It Is Thanksgiving!

There are many versions of the original Thanksgiving Feast--apologies for any errors in this account. The point is to send greetings to all or our friends (and everybody else) celebrating today!

Thanksgiving is always on the fourth Thursday in the month of November. The first Thanksgiving Dinner can be traced back to the 16th century. According to the story, about 102 pilgrims crossed the Atlantic in the year 1620 in a ship named Mayflower. They traveled for nearly two months with extreme difficulty. Most likely they were kept in the cargo space of the sailing vessel and not allowed on the deck due to terrible storms.

After 66 days the pilgrims reached Plymouth Rock on December 11th 1620. Apparently this was not their original destination, but the storms had blown them off course. That winter 46 pilgrims died due to the extreme cold. In the spring of 1621, Squanto, a native Indian taught the pilgrims to grow food for their survival. That summer there was a severe drought, so the pilgrims called for a day of fasting and prayer to please God and ask for a bountiful harvest in the coming season. As the story goes, God answered their prayers and it rained at the end of the day saving the crops of corn, beans and pumpkins that the Indians had taught them to grow.

In the autumn of 1621, they held a grand celebration to thank God and invited the Indians who had helped them. This communal dinner is popularly known as “The First  Thanksgiving Feast”. There is however, no evidence to prove if the dinner actually took place. Some historians claim that because the pilgrims were so religious that most likely it would have been a day of fasting and prayer but most people say that it really was a feast.

According to the first hand account written by the leader of the colony, the food included, ducks, geese, venison, fish, berries etc. There is no evidence to prove if the customary turkey was a part of the initial feast.

Because of the diminished supply of flour that year, they did not have any kind of bread. Pumpkin pie, a staple on every dinner table, is unlikely to have been a part of the first thanksgiving feast, but they did have boiled pumpkin.

The feast took place outside due to lack of large enough facilities and continued for three days. There was not another feast until 1623, when there was another severe drought. In the year 1676 Governor Bradford proclaimed another day of thanksgiving. In October of 1777 all of the 13 colonies joined in a communal celebration which also marked the victory over the British.

Events and changes occurred over the years. A magazine editor, Sarah Josepha Hale, who wrote the nursery rhyme Mary Had a Little Lamb, spent 40 years writing to congressmen, lobbying five presidents, and writing countless editorials in her campaign to create an official day of thanks. Finally, President Lincoln made his famous Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863 officially making the last Thursday in November the official Day of Thanksgiving.

To all of you, and especially to the members of the Armed Forces who even today are putting their lives on the line for us, Happy Thanksgiving, and our wish that the Lord Richly Bless You All!

British Schools, Islamic Rules--Panorama Documentary

Earlier I posted the trailer to a documentary by the BBC program, Panorama.  As a rule, BBC is openly pro-Muslim and very anti-Israel, and they did manage a dig at "some Orthodox Jewish schools locked in their own world", and of course they even found "one" Evangelical Christian school that condemned the entire religion of Islam. The fact is, the Islamic schools in Britain have been overrun by fundamentalist Muslim hate preachers who are raising up a generation of haters--exactly what the Arab world has done throughout the Middle-East--generation after generation raised to hate everything and every one who is not a Muslim.  Raised  under the primitive, oppressive laws of Sharia. They even ate other Muslims, because this "education system" is paid for and controlled by the Saudis (even though they try to deny it). If Britain chooses to gloss over the fact that  the Saudis are funding "hate schools" they will seal their own doom--it may already be too late.  If these  folks are so intent on  hating  and destroying everything British they should go back to where they came from. You can judge for yourself--here is the program in two parts:

Panorama: British Schools, Islamic Rules - Part 1

Panorama: British Schools, Islamic Rules - Part 2

Teaching Sharia to Kids--in British Schools!

For more details go to Islamization Watch. A recent BBC Panorama documentary revealed that 5,000 Muslim children in England are being taught from a Saudi textbook which teaches that Jews are transformed from pigs, apes, and asks them to list the “reprehensible” qualities of Jews. Another says that Zionists want to establish world domination for Jews, one of the charges made in the anti-Semitic Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

One textbook uses a diagram to show how the hands and feet of thieves are chopped off according to Shari’a law. A second book asks readers what happens to those who don’t believe in Islam when they die. The text’s answer: “hellfire”. Notice that they always read from the Koran before carrying out "justice". You just can't make garbage like this up!

The textbooks are being used to teach the Saudi national curriculum at more than 40 weekend schools and clubs across the country are using these books to teach Muslim children aged six to 18. They are run under the umbrella of “Saudi Students Clubs and Schools in the UK and Ireland”. And Yes that would be the same  Saudi Arabia that was just elected to the UN's New Women's Rights Agency--isn't that special. So why isn't the British Government Doing Anything About it??

UN Adopts Nine Anti-Israel Resolutions--USA Keeps Quiet

The United Nations Human Rights Council this month adopted nine resolutions against Israel. The United States remained silent. A report by Lebanon expressed its objections "to the establishment of the Zionist entity on Palestinian territory”

Israel's representative started to respond, “My delegation would like to state on record our strong objection to the inappropriate and abusive language used to reference the State of Israel. Unfortunately, the existence of a dominant terrorist organization, Hizbullah, as well as political tensions and struggles between different vital groups…" he was rudely interrupted by the Council president (the delegate from Thailand) who broke in to recognize the delegation of Lebanon who declared: “If there were no Israeli occupation there would have been no resistance and resistance of peoples against foreign occupation is a legitimate right. Thank you” at which point the hall which broke into applause. The Council president followed up with: “I appreciate the concern expressed by the Lebanese delegation”

According to Arutz 7, other UNHRC members responded with verbal assaults against the Israeli diplomat--Again the Obama rep remained silent.

Some of the comments quoted by Arutz 7 were:

Syria--There is no other terrorism on the surface of the planet like the terrorism committed by Israel--This entity was established on the basis of terrorism

Syria again--Israel…threatens to use nuclear weapons

Syria yet again--Lebanese resistance is not terrorism

Lebanon--Hizbullah was only a resistance movement that had the honor to resist the occupation

And there you have it. You have to ask yourself--Why are we pumping billions of dollars into the UN and more important, how can anyone believe the Obama administration is a fair broker when it comes to finding a resolution to the tensions in the middle-east?

Have We Lost Our Right to Free Speech?

The video below was produced by CBN and has been picked up by bloggers both religious and secular. They begin with the story of a 15 year old boy who is facing jail time for distributing a leaflet warning that Denmark could one day fall under the rule of Islam and that he feels that is a bad and frightening thing. But this is only part of the story. The clip goes on to point out the ongoing intrusion and suppression of the freedoms that our ancestors fought for. There are many who feel that  Europe is already lost and the voices of the few who are trying to stop the flood are being silenced. Please take the time to watch the entire clip--we must not remain silent or soon it will be too late and we will not have a choice! .

What Would Make You Believe in God?

Earlier we posted a clip entitled The Middle East Problem in a Nutshell. Here is another one from the same source that poses an interesting question. Think about it--and think of those you may know who are not convinced that there is a God. For that matter, have you had doubts yourself? A very wise teacher once said that we should not try to "prove God" by science. Belief in God must come from within. What do you think?

Can Canada Handle its High Immigration?

An article on Mesopotamia West addressed the growing immigration problem in the UK as compared to Canada.  According to the Cameron government, Britain, with a population of 61 million is having trouble absorbing 200,000 immigrants (figures from 2009). During the same period the Canadian government had an immigration number 20 percent larger with a population half the size of the UK! (33 million). It has been noted in other articles that the majority rely on public welfare and do not assimilate into society, rejecting the laws of the land. How can taxpayers absorb these costs and how can a country function if there is no respect of law and those who are tasked with enforcing it?

Are you concerned about immigration to Canada by those who refuse to assimilate? According to this article on Mesopotamia West there are those who are and there is something you can do about it. This is a partial quote:

You can do your bit to defend Western freedoms by signing an on-line petition urging Canadian politicians to stop Muslim immigration to Canada (h/t ib). The petition makes an important point; that Islam is a political ideology. 

Islam is both a religion and a political ideology, and its politics are supremacist. That is, the doctrines of mainstream Islam command the followers of this faith to work toward the dominance of their religion over all other religions and the subjugation of all other political systems beneath the Islamic political system (Shari'a).

Is this a growing problem that is being ignored by politicians caught up in political correctness? What will the future hold when the country has more people drawing out of the system than  paying into it? What future is there going to be for our children--our grandchildren? Do take time to read the whole article here, which also includes the link to the petition.

What is The Most Important Verse in the Bible?

While searching for interesting items this little clip came up. The arguments presented are good. Watch the clip--then let us know--What do You think is the Most Important Verse in the Bible?

Weekly Bible Study~Vayishlach ~Genesis 32:4 to 36:43

This weeks reading is Vayishlach (Hebrew for "he sent") and is found in Genesis 32:4 to 36:43.

After being away for twenty years, Jacob begins his journey home to see his father Isaac. Still fearing the anger of his brother (Esau), he decides to send messengers ahead with a message of greeting. When they return and report that Esau is coming to "meet" him--with a troop of 400 men--Jacob starts to worry. He decides to split his family and possessions into two groups, so that one would engage in a battle so the rest could flee. Jacob then prays,  "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac"...and asks to be delivered from the wrath of Esau.

Jacob decides to "soften" Esau with a lavish gift of hundreds of heads of  goats, ewes, nursing camels and their young, cows, bulls, and male and female donkeys. He spaces them out, sending one herd at a time. Each herder is given instructions that when he encounters Esau to tell him; "[I belong] to your servant Jacob; it is a gift sent to my master, to Esau, and behold, he himself is behind us." Jacob then takes his family accross the Jabbok River ("luxuriant river"). When he is the last one left  Jacob again encounters an angel--this time it is Esau's archangel. 




They wrestle until dawn, but the angel is unable to overpower Jacob, so instead he damages Jacob's sciatic nerve, leaving him with a permanent limp.  When the angel tries to leave Jacob refuses to release him until he gives him a blessing. This the angel does, then tells him that his name will be changed to Israel. Jacob names the place Peniel (face of Gd), for as he said, "I saw an angel face to face, and my soul was saved." According to the Torah, Jews to this day may not eat the sciatic nerve--even of kosher animals--because of this.

 
Esau arrives on the scene and the brothers embrace each other and weep. Jacob's family meets Esau and Jacob forces Esau to accept the gifts he had sent. Although Esau wants to accompany Jacob home, Jacob declines so Esau returns alone to his home in Se'ir. Jacob carries on to (Sukkot) where  he builds himself a house, and makes booths for his cattle.  Jacob eventually reaches the outskirts of Shechem and purchases a plot of land where he erects an alter to Gd.

 

Dina, Jacobs daughter wanders into the city of Shechem where the crown prince (Shechem) abducts and violates her and keeps her hostage. Shechem's father, the governor goes to Jacob to ask for Dina's hand in marriage to his son. Jacob is clever, and says that if all the men of the city agree to circumcise themselves he will give Dina to Shechem. The men agree, but while they are recovering Dina's brothers, Simon and Levi enter the city, kill all the males and free Dina. Jacob is not pleased and is afraid of reprisals from the neighboring Canaanites. Nonetheless, Jacob continues on his way. The "fear of Gd" comes over the surrounding cities and Jacob and his family are able to travel through unhindered. They arrive in Canaan, in Beth-El, where Gd blesses Jacob saying "And the land that I gave to Abraham and to Isaac, I will give to you and to your seed after you will I give the land." He is re-named Israel.

Jacob and his family continue on to Hebron. On the roadside leading to Bethlehem, his beloved wife Rachel gives birth to her second son, Benjamin (the twelfth of the tribes of Israel.) Rachel dies and Jacob buries her there in what is now known as Rachel's Tomb. They continue on to Eder and while they are there, Israel's eldest son, Reuben lays with his concubine Bilhah. Jacob is aware of this.

Finally Jacob and his family arrive in Hebron. Isaac dies soon after at the age of 180 and is buried by his sons in the Cave of Machpelah alongside his wife and parents. 

The Torah lists the wives and decendents of Esau who had left Canaan and settled in Se'ir.

The last section gives an enumeration of the princes of the original Se'irite natives, as well as the monarchs of that land that descended from Esau. These "lists" may seem boring, but they are vital in establishing historical ancestry. Remember, there is nothing extra in the Torah and we must strive to understand the deeper meanings as we learn.

Next week Jacob and his twelve sons settle in Hebron and we learn of the jealousy Joseph's brothers feel and their vengeful actions. Judah is outsmarted by his daughter-in-law Tamar, while poor Joseph ends up in an Egyptian jail with Pharaoh's butler and baker.

What About Hamas ?

Golda Meir once said “We will have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us”. Not only has that time Not come, but the hate has multiplied and is growing bolder with support from the UN, EU, and even the USA. The world is full of politically correct people who have jumped on the "terror is cool" bandwagon. Western women who don a burka and squeal how liberated they feel have never experienced existence in a muslim country where cattle have a higher priority than females.

There is much discussion about making peace in the middle east. For those of us here on the ground the reality is very different from what the main stream media presents. Here is an example of what our neighbors in Gaza are really like.

Since this film was shot Hamas has become stronger, more aggressive, while driving the citizens of Gaza towards a Sharia ruled state. Syria, and Iran have been supporting them with money and arms.

Rockets, terror attacks, incursions and cold blooded murder of Israeli citizens is what Israel faces today. Anyone who believes that a peace of paper will stop these fanatics is living in a fantasy world. All of the neighbors of Israel are Islamic states, where the dwindling Christian population is being brutalized and Jews are not allowed at all. The small remnant of Jews live an isolated, threatened existence.