Cognitive Decline and a Biblical Decree

Elderly people without dementia show patterns of cognitive decline in the years prior to death, a new study published in Neurology magazine indicates.¹ This sheds some interesting light on a particular passage in Genesis.

Two hundred eighty-eight people without dementia who were born between the years of 1901 and 1902 participated in the study, and the results did not demonstrate the kinds of generalized decay that are usually associated with aging. “We found accelerated changes in people’s mental skills that indicated a terminal decline phase years before death,” said Valgeir Thorvaldsson of Göteberg University in Sweden.² He and his colleagues found that spatial perception declines around eight years prior to death, and verbal ability begins fading six-and-a-half years before the end of a person’s life.

Scripture tells why we have death. According to Genesis, doubt of God’s word led the first humans to the direct disobedience of God’s command, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”³

The Hebrew verbs translated “shalt surely die” can be transcribed as môt tamût. The verb môt is in the infinitive form, and tamût is imperfect, indicating an act not yet completed. A closer English translation might then be, “to die, you will be dying.” Therefore when mankind rebelled against God’s command, God was compelled by His holy and true-to-His-word nature to execute an appropriate consequence: a process of dying that would eventually lead to death.

The study on cognitive decline in the elderly adds another layer of understanding to a physical phenomenon that the Bible describes precisely in its very first depiction of death. This further confirmation of the scientific and physical accuracy of the text provides another reason to rely on the spiritual phenomena described in the text as also being accurate. Just as the tragic process of death is real, so is the spiritual reason behind it: sin. Likewise, just as the miracle of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead was real, so is the spiritual reason behind that: life. Disbelief of God’s Word brought death, but “he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life.”⁴

References

1. Thorvaldsson,V. et al. 2008. Onset of terminal decline in cognitive abilities in individuals without dementia. Neurology. Published online before print August 27, 2008.
2. Even Without Dementia, Mental Skills Decline Years Before Death. American Academy of Neurology press release, August 27, 2008.
3. Genesis 2:17.
4. John 5:24.

* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer.

How To Raise A Brat!

So many today have been successful at raising brats. Here’s some of the finest advice you’ll ever receive on how to raise a brat:

1. WHEN A BABY, DON’T LET HIM CRY IN BED Do not allow YOUR baby to suffer any hardships, especially in infancy. Run to his aid as soon as he cries. He’ll soon know how to control you, rather than you controlling him. This way, they’ll expect to be pampered all of their lives.

2. LET HIM SAY “NO” It’s so cute. Let that be his favorite word. Sure, it’s rebellion verbalized, but he should be allowed to have a mind of his own.

3. DO NOT GIVE ANY DUTIES, RESPONSIBILITIES Do it all for them. Then they’ll think this world owes them a living. They’ll quickly join the crowd of grown up babies shouting, “I’ve got my rights,” rather than those who are men and women enough to fulfill their responsibilities.

4. NEVER SPANK THEM When the senior citizens today speak of spanking as being “the way we used to do it,” remember, grandma and grandpa were “child abusers.” Don’t ever discipline your child. Wait till they’re in trouble, and let the penal system (prisons and jails) discipline them. Listen to Dr. Spock (who never raised a child in his life) and the other child psychologists, not the old timers who raised 5 or 10 children successfully!
Throw out the Bible and its admonitions like: “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes (early in life)” Proverbs 13:24. “The rod AND reproof (teaching that exposes wrong) give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame,” Proverbs 29:15. You can only develop a true brat if you won’t properly discipline them.

5. DEFEND THEM IN SCHOOL Always take the child’s side. Teachers and principals have got it “in” for the little angel. Understand that your child can do no wrong. Expect teachers and principals to know that too!

6. CRITICIZE LEADERS AND PREACHERS You can’t trust them. Tear down authority in front of them. Make sure they hear you. They’ll live in insecurity not knowing who to trust. They will be totally prepared for a life of rebellion. They will not learn to properly fear anyone and will probably lose their jobs when the boss asks them to do something. Don’t tell them that 99% of those in leadership positions are good people who are sincere and have never been indicted for anything. Leave them with the impression that they are all bad.

7. DON’T EVER SAY “I LOVE YOU” They can figure that out! After all, you’ve given them everything they’ve ever wanted. What more can a parent do (of course, don’t give them yourself!)

8. GIVE THEM EVERYTHING THEY WANT Buy something for them every time you go into a store. Never say “no” to them. When properly trained this way, they will be used to having every appetite of theirs fulfilled immediately. When they grow older and develop natural sexual appetites, they will have been trained by you to seek immediate fulfillment. Teen pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases shouldn’t really surprise the parent then. Sooo… give them everything they ask for while they are kids.

9. NEVER TEACH THEM THE BIBLE Teach them math, science, history, art, music, reading, physical education, sex education, etc. but don’t teach them the Bible. Let them decide for themselves. Make them go to school 5 days a week for all day, but don’t take them to church for 1 hour on Sunday.

10. ALWAYS TRUST YOUR CHILD He’s a little angel. He wouldn’t dare do anything behind your back. Did you ever ask a young person whom you catch smoking, “Do you smoke at home?” Usually the answer is, “You’ve got to be kidding my parents would kill me.” Remember, that’s the other kids in town, yours would never do that.

11. SCREAM AT YOUR CHILDREN This is the only type of communication necessary to raise a brat. Time spent answering their questions and instructing them is wasted time. The only training really required of parents is potty-training. After that, it is the obligation of day cares preschools and schools. Scream constantly, and the fond memories your children have of home life will assure you as a parent that your kids will never take care of you when you’re old.

12. LET YOUR CHILD COME AND GO AS THEY WILL Don’t set any boundaries. This will lead to a life of insecurity. Brats don’t need guidelines.

13. MAKE SURE THEY ARE POPULAR They must be in with the crowd, their peers! Don’t let them be an oddball. If they follow the crowd, the crowd will become the greatest influence in their lives. Nothing to fear there, right?

14. LET THEM WATCH TV CONSTANTLY Keep them away from reality. Let them live in fantasy all of their lives. Brats need entertainment! A life of comfort and ease produces high-class brats. They won’t know how to deal with reality or real people, but maybe they’ll just go into seclusion rather than becoming contentious or hostile. It’s usually one or the other.CONCLUSION Brats are produced, not born. It takes effort to obey the above principles. Parents should prepare themselves for a life of heartbreak for it is sure to come.

 

 

By Pastor Art Kohl

If I’m pregnant, I’m going to have an abortion!

 

Abortion

1. A few hours after conception, a tiny heart begins beating. Abortion is murder in God’s eyes. Exodus 20:13; “Thou shalt not kill.”
2. The main argument from abortionists is: When does life begin? If life has begun in the mother’s womb and the baby is aborted, then it is murder. Let’s look to the Creator, Almighty God, to see when life begins.

III. Life begins in the womb, not at birth:

 

• John the Baptist leaped in his mother’s womb (Luke 1:41).
• David said that the Lord was his God from his mother’s womb: Psalm (22:9&10).
• We are formed from the womb (Isaiah 44:2 and 24).
• God is actively involved before birth.

1.     The unborn child is protected and his or her future ordained by God (Ex.21:22-25; Ps.139:13-16).

2.     David said, “Before I was conceived in my mother’s womb, thou knoweth me.”

3.     Jesus was named before He was conceived in his mothers womb (Luke 2:21).

4.     Jeremiah 1:5; “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee.”

1. Young women whom I have counseled who have aborted their babies because they became pregnant by accident or at the wrong time are devastated.

They carry the guilt of killing their baby and will live with that devastating guilt for many years, perhaps for the rest of their lives. How sad!

Pray about it. Think about it. Then pray about it some more. The choice is yours. Please make the right and Godly decision.

Psalm 23:4&5; “Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me it thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.”

 Dr. Richard E. Dixon, DMCC

 

Extinction Events Are Declining to the Biblical Level

New research may change conventional thinking on fossil diversity and extinction rates.¹ John Alroy, a researcher at the University of California Santa Barbara, and 34 other scientists recently completed a 10-year study on the subject, published in the journal Science.²

Other scientists tend to count just the first and last occurrences of fossils, but Alroy and his colleagues undertook the monumental task of examining the over 280,000 known fossil records, with the help of the extensive and detailed web-based Paleobiology Database. They concluded that earth has experienced only three major extinction periods, instead of the long-held belief that there were five—at the end of the Ordovician, the late Devonian, the end of the Permian, the end of the Triassic, and the end of the Cretaceous—also known as the “Big Five.”

Conventional paleontology held that species recovered and diversified slowly and gradually after a major extinction event. However, this new research contends that species that survived extinction events “diversified” rapidly, only to then level off (stop evolving) for vast periods of time. This does not fit with Darwinian models, which would predict the slow, gradual, continual evolution of species.

The creation model, however, fits Alroy’s conclusions rather well. In this model, there was one—not three—mass extinction event. Those species that survived the catastrophe carried on, retaining their forms and identities, and leaving a record of having leveled off. They never went on to morph into different kinds.

Present research has narrowed earth’s major extinction events from five to three. Future research may well compress those three into one large extinction event coinciding with Genesis chapters 6-9. To date, the only historical event that fits fully with the fossil evidence is the Flood of Noah’s age as documented in the Bible.

References

1. Disproving Conventional Wisdom on Diversity of Marine Fossils and Extinction Rates. Science News. Posted on ScienceDaily.com July 14, 2008, accessed July 15, 2008.
2. Alroy, J. et al. 2008. Phanerozoic trends in the global diversity of marine invertebrates. Science. 321: 5885.

Academia to high schools: No God allowed

Arguments were heard today in a federal district court case to determine whether a state university system can dictate that private Christian schools in the state teach their college prep courses from exclusively secular, Bible- and God-free textbooks.

As WND reported earlier, the University of California system adopted a policy last year that basic science, history, and literature textbooks by major Christian book publishers wouldn’t qualify for core admissions requirements because of the inclusion of Christian perspectives.

Robert Tyler, who is representing Calvary Chapel Christian School and five students in the case against the University of California, told WND that the university’s discriminatory policy creates an ultimatum for Christian schools. “If you want courses to be approved in private education, so your students are qualified to attend (UC) institutions, you must teach from a secular point of view,” he said.

“Christian schools will have to decide: teach from a Christian worldview and eliminate your student’s ability to attend a UC school, or teach from a secular worldview, so that the kids can enter the UC school system,” he explained.

“Essentially what’s happening is the UC has to pre-approve courses taught in high school,” Tyler said. “It’s pretty shocking, because in depositions UC reps made it clear: whether it be English, history or science, the addition of a religious viewpoint makes it unacceptable.”

Tyler also told WND that though a decision from Federal District Court Judge Otero is expected in the next two to three weeks, he fully expects the case to be appealed to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and perhaps even the U.S. Supreme Court, since both sides are firmly entrenched and likely to appeal if Otero decides against them.

“We believe that UC’s discrimination is clearly unconstitutional and violates the First Amendment, because UC is attempting to secularize Christian schools,” Tyler said.

“The UC is intent upon defending some ‘right’ to discriminate unlawfully,” he said. “They seem steadfast that students will not be adequately prepared for college because a Christian worldview was added to their curriculum.

“We won’t accept that, and we’re resolved to take this to higher court if necessary.”

Read The Rest Here – http://www.worldnetdaily.com/?pageId=69997