like that.

00:35:40.565 --> 00:35:44.045
We should absolutely ban kosher and halal.

00:35:44.045 --> 00:35:47.885
Animals should not be kept in cages their entire lives.

00:35:47.885 --> 00:35:53.585
We should care for the natural world as stewards, like God intended for us to be.

00:35:53.585 --> 00:36:01.925
But I don't have any objection to using, and it's really fairly limited, what you can use from an animal and a human being for a lot of reasons.

00:36:01.925 --> 00:36:11.105
Granted, if you decellularize, and then you can use that matrix in order to build it back up, that has more potential than just straight using the organ.

00:36:11.105 --> 00:36:12.705
But I don't object to it.

00:36:12.705 --> 00:36:14.285
And also, we're slaughtering the pigs anyway.

00:36:14.285 --> 00:36:16.885
If we can use another part of the pig, that's great.

00:36:16.885 --> 00:36:18.925
Then we're being less wasteful.

00:36:18.925 --> 00:36:21.645
So I don't think that we're crossing a boundary there.

00:36:21.645 --> 00:36:24.505
I think it's perfectly morally permissible.

00:36:24.505 --> 00:36:36.245
Insofar as using technology to extend human life is concerned, I don't think that God has said, you have to die before you reach X age.

00:36:36.245 --> 00:36:43.885
Right, the ages that are given in scripture are sort of a ballpark of God decreasing human lifespan from what it was in the age of the patriarchs.

00:36:45.305 --> 00:36:50.845
So, can we extend our lifespan without violating something God has imposed?

00:36:50.845 --> 00:36:53.945
I think within reason, yes, we can.

00:36:53.945 --> 00:36:58.985
I don't think we're going to wind up reaching the level of an indeterminate lifespan.

00:36:59.825 --> 00:37:04.325
Again, notably, you can't be immortal, because immortal means you can't die.

00:37:04.325 --> 00:37:14.185
Indeterminate means you are not going to die just by aging, by senescence, but you could still die by acute trauma, right?

00:37:14.185 --> 00:37:19.005
If a train hits you, you're still going to die, even if you wouldn't die from old age.

00:37:19.005 --> 00:37:24.865
So I don't know if we can perhaps get there at some point with advances in medical technology.

00:37:24.865 --> 00:37:30.045
Maybe that's possible, because we've kind of figured out a lot of the things that contribute to aging, right?

00:37:30.045 --> 00:37:34.305
Build up a plaque in the brain, the loss of the telomeres of your DNA, things like that.

00:37:35.345 --> 00:37:42.525
So I don't think that we are playing God when we are making these marginal improvements.

00:37:42.525 --> 00:37:58.585
If we get to the level where we can actually administer some treatment that makes you have an indeterminate lifespan, you will simply live as long as you possibly can until you die by misadventure, basically.

00:37:58.585 --> 00:38:00.625
I think that's a different discussion.

00:38:00.625 --> 00:38:04.725
I think then we've probably crossed a line, I don't think we should go that far.

00:38:04.725 --> 00:38:20.525
But if we can extend the human lifespan by 10, 20 years, just by various measures that maintain our health and cut down on the various burdens of disease and things like that, I don't think that's morally impermissible.

00:38:20.525 --> 00:38:21.985
I think that that's probably a good thing.

00:38:22.825 --> 00:38:28.285
And in part, it's undoing a little bit of the curse of the fall.

00:38:28.285 --> 00:38:44.685
And I don't think that's wrong, because if you were going to say that's wrong, you'd also say that spreading Christianity is wrong, because that's undoing the curse of the fall in a small way, or recultivating parts of the world that have been overtaken by noxious plants and animals.

00:38:44.685 --> 00:38:48.105
That's undoing the effects of the fall in some small way.

00:38:48.105 --> 00:38:49.685
I think that's permitted.

00:38:49.685 --> 00:38:50.785
Is there a boundary there?

00:38:51.105 --> 00:38:52.205
At some point, yes.

00:38:52.205 --> 00:38:54.185
So, are there legitimate moral concerns?

00:38:54.185 --> 00:38:55.385
Absolutely.

00:38:55.385 --> 00:39:08.805
I just don't think we're there yet, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be thinking about them, because the last thing you want to do is have the technology be able to flip the switch, and have never asked the moral question about whether or not you should.

00:39:08.805 --> 00:39:15.045
So, that's something about which we should be thinking, because clearly our science is headed in that direction.

00:39:15.045 --> 00:39:16.745
I just don't think we're very close to it.

00:39:17.465 --> 00:39:29.065
So, for the smaller things like transplanting organs, repairing damage to things, you know, cleaning out plaque in the brain, if we manage to figure out that technology, I think that's all fine.

00:39:29.065 --> 00:39:31.145
You know, no one wants their parents to get Alzheimer's.

00:39:31.145 --> 00:39:35.985
I think it's fine if we develop that sort of technology, it can solve those problems.

00:39:40.625 --> 00:39:51.765
A question from a previous episode that I said I would get to, and I think I'll get to it now, question 10 is about polygyny, so I'll just address that briefly.

00:39:51.765 --> 00:39:58.765
When it comes to polygyny, there are really two separate classes of questions.

00:39:58.765 --> 00:40:03.705
The first is really monolithic, there's really one question under that umbrella.

00:40:03.705 --> 00:40:05.565
Is it morally permissible?

00:40:05.565 --> 00:40:11.365
And of course, I'm answering from a Christian worldview, because I don't think really most other worldviews say no.

00:40:11.365 --> 00:40:12.725
Christianity also doesn't say no.

00:40:14.165 --> 00:40:22.125
Polygyny is morally permissible, and we know this because it's never condemned in scripture.

00:40:22.125 --> 00:40:28.545
Right, there are those who will try to go to the restrictions on Israel having a king, right?

00:40:28.545 --> 00:40:32.425
He should not acquire many wives for himself because they will lead his heart astray.

00:40:32.425 --> 00:40:39.525
Okay, many wives for himself is different from having three, four, five, whatever it happens to be.

00:40:40.425 --> 00:40:48.485
God was saying, don't be Solomon, because God, when he was giving those restrictions, knew what Solomon was going to do.

00:40:48.485 --> 00:40:51.565
Notably, God doesn't condemn what David does.

00:40:51.565 --> 00:40:53.545
David has some number of wives.

00:40:53.545 --> 00:40:54.745
I don't remember exactly how many.

00:40:54.745 --> 00:40:58.905
It's probably like 20 total, because he also has some concubines and others.

00:40:58.905 --> 00:41:04.085
So, there's a pretty big difference, though, between 20 and a thousand, right?

00:41:04.085 --> 00:41:12.485
Because David had around that many, 20-ish, and Solomon had a thousand, if you include the wives and the concubines.

00:41:12.485 --> 00:41:13.825
That's obviously a problem.

00:41:13.825 --> 00:41:15.345
That's led your heart astray.

00:41:15.345 --> 00:41:21.685
You have now focused on something, pretty obvious what you're focusing on, instead of God.

00:41:22.845 --> 00:41:43.805
So, another important part of this, and actually, first, I'll expand on the morality of it, because before I get to the second part, which is sort of the practicality, God tells David, and this is a key part of the argument, this is the one where you can basically shut down anyone who believes in scripture with this.

00:41:43.805 --> 00:41:59.765
When God takes the wife of Uriah the Hittite, right, Bathsheba, when, sorry, when David takes the wife of, when David takes Bathsheba, right, when he commits that string of sins, God sends the prophet to him.

00:42:00.285 --> 00:42:25.485
And the prophet says, in God speaking through the prophet, if these things that I had given you, and what he lists would be the house, the kingship, the wives, plural, if these things had not been enough, if you had asked me, I would have added as much more to you, meaning more of these things, a bigger kingdom, more power, more wives.

00:42:25.485 --> 00:42:31.065
God offers to David that he would have given him more wives if he had simply asked.

00:42:31.065 --> 00:42:33.925
God can't offer anything that is sin.

00:42:33.925 --> 00:42:39.405
So if God is ever offering a man more wives, polygyny cannot be sin.

00:42:39.405 --> 00:42:49.325
It's very simple, and it's something people just breeze through that part of scripture, don't pay any attention to what's going on, and so they miss that it's very clearly teaching you something here.

00:42:49.325 --> 00:42:52.785
And so, is polygyny morally permissible?

00:42:52.785 --> 00:42:53.405
Yes.

00:42:53.405 --> 00:43:01.785
And to be clear about the terms for those who aren't as familiar with them, one, polygamy is having multiple spouses, multiple sexual partners.

00:43:01.785 --> 00:43:05.285
Polyandry is a woman having multiple husbands.

00:43:05.285 --> 00:43:08.145
Polygyny is a man having multiple wives.

00:43:08.145 --> 00:43:10.645
Polygyny is the only one that's morally permissible.

00:43:10.645 --> 00:43:13.585
A woman can never have multiple husbands.

00:43:13.585 --> 00:43:16.945
A woman is the wife of one man, period.

00:43:16.945 --> 00:43:19.005
And there are many places in scripture that touch on that.

00:43:19.005 --> 00:43:21.425
That's really not even up for debate.

00:43:21.425 --> 00:43:24.025
I don't think anyone's going to argue against that one.

00:43:25.125 --> 00:43:28.085
The second question is the practicality.

00:43:28.085 --> 00:43:30.045
I'm gonna have a sip of tea before I get into that.

00:43:39.878 --> 00:43:47.998
So, the practicality is different, because polygyny is morally permissible.

00:43:47.998 --> 00:43:49.418
It is not morally required, right?

00:43:49.418 --> 00:43:51.178
We're not fundamentalist Mormons.

00:43:51.178 --> 00:43:56.758
We're not saying that you must have multiple wives, or you don't get your own planet, whatever it happens to be.

00:43:58.838 --> 00:44:04.038
If it is necessary, if it is good for society, then it can be permitted in society.

00:44:04.038 --> 00:44:07.998
But society can also ban it, because it is not morally required.

00:44:08.098 --> 00:44:10.158
God does not say you must permit it.

00:44:10.158 --> 00:44:12.798
God says you may permit it.

00:44:12.798 --> 00:44:22.398
So, if, for instance, you have a large war, more men die than women in most wars.

00:44:22.398 --> 00:44:26.578
You don't need that many men to replenish a population.

00:44:26.578 --> 00:44:28.078
You do need a lot of women.

00:44:28.078 --> 00:44:38.458
And so, if you have one man for every ten women, because you had a disastrous war, polygyny is one of the ways that you solve the problem.

00:44:38.458 --> 00:44:40.178
It's a temporary solution.

00:44:40.178 --> 00:44:45.898
And you can also see, just by virtue of that example, it's sort of a solution to a problem.

00:44:45.898 --> 00:44:48.178
It should not be considered the norm.

00:44:48.178 --> 00:44:55.278
Because the ideal, which is a different thing, the ideal is one man, one woman for life, right?

00:44:55.278 --> 00:45:00.278
And then hopefully you die relatively near, so that one doesn't have to outlive the other for ten years or whatever.

00:45:00.278 --> 00:45:01.138
That's the ideal.

00:45:01.958 --> 00:45:06.518
You don't want to have polygyny be a goal.

00:45:06.518 --> 00:45:07.318
That's not what it is.

00:45:07.318 --> 00:45:13.318
You don't necessarily want to aspire to have five, six, seven, ten wives.

00:45:13.318 --> 00:45:19.898
That is a measure that society can undertake, if necessary, due to some other circumstances.

00:45:20.958 --> 00:45:24.458
So maybe that's something that will be relevant in the future.

00:45:24.458 --> 00:45:28.118
But that's the answer, is that it's two parts.

00:45:28.138 --> 00:45:36.018
One, it's morally permissible, and two, we probably should not permit it as a society, unless we have to.

00:45:36.018 --> 00:45:39.878
So it's a question, and the answer, really, not the question.

00:45:39.878 --> 00:45:55.998
It's an answer that makes a lot of people angry, but it's very clear in scripture, and the reason, ironically, that it makes many in the West uncomfortable, other than, obviously, you have the male feminists, which, who cares what they think.

00:45:57.338 --> 00:46:13.638
They have adopted a lot of the beliefs of their ancestors because basically, all of the European tribes, particularly the Western European tribes, were noted for being monogamous and for not having a whole bunch of whys.

00:46:13.638 --> 00:46:19.018
Polygyny was not a thing, and this was unusual compared to other parts of the world.

00:46:19.018 --> 00:46:26.158
And so, that carried forward in our culture, and it's consonant with Christianity, because it is the Christian ideal.

00:46:26.158 --> 00:46:35.778
But you have people sort of making this argument against polygyny, because it just makes them feel weird, because it's not something our culture has practiced historically.

00:46:35.778 --> 00:46:40.158
But it's not morally impermissible, because the moral argument is very straightforward.

00:46:40.158 --> 00:46:43.658
It's very clear in scripture, if you just read what's on the page.

00:46:43.658 --> 00:46:49.458
But again, it's not something we aspire to, it's not something we want for society.

00:46:49.458 --> 00:46:55.978
In fact, given that it is usually a solution when you had a disastrous war, it's probably something we'd rather avoid.

00:46:57.798 --> 00:47:04.038
So, and I know that many are going to, sort of as a tangential sub-series question to that, right?

00:47:04.038 --> 00:47:10.098
Many are going to tie it into hypergamy and promiscuity and all the problems that we have today.

00:47:10.098 --> 00:47:15.518
And it just doesn't tie historically, there's no real connection there.

00:47:15.518 --> 00:47:24.278
You don't have the hypergamy and the polygyny and the promiscuity historically, it was not part of Western European culture.

00:47:24.278 --> 00:47:29.098
So, what we have today is very much a product of enemy action.

00:47:29.098 --> 00:47:30.678
It is abnormal.

00:47:31.698 --> 00:47:35.638
It stands out in history because it is not part of our history, it's not part of our culture.

00:47:35.638 --> 00:47:37.918
So, there's no connection there.

00:47:38.998 --> 00:47:47.878
Usually, when people are tying genetic bottlenecks from hundreds or thousands of years ago, they're usually looking at the result of a war.

00:47:48.598 --> 00:47:56.818
And there wasn't a genetic bottleneck because one man took all the women for himself, there was a genetic bottleneck because all the other men died.

00:47:56.818 --> 00:48:06.098
So, the same sort of exception I was speaking of with regard to when polygyny could be useful for society or effectively necessary.

00:48:08.158 --> 00:48:15.538
Question 11, a light-hearted one, the note from the questioner, is Hyperborea just neo-pagan fan fiction?

00:48:17.158 --> 00:48:22.078
I don't think there's a secret National Socialist base under the ice.

00:48:22.078 --> 00:48:25.118
I don't think that that exists.

00:48:25.118 --> 00:48:28.778
We have the technology now where we could detect that sort of thing.

00:48:28.778 --> 00:48:31.658
I know someone could say, well, what if they have technology that can shield against that?

00:48:31.658 --> 00:48:33.658
Okay, well, I don't believe that.

00:48:33.658 --> 00:48:49.418
I think that a lot of the people who argue for that and are not just arguing it in jest, are basically saying the world is flat and there's an ice wall, and beyond the ice wall is where all this neat stuff exists, and we're basically locked in some kind of purgatory.

00:48:49.418 --> 00:48:50.938
I don't believe that.

00:48:50.938 --> 00:48:53.798
The earth is spherical.

00:48:53.798 --> 00:48:55.938
The earth is not flat.

00:48:55.938 --> 00:48:57.818
That's pretty obvious.

00:48:57.818 --> 00:48:58.838
We proved it.

00:48:58.838 --> 00:49:01.218
We went over it in the episode on conspiracy theories, right?

00:49:01.218 --> 00:49:04.198
There's retro-reflectors on the moon, et cetera, et cetera.

00:49:04.198 --> 00:49:09.638
So, no, I don't believe in it, to give a serious answer to a lighthearted question.

00:49:11.798 --> 00:49:17.178
Question 12, we know that Christianity in Africa actually makes a huge positive impact.

00:49:17.178 --> 00:49:27.038
Would this also be counted as an argument for the truth of the Christian religion, as nothing else actually makes any kind of meaningful difference there except Christianity?

00:49:27.038 --> 00:49:28.418
That's very true.

00:49:30.138 --> 00:49:33.738
I will point out that there's a very tiny exception.

00:49:33.738 --> 00:49:47.718
Some Islamic areas in Africa are slightly better off than the animistic areas, but only because of the fact that Islam has a tendency to chop off your hands when you steal.

00:49:47.718 --> 00:49:49.358
That does make things better.

00:49:49.358 --> 00:49:53.938
So, but actually improving people is different, right?

00:49:53.938 --> 00:49:56.158
Stopping thieves from stealing is pretty easy.

00:49:56.158 --> 00:49:58.438
Improving men is very hard.

00:49:58.438 --> 00:50:02.798
So, I would say that is actually a legitimate argument for Christianity.

00:50:03.558 --> 00:50:09.358
And this ties in to the question I said that I am putting off for next time.

00:50:09.358 --> 00:50:23.298
So, I won't get into it deeply, but there's obviously the fact that Shinto has, in the Japanese case, done more for them than, say, Hinduism has done for India, right?

00:50:23.298 --> 00:50:33.638
So, it's not the case that every other religion is 100% negative with respect to whether it improves the population or not, right?

00:50:33.638 --> 00:50:35.218
Some are better than others.

00:50:35.218 --> 00:50:39.558
There is good in some of them, but they are missing certain things.

00:50:39.558 --> 00:50:42.718
And obviously, the biggest part for Christianity is they lack the gospel, right?

00:50:42.718 --> 00:50:46.518
So, they're not salvific, they can't justify you.

00:50:46.518 --> 00:50:51.778
But it doesn't mean that all of them are 100% negative, because they're not.

00:50:51.778 --> 00:51:09.438
Insofar as they echo God's truth, they can still be good, which is why some of the pagan religions were better than others, because they had echoes of God's truth in them, they maintained certain levels of order in society and hierarchy, they punished certain crimes.

00:51:09.438 --> 00:51:11.478
Those things are all good.

00:51:11.478 --> 00:51:19.778
But yes, it has certainly been the case that Christianity has been the only thing that has ever been able to even remotely civilize the African.

00:51:19.778 --> 00:51:22.218
And there are a number of examples of that, right?

00:51:22.218 --> 00:51:34.758
You can think of some of the colonial powers, and there's the fact that the Lutheran Church has done a lot of work in Madagascar, and the people there are a lot better off than they were when they were animistic ancestor worshipers.

00:51:34.758 --> 00:51:37.218
And the Roman Catholic Church has also done work there.

00:51:37.218 --> 00:51:45.198
I don't mean to discount what they've done as well, but it's the biggest example in Africa of the Lutheran Church doing that sort of thing.

00:51:45.198 --> 00:51:56.058
So no, I think that that is a legitimate argument for Christianity, sort of the argument from morality, from moral improvement of believers.

00:51:56.058 --> 00:51:57.258
I think that is legitimate.

00:51:57.258 --> 00:52:02.438
Obviously, it's not going to be the totality of the argument, but that's always true for these arguments.

00:52:02.438 --> 00:52:04.538
I've pointed that out before.

00:52:04.538 --> 00:52:09.138
When you're building up an argument for God or for Christianity, you can do it in pieces.

00:52:09.138 --> 00:52:14.018
You don't have to have one monolithic argument that tada, Jesus Christ is Lord, right?

00:52:14.018 --> 00:52:14.878
That's not how it works.

00:52:16.078 --> 00:52:31.458
But, this is a legitimate aspect of arguing for Christianity, that it is the only thing that has been able to create real moral improvement in those who are seemingly beyond improvement.

00:52:33.918 --> 00:52:42.138
Question 13, and then I'll do 14, and I will get to a couple of questions I see pending here in the chat, maybe more than a couple.

00:52:43.738 --> 00:52:51.338
Question 13, what are your thoughts on Catholic and non-Catholic exorcism?

00:52:51.338 --> 00:53:04.938
I was actually thinking about this question a handful of days ago, but I don't know that I necessarily have a fully-fledged position on this.

00:53:04.938 --> 00:53:13.818
My general sense is that I think the Roman Catholics have gone too far with ritualism, and they rely on the ritual instead of God to a degree.

00:53:13.818 --> 00:53:17.598
I'm not going to say obviously, absolutely, because they're still invoking God and such.

00:53:17.598 --> 00:53:23.858
They invoke Mary, too, which obviously I object to that as a Protestant, as a Lutheran.

00:53:23.858 --> 00:53:32.198
But I think that non-Roman Catholics, I think that the rest of us have actually gone overboard in the other direction.

00:53:32.198 --> 00:53:35.758
Lutheran's a little less so because there are actually Lutheran rights of exorcism.

00:53:36.458 --> 00:53:47.718
They are little used these days, and many of them remain untranslated in Latin or German, in texts that are perhaps even not digitized or scanned at this point.

00:53:47.718 --> 00:53:50.118
So a lot of people even know they're Lutheran rights of exorcism.

00:53:50.118 --> 00:53:50.698
There are.

00:53:50.698 --> 00:53:52.478
We carried that over.

00:53:52.478 --> 00:53:54.358
We never abandoned that.

00:53:54.358 --> 00:53:58.878
But I think that the rest of Protestantism sort of abandoned all of the ritual.

00:53:58.878 --> 00:54:02.118
And I don't think ritual plays no part in it.

00:54:02.118 --> 00:54:04.898
I don't think that it is the ritual itself.

00:54:05.918 --> 00:54:07.638
That casts out the demon.

00:54:07.638 --> 00:54:11.478
But I believe in ritualistic worship of God, right?

00:54:11.478 --> 00:54:13.398
That's what the liturgy is.

00:54:13.398 --> 00:54:22.738
So I don't think that it is inappropriate, or should even be surprising, that ritual plays some role in casting out demons, in exorcism.

00:54:22.738 --> 00:54:27.238
So I think that it's not that I'm trying to be, you know, a centrist and, oh, both sides are bad.

00:54:27.238 --> 00:54:33.778
No, I just think the Roman Catholics fell off the horse on one side, and most of Protestantism fell off the horse on the other side.

00:54:34.618 --> 00:54:41.058
So, it is an area where I think we have all, as Christians, been lax.

00:54:41.058 --> 00:54:43.758
We have stopped taking the demonic seriously.

00:54:43.758 --> 00:54:47.278
We have stopped dealing with these problems that are very real.

00:54:47.278 --> 00:54:52.478
We used to perform a house blessing ceremony, which was basically an exorcism and a blessing for the house.

00:54:52.478 --> 00:54:55.518
That was a normal thing, and by we, I mean Lutherans.

00:54:55.518 --> 00:54:57.598
That was something Lutherans used to do.

00:54:57.598 --> 00:55:06.578
I know that there are now a handful of Lutheran pastors who have started doing that for their congregants, and that's great, but that should be normal, that should be a standard thing that we do.

00:55:06.578 --> 00:55:19.158
That should not be something that we have effectively abandoned, particularly in the American context, because we never sort of did a thorough spiritual cleansing of this land.

00:55:19.158 --> 00:55:26.278
There were people here worshiping demons, and in some cases, pretty horrible demons for hundreds of years.

00:55:26.278 --> 00:55:28.718
We should have taken that more seriously.

00:55:28.718 --> 00:55:35.458
We should probably exercise every square meter of this land, every square foot, whichever measuring system you want to use.

00:55:35.458 --> 00:55:43.678
But, no, I don't necessarily say that either one is superior to the other.

00:55:43.678 --> 00:55:46.198
I think that we should take it more seriously as Christians.

00:55:46.198 --> 00:55:49.518
It's an area that we need to invest more time.

00:55:49.518 --> 00:55:54.518
And I think having exercise should simply be a part of being a church.

00:55:54.518 --> 00:56:02.778
Not every parish needs one, but certainly you should have a handful of them at the level of bishop, whatever it is in your particular denomination.

00:56:06.498 --> 00:56:10.638
Question 14, pulling up Logos again for this one.

00:56:12.398 --> 00:56:14.878
Your thoughts on John 422.

00:56:14.878 --> 00:56:21.798
Jesus tells a Samaritan woman, you worship what you do not know, we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.

00:56:21.798 --> 00:56:26.638
This is a beloved passage for neo-pagans and others.

00:56:26.698 --> 00:56:27.638
So let me pull that up here.

00:56:37.597 --> 00:56:43.037
So, this is one of those places where the issue is, what do you mean by Jew?

00:56:43.037 --> 00:56:54.097
Right, not to go over that whole thing again, because I've gone over it so many times, that is point to the episode, go listen to the episode of Stone Choir dealing with the term Jew, and Hebrew, Israelite, et cetera.

00:56:54.097 --> 00:57:06.177
So, of course, helpfully, Logos does not show you the interstitial, so I guess I will bring up this instead, so we can look at the Greek.

00:57:10.097 --> 00:57:14.417
Because we obviously want to look at the Greek for this.

00:57:14.417 --> 00:57:15.677
What is being said here?

00:57:15.677 --> 00:57:18.057
It helps if I pull up the right verse a little bit.

00:57:19.737 --> 00:57:21.597
Not James.

00:57:21.597 --> 00:57:33.457
So, when it says Jews there, it does not actually in the actual language of scripture, which is to say the Greek, pull up the Nestle Alond.

00:57:33.457 --> 00:57:38.997
What it says there is Judeans, Yudaion.

00:57:38.997 --> 00:57:41.857
So, does it come from the Judeans?

00:57:41.857 --> 00:57:46.977
And of course, I have the interstitial up my screen, but you can't see it, because helpfully, it does not highlight it.

00:57:46.977 --> 00:57:58.117
But if I highlight Jews, well, the software is not being cooperative, but the word there is, of course, like I said, Judean.

00:57:58.117 --> 00:57:59.597
And so what is really meant here?

00:57:59.597 --> 00:58:00.337
What is he saying?

00:58:00.877 --> 00:58:02.457
That's the point that is important here.

00:58:02.457 --> 00:58:04.677
I want to get across.

00:58:04.677 --> 00:58:09.397
What he is saying is that I am the Christ.

00:58:09.397 --> 00:58:13.097
Salvation is from the tribe of Judah.

00:58:13.097 --> 00:58:15.117
I am the Christ.

00:58:15.117 --> 00:58:17.077
I am the lion of the tribe of Judah.

00:58:17.077 --> 00:58:19.097
That's what he's telling this woman.

00:58:19.097 --> 00:58:32.477
And so obviously, there's the conflict there between the Samaritans, who are the ten northern tribes having been miscegenated into something other than Israelite, other than Hebrew, by the Assyrians.

00:58:33.697 --> 00:58:37.057
They wanted to worship on their mountain, right?

00:58:37.057 --> 00:58:40.457
This is our mountain, it's in our territory, we want to worship here.

00:58:40.457 --> 00:58:55.677
He's pointing out that the hatred the Samaritans have for Jerusalem is wrong, because the Christ was prophesied to die in Jerusalem, outside the walls, but in Jerusalem, not on the Samaritan mountain.

00:58:56.577 --> 00:58:58.097
So, that's what he's pointing out.

00:58:58.097 --> 00:59:11.157
He's pointing out that scripture, when it says that the Messiah, the Christ is going to come from the line of Judah, is speaking the truth, salvation is from the Judeans, which is just the tribe of Judah, plus some Benjaminites and a handful of Levites.

00:59:11.157 --> 00:59:19.097
And also, you are wrong with regard to hating Jerusalem for the reasons you hate it.

00:59:20.397 --> 00:59:27.017
So it's just one of those things people like to bring up, and they like to try to argue, oh, well, it's scripture is saying the Jews are chosen.

00:59:27.017 --> 00:59:36.437
No, scripture is saying that Christ came from the line of Judah, which, if we didn't have translators playing games with these terms, would be much clearer.

00:59:36.437 --> 00:59:39.457
It should probably say Judean there, Judean, however you want to pronounce it.

00:59:39.457 --> 00:59:41.457
I always pronounce it like the Latin.

00:59:41.457 --> 00:59:44.597
But it should say that instead.

00:59:44.597 --> 00:59:52.657
They play the same sort of game with the word Gentiles, which shouldn't appear in anyone's scripture, because we have the words in English for what that actually is.

00:59:52.737 --> 01:00:00.597
It either means heathen or nations, depending on the context, and depending on the word sometimes, because ethnos, ethnikos.

01:00:00.597 --> 01:00:05.777
But these are little games that translators play when they're trying to judaeize.

01:00:05.777 --> 01:00:19.817
And it is a problem we have in pretty much all of the translations, but it does open the door for some neo-pagans and others to play really dishonest games, because most of them actually know the counterarguments.

01:00:19.957 --> 01:00:22.137
They're just using it to deceive the weak.

01:00:23.277 --> 01:00:26.757
Which incidentally is what Satan likes to do.

01:00:26.757 --> 01:00:31.177
Now I will try to look through the chat to see if we have some questions in the chat.

01:00:35.757 --> 01:00:36.857
Gonna sip a tea while I do that.

01:00:47.707 --> 01:00:50.687
My Lutheran church uses Jewish wine.

01:00:50.687 --> 01:00:55.367
Yes, a lot of people love to use the minishavitz, and then there's whatever the other one is.

01:00:55.367 --> 01:01:01.267
I am conflicted between not wanting to give them money, but laughing at Satan's minions' work being used to bless us in the Eucharist.

01:01:01.267 --> 01:01:01.967
Any thoughts?

01:01:03.227 --> 01:01:10.167
So, the goal of the Jews with creating their wine is to make wine that is unfit for the Eucharist.

01:01:10.167 --> 01:01:14.967
That's their goal, because their goal is evil, and generally that's what they're doing.

01:01:16.287 --> 01:01:27.407
So, is it an invalid sacrament, if you use what is effectively mutilated and sweetened wine?

01:01:27.407 --> 01:01:30.187
I don't know that it invalidates the sacrament.

01:01:30.187 --> 01:01:34.527
I think it is inappropriate, and I don't think it is something we should approach.

01:01:34.527 --> 01:01:37.947
You know, it's the old example I've given so many times.

01:01:37.947 --> 01:01:40.547
Don't stand right on the edge of the cliff.

01:01:40.547 --> 01:01:41.947
You know, stand back a little ways.

01:01:42.727 --> 01:01:47.767
So, just buy your church a case of wine.

01:01:47.767 --> 01:01:49.287
They're not going to say no.

01:01:49.287 --> 01:01:58.587
So, have it reserved at the local liquor store, and have your pastor pick it up, if you think he's going to be concerned about you personally delivering the case of wine.

01:01:58.587 --> 01:02:04.427
You know, you can buy a full case, it'll be sealed, possibly even from the winery.

01:02:04.427 --> 01:02:06.027
Deliver that to him.

01:02:06.027 --> 01:02:09.107
They're probably not going to say no to free wine.

01:02:09.107 --> 01:02:09.747
Most people don't.

01:02:10.647 --> 01:02:14.227
So, that's an easy way to get around the problem, right?

01:02:14.227 --> 01:02:22.067
You basically are earmarking your tithe, and instead of earmarking it for the church to use, you're just using it for the benefit of the church.

01:02:22.067 --> 01:02:23.887
That's something you can do.

01:02:23.887 --> 01:02:30.107
You know, I've bought things for my churches before, instead of, you know, tithing, or in addition to tithing, just depending.

01:02:30.107 --> 01:02:32.567
So, that's a perfectly fine way to solve that.

01:02:32.567 --> 01:02:35.607
They should not be using the Jewish wine.

01:02:35.607 --> 01:02:37.007
They should be using natural wine.

01:02:37.947 --> 01:02:45.507
You can find various explanations of what the Jews do to their wine, and then maybe send one to your pastor.

01:02:45.507 --> 01:02:47.207
He can look at it.

01:02:47.207 --> 01:02:53.627
It's going to depend on sort of the relationship you have with that pastor, and what sort of pastor he is.

01:02:53.627 --> 01:02:59.107
Some of them will be more open to that than others.

01:02:59.107 --> 01:03:03.987
So, if he's open to it, by all means, lay out the argument for him.

01:03:03.987 --> 01:03:06.307
But I think the easiest way is just buy the wine yourself.

01:03:06.847 --> 01:03:11.067
If that, obviously, maybe it happens to coincide with exactly what you're going to tithe.

01:03:11.067 --> 01:03:13.147
I don't know how much you are tithing.

01:03:13.147 --> 01:03:15.727
I don't know how much the wine is going to cost.

01:03:15.727 --> 01:03:18.207
You don't have to buy super expensive wine.

01:03:18.207 --> 01:03:24.247
Not because communion has to use cheap wine, but because super expensive wine is usually a ripoff.

01:03:24.247 --> 01:03:27.567
Just a little tip there for guys who aren't as familiar with wine.

01:03:27.567 --> 01:03:29.187
I think that's probably the best way to handle it, though.

01:03:34.679 --> 01:03:39.879
Question 16, I guess, harkening back to that first question, are Messianic Jews Christians?

01:03:39.879 --> 01:03:50.099
Almost always no, because if they're Christians, they would call themselves Christians, instead of calling themselves Messianic Jews.

01:03:50.099 --> 01:03:53.539
There's a reason they're calling themselves that, right?

01:03:53.539 --> 01:03:58.279
If a man calls himself something, you should probably listen, he's probably telling you something about himself.

01:04:00.539 --> 01:04:08.359
I'm just going to paste these into my thread for the episode here so I have them for later.

01:04:17.403 --> 01:04:21.463
I'm going to save this one about eschatology for next time.

01:04:22.943 --> 01:04:26.483
Question 17, where'd you get the teapot?

01:04:26.483 --> 01:04:30.803
It is from a German company.

01:04:30.803 --> 01:04:33.983
It is, what's the, it's TrennGlass.

01:04:35.283 --> 01:04:38.683
T-R-E-N-D-G-L-A-S.

01:04:38.683 --> 01:04:43.843
And it is in the German city of Jena with J-E-N-A.

01:04:43.843 --> 01:04:48.443
It's a city that has made glassware for a very long time.

01:04:48.443 --> 01:04:54.803
And the nice thing about it is that it is Pyrex, Borosilicate Glass.

01:04:54.803 --> 01:04:56.683
Pyrex being obviously the trade name.

01:04:56.683 --> 01:05:05.503
It is the real stuff, so it's safe to have, as you can see, the candle went out now, but as you can, as you could have seen, you can apply fire directly.

01:05:05.503 --> 01:05:07.503
It handles boiling water.

01:05:07.503 --> 01:05:09.523
It can go in the dishwasher, all these things.

01:05:09.523 --> 01:05:11.723
So it's a great option.

01:05:11.723 --> 01:05:16.323
And it's not really actually particularly expensive, even to get it shipped from Germany.

01:05:16.323 --> 01:05:27.023
So if you happen to be somewhere on the East Coast, maybe you can get it shipped from a couple of places in New York, but other than that, you'll probably have to get it shipped from Germany.

01:05:27.023 --> 01:05:35.063
But like I said, it's not as expensive as you might think for what it is, and you'll probably buy it once and have it for life, unless you drop it.

01:05:44.482 --> 01:05:47.982
And the tea glasses are also from the same place.

01:05:47.982 --> 01:05:49.662
And the little stand.

01:05:49.662 --> 01:05:55.522
The candles, like I've said before, I brought this up on X.

01:05:55.522 --> 01:06:01.722
You're going to have to choose between paraffin wax and beeswax.

01:06:01.722 --> 01:06:04.702
Beeswax is significantly more expensive.

01:06:04.702 --> 01:06:05.842
It is better.

01:06:05.842 --> 01:06:08.302
It burns hotter, it burns cleaner.

01:06:08.302 --> 01:06:16.402
It doesn't produce the volatile compounds that paraffin wax produces that are not particularly great for you.

01:06:16.402 --> 01:06:22.062
But if you're in a well-ventilated room, the difference isn't that big.

01:06:22.062 --> 01:06:23.022
I use both.

01:06:23.022 --> 01:06:25.042
I have both sitting over there.

01:06:25.042 --> 01:06:26.162
But the beeswax is superior.

01:06:37.394 --> 01:06:44.194
I have a question about the verses in scripture that deal with wives submitting to their husbands.

01:06:44.194 --> 01:06:48.054
I'm going to note that one for next time.

01:06:48.054 --> 01:06:52.174
I want to look at all of the spots where it says that before I give an answer.

01:06:53.294 --> 01:06:58.414
So I'll add that to my list.

01:07:10.207 --> 01:07:12.847
Question 18, I believe.

01:07:14.987 --> 01:07:15.647
I believe.

01:07:15.647 --> 01:07:16.947
Yes, question 18.

01:07:16.947 --> 01:07:30.147
Do you have any thoughts on why certain degeneracies such as bikinis, nudity, fry, curpa, culture, free body culture, nudity, same sort of thing, took such a stronghold in the West to an extent surpassing even the third world?

01:07:30.147 --> 01:07:32.827
Is it just liberalism?

01:07:32.827 --> 01:07:34.447
I think that it is largely liberalism.

01:07:34.927 --> 01:07:41.087
It is partly a rejection of christianity.

01:07:41.087 --> 01:07:55.667
Not entirely though, because, for instance, in Germany, nude sunbathing and things like that have a pretty long history, really back into the pagan times, and just never really went entirely away.

01:07:55.667 --> 01:08:09.387
I'm always a little bit conflicted on it, partly German blood, but it obviously is better if we tamp down on those things, and at the very least, don't have co-ed nude anything.

01:08:09.387 --> 01:08:12.107
That's obviously a temptation, it's a problem.

01:08:12.107 --> 01:08:17.147
We should not be advocating for that in Christian societies.

01:08:17.147 --> 01:08:23.627
I don't object to spas that have separate facilities for men and women if you don't have to wear a swimsuit.

01:08:23.627 --> 01:08:26.207
I don't object to that, I don't care.

01:08:26.207 --> 01:08:26.887
That's not a problem.

01:08:27.167 --> 01:08:29.067
Over in Europe, a lot of times, those are co-ed.

01:08:29.067 --> 01:08:32.507
I don't think that's permissible in a Christian society.

01:08:32.507 --> 01:08:33.707
I don't think we should allow that.

01:08:33.707 --> 01:08:36.447
I think we should certainly tamp down on that.

01:08:36.447 --> 01:08:52.287
But I do think that it basically just took hold because of the post-war rejection of Christianity, sort of reactionary movements, trying to say, look at how advanced and liberal and free we are.

01:08:52.287 --> 01:08:53.387
Look at all the liberty we have.

01:08:53.387 --> 01:08:59.347
Particularly, you saw a lot of that in, say, East Germany, where they're trying to say, look at how free we actually are.

01:08:59.347 --> 01:09:03.127
The West says that we're enslaved, and really it's the capital, you know, all that stuff.

01:09:03.127 --> 01:09:07.627
But no, it's by and large not good.

01:09:07.627 --> 01:09:13.287
And it's something that we should, we should largely ban in a Christian society.

01:09:15.287 --> 01:09:17.527
And I know that there are going to people who object to that.

01:09:17.527 --> 01:09:24.707
You know, like I said, I have some mixed feelings on it, but at the very least, if you're going to have some of that in your society, then clearly have it sex segregated.

01:09:25.827 --> 01:09:27.407
I don't think that's objectionable.

01:09:29.207 --> 01:09:32.307
I don't think that's as much of an issue of, you know, modesty or whatever.

01:09:32.307 --> 01:09:41.027
I think that's mostly an issue of men and women not being in mixed company in inappropriate attire, because only your spouse should see you like that.

01:09:41.027 --> 01:09:46.947
So, yes, there should also be public decency laws with regard to swimwear, particularly for women.

01:09:49.647 --> 01:09:53.307
And someone mentioned that, you know, we have beautiful women, so that's part of it.

01:09:53.587 --> 01:09:57.427
It is, because that's the reality of it.

01:09:57.427 --> 01:10:02.187
There's some parts of the world where you would definitely not want to see everyone naked.

01:10:04.727 --> 01:10:09.487
Question 20, you know, it's question 19, rather.

01:10:09.487 --> 01:10:12.107
Why do we hear so much about German occult practices during the war?

01:10:12.107 --> 01:10:13.667
That's a very easy answer.

01:10:13.667 --> 01:10:16.827
Post-war propaganda and during the war as well.

01:10:16.827 --> 01:10:23.467
Atrocity propaganda was a very common and popular thing, particularly by the British.

01:10:23.467 --> 01:10:26.927
And they did this particularly against the Germans, but against others as well.

01:10:26.927 --> 01:10:36.847
And obviously it was Jewish involvement, particularly in the American context, but also in the British context for propaganda to gin people up to get ready to go to war.

01:10:37.927 --> 01:10:39.967
It's all nonsense.

01:10:39.967 --> 01:10:49.467
And the only thing that they had was they could point out that, you know, the SS had nighttime rallies with torches and, oh, look, it's paganism.

01:10:49.467 --> 01:10:50.227
It's not paganism.

01:10:50.707 --> 01:10:51.827
It's having fire at night.

01:10:51.827 --> 01:10:53.347
It's a bonfire.

01:10:53.347 --> 01:10:56.307
Is it paganism when you go to the beach and have a bonfire?

01:10:56.307 --> 01:10:57.707
It's such...

01:10:57.707 --> 01:11:08.547
It's so incredibly transparent and dumb, but it works, because if you can hammer home a simple point with propaganda, even if it's a lie, many times it will be effective.

01:11:08.547 --> 01:11:09.767
So that's why you hear so much about it.

01:11:09.767 --> 01:11:15.347
But if you start to dig into it, it all evaporates because there's no evidence for it.

01:11:15.347 --> 01:11:17.447
You start finding Christianity everywhere you dig.

01:11:27.652 --> 01:11:30.292
Guess I should put that into the show notes.

01:11:30.292 --> 01:11:31.792
I remember I answered that one.

01:11:38.178 --> 01:11:43.018
That is probably about it for this episode, but I'll see if there's maybe one more I can answer quickly.

01:11:53.592 --> 01:11:55.612
I did see the question about Galatians 328.

01:11:55.612 --> 01:12:02.352
For that, people rightly mention it's about salvation, but also the episode on Galatians 328.

01:12:02.352 --> 01:12:03.352
I just go listen to that.

01:12:03.352 --> 01:12:04.752
We covered it quite thoroughly.

01:12:04.752 --> 01:12:08.972
I've covered it elsewhere as well, but it is 100% about salvation.

01:12:08.972 --> 01:12:16.152
It's not about obviously anything else, because then we would have to say that men and women don't exist.

01:12:16.152 --> 01:12:19.332
And no one is really arguing that.

01:12:19.332 --> 01:12:21.152
That's the case with regard to salvation, right?

01:12:21.232 --> 01:12:28.312
You can be saved if you're a man or a woman, if you are racially X or Y, and you can sub out whatever you want there.

01:12:28.312 --> 01:12:29.152
You don't have to say Jew or Greek.

01:12:29.152 --> 01:12:30.232
You can say Russian or German.

01:12:30.232 --> 01:12:31.792
You can say German or Japanese.

01:12:31.792 --> 01:12:33.132
Same thing works.

01:12:33.132 --> 01:12:35.772
And obviously, slave or free hierarchy.

01:12:37.292 --> 01:12:55.272
Condemning in part the beliefs of the time, which basically thought that if you were higher up the hierarchy and therefore had greater wealth and resources, you could contribute more to whatever, buy a synagogue, open a synagogue, build something, and then you were more holy because you've done that thing.

01:12:55.272 --> 01:12:57.532
That's also part of what's being condemned there.

01:12:58.852 --> 01:13:05.592
And I think I will use this as the last question for this episode.

01:13:05.592 --> 01:13:15.852
If God uses terraforming to punish us in our lands, the Sahara, locking up India, does this suggest God found something particularly wicked in Antarctica?

01:13:17.312 --> 01:13:23.672
So, for that, that's question 20, unless I mis-numbered something there.

01:13:23.672 --> 01:13:39.292
I don't think that it means God found anything particularly wicked there, because it seems like God intended for the climate cycles and the particular way that heat distributes on our planet, around our planet.

01:13:39.292 --> 01:13:41.212
It seems like that was part of his intended design.

01:13:41.832 --> 01:13:47.412
So, I don't think Antarctica was intended to be a lush rain forest.

01:13:47.412 --> 01:13:51.632
I think that it was intended to be basically the air conditioning for the planet.

01:13:51.632 --> 01:13:55.492
So, I think that's just how God designed Earth to be.

01:13:55.492 --> 01:13:59.232
I don't think it was punishment for wickedness.

01:13:59.232 --> 01:14:02.852
And perhaps the Sahara is punishment for wickedness.

01:14:02.852 --> 01:14:15.092
The Himalayas are sort of a containment zone, but God built the geography of the world in such a way that people groups naturally spread and then spread out in certain geographies, right?

01:14:15.092 --> 01:14:20.032
You spread up to the mountain range, you spread out to the sea, things like that.

01:14:20.032 --> 01:14:42.432
And as we pointed out a number of times in Stone Quire, if you look at the Earth from the satellite view, you can actually see all the natural nations instead of the artificial ones, because you can see the geographic boundaries that are real as opposed to the man-made lines that are fake, that are artificial.

01:14:42.432 --> 01:14:49.132
So, clearly the subcontinent is meant to be separated from others.

01:14:49.132 --> 01:14:52.632
The sub-Saharan Africa is meant to be separated from others.

01:14:52.632 --> 01:14:59.652
That's why there's a giant desert that you can't cross without very high odds of dying even today.

01:14:59.652 --> 01:15:03.132
All of these areas, and then the various mountain ranges and things like that.

01:15:04.852 --> 01:15:10.852
We should account for those natural boundaries more than we do, and we should respect them more than we do.

01:15:10.852 --> 01:15:16.552
But no, I don't think that Antarctica was particularly wicked, and so it's covered in ice and inhospitable.

01:15:16.552 --> 01:15:21.012
I think it's just part of how God designed the air currents and things to work.

01:15:21.012 --> 01:15:28.212
You can look up a map of how the air flow works, and all the cold masses versus the warm masses and things like that.

01:15:28.212 --> 01:15:35.412
In my case, I particularly have the example of, I used to live on the West Coast right near the beach.

01:15:35.412 --> 01:15:47.432
Despite what you may think about Southern California, you think that, oh, Southern California, always sunny, warm, paradise, the water is cold because it comes down from the North Pole.

01:15:47.432 --> 01:15:56.752
Whereas here on the East Coast, I'm not coastal at this point, but I've gone and visited the beaches, the water is very warm because it comes up from the equator.

01:15:56.752 --> 01:16:06.972
So that's basically, there's a giant climate battery, as it were, that just makes sure that certain parts of the Earth are hospitable when they would not otherwise be.

01:16:06.972 --> 01:16:16.432
And so a good example of that is that continental Europe is much more temperate than you would think it would be if you just looked at the latitude.

01:16:16.432 --> 01:16:19.952
And the reason for that is basically the jet stream.

01:16:19.952 --> 01:16:23.492
So I think that's just how God designed the planet and how things work.

01:16:26.332 --> 01:16:32.272
If I missed any questions, I will try to get to them next time.

01:16:32.272 --> 01:16:43.992
If I don't add your question to my ongoing list of questions to answer in the future, then, excuse me, please let me know so that I will add it to that.

01:16:43.992 --> 01:16:45.712
That can be found on the website.

01:16:45.712 --> 01:16:46.852
You can go to the website.

01:16:46.852 --> 01:16:50.652
That's in the description of any of these videos.

01:16:50.652 --> 01:16:57.492
That's the best way to submit the questions, because I go to those questions first, and then I know that I have answered them or not answered them.

01:16:57.572 --> 01:17:03.132
I can mark them as answered as well, and it's the easiest way for other people to find these things in the future.

01:17:03.132 --> 01:17:13.652
But if you comment in the chat or on Telegram or X, I try to find those as well and amalgamate those, aggregate those into my thread.

01:17:13.652 --> 01:17:16.632
But if I don't notice it, it won't be there.

01:17:16.632 --> 01:17:18.192
Please let me know.

01:17:18.192 --> 01:17:30.232
So thank you for those who submitted questions, and I'm glad that I was able to answer these questions this week, as every week so far, and I look forward to answering the questions for you next week.

01:17:30.232 --> 01:17:35.232
It's Friday, of course, so I try to do this on Thursdays, but often it winds up being Friday.

01:17:35.232 --> 01:17:38.632
So have a great weekend, and go to church on Sunday.

01:17:38.632 --> 01:17:41.512
Until I see you all next week, may God bless you.

01:17:41.512 --> 01:17:42.112
Have a nice evening.