RECCE ROOM

In my travels and discussions, I've come across Calvinists of all sorts of backgrounds. Now mind you, Calvinists are a distinct minority in Christian circles - I would estimate far less than 5% of Christians are Calvinist. But I've noticed a few types that repeat themselves, and since I like to categorize things, here goes: Presbyterian Most of these folks are good people. Most of them are Christian. Most grew up in the Presbyterian Church and have ventured to few other places of worship. Presbyterian Calvinists (PCs) generally are not into research, hence the reason they continue to believe in Calvinism. PCs almost never have a very inquisitive nature when it comes to the Bible, or their beliefs. Often, they might not even know all five points of Calvinism ("TULIP"). Hyper Calvinist Hyper Calvinists are usually Presbyterian, and rarely Baptist. They consider themselves the purest form of Calvinist, as they disagree with the Five Points the least, and as they em...

Debating with Calvinists is something fun for me. That said, they like to lie and twist words. Of course, if they didn't, they wouldn't be Calvinists. A recent debate had a Calvinist throwing up his proverbial hands because I simply asked for his definition of two words. He didn't want to be nailed down on definitions for the specific purpose of trying to twist the definitions. It is no secret that Calvinists have become increasingly militant, and wish to infiltrate churches and spread their heresy. To borrow a quote : "In general most Calvinists are more concerned about converting people to Calvinism than to calling persons to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ." This activity has picked up in the past 20 years. Along with it, you will get outright lies by the same Calvinists about what is scriptural and what is not. The key though, is that they always start out with the truth, or an acceptable variation of the truth. Lets discuss dishonest tactics, an...

Seriously, I need help from my readers. I had an email asking what are the true verses to the old Irish folk song: "Whiskey in the Jar." Here are the closest to the original verses that I've been able to ascertain. However, there are some verses that some use, and other verses used by other performers. (Note: the chorus is typically sung between each verse, and sometimes twice) As I was a goin' over the far famed Kerry mountains I met with captain Farrell and his money he was counting I first produced my pistol and I then produced my rapier Saying "Stand and deliver" for you are a bold deceiver I counted out his money and it was a pretty penny I put it in me pocket and I took it home to Jenny She sighed and she swore that she never would deceive me But the devil take the women for they never can be easy I went up to my chamber, all for to take a slumber I dreamt of gold and jewels and for sure 'twas a wonder But Jenny took me charges and ...

Recently, I received the following message from a reader: Usagi, You seem to be a guy with a well-rounded knowledge. I've read your advice on shooting, martial arts, tying a neck tie, and even cooking recipes. That last part is why I am writing you. Just became a single guy [details withheld]. Was wondering what cooking pots and pans you would get? - Rob [name changed per request] Thanks, Rob, for reading! This is actually one I have had the opportunity to discuss recently as my brother is also going through a divorce. To give a proper answer, I will put myself in your situation. If I woke up tomorrow with no pots, no pans, and no dependents, here is a list of what I would get: Basics: Plates, bowls, cups, glasses, forks, knives, spoons. FOUR of each. Plastic / paper plates and cups. Large knife & sturdy cutting board. Kitchen tongs & grill tongs. Cooking Devices: Grill (I use gas) Crock Pot Blender (if you mix smoothies, or other such concoctions - I wo...

Often, many Christians will say XYZ is a sin, while ABC is no longer a sin. The mix up comes from inconsistent application of the Bible, of course - as it always does. In the New Testament, we are taught that Christ Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant. That is to say, things that the Jews used to have to do to show themselves separate, were no longer required. Still, some "sins" or other instructions for how the Jews could keep a different appearance as given in the Torah (first five books of the Bible - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), are now claimed by Christians - incorrectly - to still be "sins." For example, you might get a statement like this: It's OK to eat shellfish, but not to be homosexual. How does one figure out what are the sins, and what are the lifestyle commands for the Jews?  It is much simpler than most people would let you believe, and that because God made it simple, not complex. To determine what is a sin, one ca...

If you are a Calvinist, you may or may not be a Christian.  Do you believe that God exhaustively knows the future? • If you answered yes, you might be a Christian. • Calvinists and Christians believe that God exhaustively knows the future. • Some Christians think that a denial of this doctrine is a rejection of basic Christian Theism, and that those who deny the doctrine cannot therefore be Christian. • The Society of Evangelical Arminians affirms the doctrine, and one cannot belong to the society unless one is in agreement with it. Doctrine does not affect one's salvation - belief in Christ does. However, there exists a distinct possibility that if your doctrine is false, as is the case with Calvinism, then you may never have asked Jesus' forgiveness and as a result, you may not have received salvation. Material borrowed from this site . All edits are mine.

Folks, there are numerous examples of people getting assaulted / bullied / or otherwise illegally confronted by law enforcement officers. I am of the opinion that the problem is on the verge of becoming an epidemic. Here is a video of a security guard that lets her "authority" go to her head. Doesn't turn out well for her. (WARNING - strong language) My analysis: The victim (woman in offwhite shirt and denim shorts) has fair grappling skills for a beginner. Nice leg sweep take down. Good mount at first. Then she gave her opponent too much space. Poor guard, but it worked. Really poor headlock, but again - it worked. 3-6 months grappling experience? Tops? .

Recently, I invited a friend to be an additional author on this blog. I, for one, am excited to see what gets posted. .

ADD and ADHD are a myth. I've said so before . I still hold to that opinion. Now, for those of you who do not wish to be parents - but rather to blame some invisible "disease" that is neither your fault, nor in your control for your child's behavior (which, ironically is both your fault, and well within your control) - here is a new bit of news you might just want to read... Seems the Inventor of ADHD agrees (well, agreed. He has since passed away). I can hear the wailing now from the crowd - "But... but!" "MY child has something!" "Whatever you call it, it's still the same!" Excuses, excuses. Get back to nutrition, exercise, and parenting, and watch the issues get resolved. .

Last year I blogged about movies I was looking forward to seeing. Here is my recap: - Prometheus - saw it. Thumbs up. - Battleship - saw it. Thumbs up. - MIB 3 - saw it. Thumbs up. - Spider Man - saw it. Thumbs up. - Dark Knight - haven't seen it yet. - GI Joe - got pushed forward to this year. Still haven't seen it. Still want to. Netflix-bound. - Expendables 2 - saw it. And the first one. The second one was better. - Atlas Shrugged 2 - got pushed forward to this year. - Taken 2 - saw it. Thumbs up. - Red Dawn - Saw it. Thumbs up. - The Hobbit - haven't seen it yet. At the time, I wrote about movies coming out in 2013: - Thor 2 - still want to see it. - Iron Man 3 - saw it. Thumbs up. - Man of Steel - still want to see it. - Wolverine - want to see it, but may wait for Netflix. - Star Trek 2 - saw it. Thumbs up. - Robocop - this has been pushed to 2014, reportedly. Still want to see it. - Ninja Turtles - this has also reportedly been pushed to 2014. St...

Over the years, lots of stuff has been left out of the Bible. These edits - all done by fallible men -are part of what make me want to dig further on everything. I was talking with a friend on Facebook the other day. He had a post about the book of Esther not mentioning God. Esther, ironically, is also the first book in the Bible that calls the chosen people "Jews" instead of "Hebrews" or "Israelites." I asked said friend why Esther had more verses in it until 1885. His response? " Because those chapters were not in the original Hebrew only in the Greek Septuagint." Funny.  Really funny.  The Hebrew texts are rewrites of the Greek texts in some parts. Otherwise, they would not rename Xerxes to "Ahasuerus." The English name Ahasuerus is derived from a Latinized form of the Hebrew Akhashverosh, which is a Hebrew rendering of the Babylonian Achshiyarshu. Further, the Hebrew was not considered more technically accurate in all...

If you are a Calvinist, you may or may not be a Christian.  Do you believe in the penal satisfaction view of the atonement? • If you answered yes or if you answered no, you might be a Christian. • The penal satisfaction view of the atonement asserts that Jesus’ death entailed a payment for sin. It assumes that the justice of God requires that sin be punished and that the just wrath of God was diverted away from deserving sinners and poured out instead upon Jesus as their substitute. • This view is held by most Calvinists and by a majority of Christians. • Arminius himself affirmed the penal satisfaction view of the atonement. Doctrine does not affect one's salvation - belief in Christ does. However, there exists a distinct possibility that if your doctrine is false, as is the case with Calvinism, then you may never have asked Jesus' forgiveness and as a result, you may not have received salvation. Material borrowed from this site . All edits are mine.

Another reason gun bans don't work. Another reason we need guns in schools / colleges. Another reason we are over-policed. Another reason the police we have are under-trained in marksmanship. Another reason the police are not there to help you. Another reason I'll never live in NY. Police shoots a suspect 7 times and the suspect's hostage once. Sad. All the way around. .

It came out this week that the IRS has been targeting conservative groups for audit.  Democrats correctly point to the same type of activity originating under President Bush during the waning years of his administration. Then, it was the directed targeting of Democrat and liberal groups.  This is why I am Libertarian.  Abolish the IRS and this problem goes away totally.  Same for marriage - gay or straight. Do you really want someone in government defining what is their opinion of a legal marriage? If you answer "yes," it means that in a few short years, someone else will be in power, and they WILL NOT share your opinion.  Then you will be SOL.  Same in the food and drug arena. You really want the FDA telling you what to eat? It is their recommendations that have led directly to the highest obesity rate in recorded history of mankind. By the same token, the FDA is incompetent when it comes to dictating what drugs are safe and what drugs to criminalize....

The other day, I came across this list of ten words that cannot be translated into an English word. Pretty interresting: Link here . My favorites? Ilunga (from the Bantu). Uitwaaien (from the Dutch) As a youth; my friends, my brother, and I had our own words for: Kyoikumama (from the Japanese) - we called it "the Joes." Espirit d'Escalier (from the French) - we called it durnedolreply (durned ol reply). Bakku-shan (also from the Japanese) - we called it LGGNC (said it like "log-ink")... it was an acronym which stood for: "Looks Good Going, Not Coming." I think I prefer bakku-shan now. What about you? Any unique words you use? .

What is sexual sin? Fornication? Adultery? Homosexuality? Lets examine: In the Bible, Old and New Testaments, there are several words that are used in the Hebrew and in the Greek referring to sexual sin. Interestingly enough, all  Adultery is specifically the breaking of the marriage vows. If you made an oath to foresake all others, then you have sexual relations with a person who is not your spouse, that is adultery, and it is a sin. Na'aph from the Hebrew - "adultery" Moicheuo from the Greek - "adultery" Be mindful - the sex is not the sin; the breaking of the vow is the sin of adultery.    Homosexuality is not conducive to society. Not permitted. Fornication - the word, as used in the Bible, most often refers to "sexual sin" (see above!). Sex before marriage is not fornication. Porneia from the Greek - "sexual sin" Zanah from the Hebrew - "prostitute/whore" (not mentioned as a sin, but used as a dero...

Calvinism is not Biblical Doctrine. It's a human philosophy that appeals to proud-minded individuals. The late Dr. Adrian Rogers on predestination - the cornerstone of Calvinism: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 .

I am no longer a "Young Earth" Creationist. This will come as a surprise to many. However, much research on other topics has turned up information that is not only impossible to dismiss, it is clearly in favor of an Earth that is at least slightly older than ~6000 years. I am not going to make a statement as to how old the Earth might be... there are far more learned people that will have better arguments for their respective positions. The first thing that started my change of mind and heart was the fact that many people "interpret" things so very differently. So many people intentionally read things into stuff that just ain't there. Often, these people have agendas, and reading the truth for what it is does not fit that agenda. Many translations of the Bible are translated the way they are for this very reason! To be sure, I more firmly believe in Creation as a point of origin than I ever have. To be sure, I believe evolution is best described as micro-...

If you are a Calvinist, you may or may not be a Christian.  Do you believe in eternal security? The issue is whether people who truly believe in Jesus for salvation can possibly shipwreck their faith and forfeit their salvation, or conversely, once people have genuinely put their faith in Christ, whether their final salvation is unconditionally guaranteed. • If you answered yes and do believe in eternal security, you might be a Christian. • Even Jacobus Arminius (of "Arminianism" - what Calvinists call non-Calvinist Christians) himself was non-committal on the issue and never actually taught that believers may make shipwreck of their faith and so forfeit their salvation. • The Remonstrants — people who sided with Arminius in the theological debates of 17th century Holland — originally took no position on this issue, though they ultimately came to the conclusion that believers can make shipwreck of their faith and so perish. • If you answered no and don't believe ...