The Scottish Government have voted overwhelmingly (105 to 18) to legalise same-sex marriages. This is in the face of massive public opposition after the Scottish Government's biggest public consultation -over 77,000 responses. Over two thirds of Scots oppose the proposals but by the end of the year, the first same-sex weddings are likely to take place. The Health Secretary said it was one of Parliament 'great historic days'. The deputy first minister announced ' We live in a Parliamentary democracy and Parliament will make the decisions'  This type of democracy only works for politicians and gives them carte blanche to ride roughshod over the 'will of the people'. While many of the public voted against this for religious reasons (not only Christian), others voted against it because it wasn't the norm and they agree with marriage being one man and one woman. Common sense! Even many of the gay community are not in favour of this change and wonder why Parliament has spent so much time and energy (and finance) to push this legislation through while there are so many issues in society needing addressed-homelessness, employment, education, health, economy-power bills spiralling, choice between heating and eating, just to name a few issues.
As Christians, we believe in the inerrant Word of God, which takes precedence over any equality or political correctness. We must stay true to biblical teachings which are God's way of ensuring the individual, and therefore, society, benefits by knowing God's plan for our lives-plans as he says to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us a hope and a future ( Jeremiah 29;11-12). But to experience this, God says we must 'call' on Him-ie seek Him with all our heart, and He will answer.
Do you want a hope and a future in God- I do. But with a Parliament that only seeks self glory, how will they ever call and listen to God, when they don't even listen to the people they represent. Pray for those Christians MSPs who are standing up for truth. Pray for their protection and that their voices will be heard.

So the National Secular Society (NSS) now wants to remove religion from Remembrance Day services! During the Second World War, churches were full with our citizens praying to God for victory and an end to the killings. And God did answer those prayers. At the Cenotaph on Sunday, there were representatives from most of the world's faiths as well as those with no faith, yet with a common purpose to remember those who gave their lives so we could live in a free democratic country where mankind could follow whatever religion he chose or not. Now these, mainly academic, individuals, think they are so clever that they have done away with the concept of God and want to dictate to our nation how we should live to the detriment of the Christian faith. God says in Psalms- Only the fool says there is no God. It doesn't matter how clever a person is, 'God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and the weak things of the world to put to shame the mighty' The NSS wants to destroy the church. Have they not yet realised that when the church is persecuted, it gets stronger? That the head of the Church is the Risen Christ who says 'I will build my church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it' If Hell cannot destroy it, they have no chance pressing against those same gates...from the wrong side.

Halloween is looked upon by many as a fun time and Christians who don't celebrate, who are in fact are against such celebrations, are regarded as narrow minded or too over the top in their beliefs. From what was regarded as the ending of the harvest time by the Celtic peoples many centuries, if not eons, ago, has now been taken over by darker and sinister forces. You only have to look at the costumes and themes associated with Halloween to see the evil influence behind it. So what do you think, reader? Would you let your children go out house to house in guises or do you ignore it and hope it

Finally managed to publish my book on Amazon Kindle. It is a commentary on Jude and how he alerts the church to evil men who had infiltrated the church and were trying to fool believers into following a gospel which was not that of Christ. They didn't seem to bother too much about sinning-in fact they were teaching that sins against the flesh were permissable as grace covered everything. Read how Jude exposes these charlatans for what they are and tells of the punishment that awaits them. The letter to this church alerts us to be at all times to search the scriptures and test the spirits to ensure that what we see and hear in the church today aligns itself with the Word of God.

Sometimes I think we are blind to what is happening to christians worldwide. Persecution is rife yet it never really makes the media as the world doesn't seem to care. Just go to www.opendoorsuk.org to get an insight into the way christians are treated-abused, tortured and killed for their faith-and that incudes children also. Just reading today about the christian Pakistani teenager who is in a high security prison for blasphemy, accused of burning pages of the Koran. She appears to have some learning difficulties but it now transpires that one of the Imams has tampered with the evidence and he is now up on blashemy charges also. Reminds me of the quote I read on Facebook from Billy Graham that the world goes to extremes not to offend anyone--except God!
It is interesting and very sad to see how the Muslim world gets so upset about a film (and cartoons) which mock their prophet, Mohammad. It is wrong in every sense for this to happen, that is the denigration of a faith's leader, as well as the response by that faith's followers. Christians are mocked daily and our Lord ridiculed, as foretold in scripture, but the response of the christian is poles apart from those we see and hear about on the news. Ours is a Faith based on love, forgiveness and a personal relationship with God. May we always be able to turn the other cheek when persecuted. Leave the vengeance to God- for He says that is His responsibility, not ours.