Revelation of a so-called discovery brought new debate among the masses and made international headlines this week.  A piece of papyrus, supposedly originating from the fourth century, purports to contain speech attributed to Jesus.

The story goes that a Professor of Divinity at Harvard was contacted in 2010 by a collector (who chooses to remain anonymous) asking her for help translating and authenticating a piece of papyrus.  Supposedly, this fragment has been referred to by the professor as “The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife.”  She presented this fragment to a conference in Rome this week.  Text on the papyrus claims, “Jesus said to them, ‘My wife.’  We are told that the rest of the sentence is cut off.  Nothing else is known about the circumstances of the papyrus or its discovery.  However, it is assumed to come from some Gnostic Christian text.  (The Gnostics are a completely different story and is too much to get into here.)  Even with this scant bit of information, this scrap of paper that is no larger than a business card  has ignited new claims and renewed interest in whether Jesus took an earthly wife or not.  Here we go again…did we not get enough of this in 2003? 

This whole thing is rather silly to me.  Additionally, I find it quite interesting that folks find this writing bears further scrutiny because the “jury is still out” on the matter.  Also amusing are the number of folks whose comments I read who go along with the idea that Jesus probably was married (in the literal sense) because as a Jewish man, He would have been expected to marry. 

If you know Christ and know what He says in the Word, there is no debate here and you already know the answer to this “debate.”  What is newsworthy and important about all of this is that Jesus is still making news.  At least this has caused people to talk about Him.

Forget the suggestions that we need to “rethink” Christianity, no matter what “new finding” comes along.  All you need to know is the truth…it never changes.

What appears to dominate the news and international politics is America’s relationship with the Middle East.  Certainly, the events of September 12 with the burning of the American consulate in Benghazi and the attack on the US Embassy in Cairo put further strain on that teetering relationship.  But, could the events of that day been avoided?

Could it be that some folks take free speech too far in order to carry out their own agenda, knowing that they are protected by the First Amendment?  Some forget or do not care that people in other countries care nothing about free speech and they work hard at suppressing it in their own countries.

Extremists have no use for an apology from the US regarding Terry Jones’ movie, which depicted Mohammed in ways offensive to Muslims.  This country houses radicals who just sit with baited breath, looking for behavior on our part that will give them the license (in their minds) to wave their guns and set off bombs.  Intolerance breeds hatred that knows no limits.

But hold on…could this movie have been prevented from going viral in the first place?  I thank God for the rights that I have but I do not purposely use them to trample on or insults others’ feelings, even though I may not agree with what they stand for.  The aftermath of this movie could have had global proportions. 

We talk in this ministry about assessing a situation first before taking action.  Had folks allowing this movie to be shown thought first and been concerned about its possible repercussions rather than fearing their rights being restricted, this situation would not have happened and lives would not have been lost.

I call America a civilized society and that sets us apart from numerous other societies.  Many will disagree with me on this but we should have known better.  These militants were not justified but why did we allow this insult to happen?  Terry Jones was not the only one culpable here.  We took steps backwards that day under the guise of free speech.  Shame on us.

Some believe that the “battle” that took place the night of the DNC in Charlotte, NC decided the fate of the Democratic Party in the November election.  I am not so sure this opinion is something that speaks solely about a party’s behavior.  I think the reaction of the crowd denotes a mainstream leaning in thinking and behavior that is fast eroding the conscience and values of America, regardless of political affiliation.

I am still not clear how God and Israel were taken out of the language at the convention in the first place, but I am convinced that it was another test from the Almighty so see where the hearts and minds of his people are. 

We are increasingly becoming a Godless nation.  One the rise of approval in our minds is same sex marriages and abortion.  We cater to groups because they complain.  Recently, a state removed from his Air Force logo a reference to God because atheists got offended.  To honor “political correctness” a particular elementary school removed a song containing the name of God from its school assembly.  Battles go on about removing the phrase “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance, we refer to Christmas trees as holiday trees and God is constantly being suppressed in schools.  I am told not to bring God into the workplace.  We lap up the “rag” magazines in the grocery stores and people can tell you more intricate details of a celebrity’s life than can quote just five of the Ten Commandments.

 It took three votes at the recent convention to add God and Jerusalem back into its platform.  The resounding “boos” from the crowd was stunning and surreal.  The more we try to take God out of things because we do not want to offend people, the deeper the hole we are digging for ourselves. 

Peter also denied God 3 times but great mercy was shown.  We should pray for the same.  We are sadly mistaken if we think we can continue to eradicate God from our everyday lives without reaping consequences. 

I love to have power over things in my life and I love to exercise the power I am given.  The 19^th Amendment says I cannot be denied the right to vote. 

In some countries there is compulsory voting and people are fined or imprisoned if they do not vote.  They are given no choice and are told whom they must vote for.  Therefore, it is a privilege to have an opinion and then act on that opinion. 

Voter participation has been a theme of heavy study for years.  In a 2008 Census Bureau voting survey, the two most compelling reasons people gave for not voting were lack of interest and the dislike of the candidates running.  How can we not be interested in the people who might be chosen to lead our country?  In forced voting those leaders dictate what, where, who and how for its people.  Is that what you want?  In the 2008 election, 206 million people were of voting age, 146 million were registered to vote and 131 actually voted.

I read a rather cynical article written by a psychologist and he stated that voting was “a supremely irrational act.”  His reasoning was that one vote would not make a difference in the US Presidential outcome.  He also said that is was “magical thinking” that makes people believe that what they do (in terms of casting a vote) has influence over other people and on our country continuing on the course of democracy.  Another writer stated it did not matter whom anyone voted for; that money would always win out.  I do not think that has always been the case.

It takes effort to research who the candidates are and what they stand for.  Then you have to stand in long lines to cast your one vote.  Maybe that’s what the 75 million voters in 2008 were thinking who did not vote.  Do you really think all those “one votes” did not count?

You know the saying, “If you don’t vote, you do not have the right to complain.”

 Katie Altobellis