Let’s Debate the Issues!

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Should marijuana be legalized? And is it right for Christian pastors to compete against each other in violent combat sports? Dr. Brown will take your calls as you weigh in on these controversial subjects. Listen live here 2-4 pm EST, and call into the show at (866) 348 7884 with your questions and comments.

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53 Comments
  1. “My people perish for lack of knowledge…” I believe we are weak and sick today because the church does not recognize the spiritual battle we are in or do we recognize the spirits behind many so-called ‘innocent’ activities of this fallen world.
    There are powers of darkness behind the martial arts – and we should not patronize them in any manner.
    What are pastors/shepherds doing that they have nothing but time to be involved in sports – they “profit little…”
    Is everyone under their care walking circumspectly before the Lord… then move on to others who are weak!
    We are not of this world – how can the world tell us from others if there is no visible difference?!

  2. In response to someone saying that the Bible doesn’t talk specifically about pot I wanted to bring up Galatians 5:16-21 right before the fruits of the Spirit are listed (Coincidence? I think not). Specifically in vs 20 where, depending on your translation sorcery or witchcraft is mentioned which, when you look at the original Greek it says pharmakeia which refers to mind-altering drugs. It is a desire of the flesh which is in opposition to the Spirit and listed as something we are not to give in to if we are indwelt by the Spirit.
    …and yes, I’m hugely against the legalization of pot but not really surprised as it’s yet another sign of the times.

  3. There is a new law in Saudi Arabia that designates all atheists as terrorists. South Carolina will now probably try to pass a similar law. Anyone have an opinion on this new law in Saudi Arabia? What atheist who wasn’t a communist has ever been a terrorist let alone a petty criminal? We atheists hold the moral high ground, always have always will. We’re the ones from whom the religious people get their morality and ethics. Oh it’s true.

  4. Van in addition to being an intellectual terrorist you are a comedian! Oh it’s true, at least you can tell yourself that.

  5. I think you should legalize marijuana.

    My reason is that America touts pro choice as if any debate on this is against choice. America if you want to be pro choice then you have to stop demonizing tobacco, taxing fat foods, you can not have it both ways. The Democrats want it both ways, they want pro choice, gay marriage, in yet they are against food choices. I say stand up and make it all legal. Look at New York that attempted to legislate a soft drink size. It is not the governments responsibility to pick and choose what is taboo, and what is good.

  6. You can not pray in schools, but you can have a same sex clubs in high school. You can not talk about God in the public schools, but they pass out condoms. Smoking cigarettes is out of vogue, but marijuana is in. Christians are hate filled bigots, but TOLERANCE/COEXISTS is the new equal rights. Fox news is bad, MSNBC is fair and balanced. Bill O Riley is mean and unbalanced, Al Sharpton is eloquent and smart. I agree with Michael Brown if a martian landed on this planet this would be a very queer place indeed.

  7. As Christians why should we be for the legalization of anything that is used only for euphoria?

    I’m for legalization of medical marijuana, if they take out the euphoria causing substance, or if there is some specific illness that it treats where everything else fails.

    Am important thing to consider is the potency of today’s marijuana which has been raised specifically for it’s euphoria causing characteristics, which has taken decades to refine.

    It’s not the ’70’s marijuana some of us have known from the past. It is so much more potent.

    I’ve heard that it’s not uncommon for people to be admitted to emergency rooms because they tried some of it, being treated for psychotic issues.

    Alcohol certainly is used by many for carnal reasons and it’s use has cost society plenty in terms of deaths and injury due primarily to driving under it’s influence, but it is so often used responsibly and has some health benefit when one drinks one or two drinks per day.

    But why would Christians be for the legalization, promotion, or approval of any substance which would be used only for wrong reasons?

  8. Ray you made my point with your comment below-

    But why would Christians be for the legalization, promotion, or approval of any substance which would be used only for wrong reasons?

    Because if the secular is going to pick and choose what they think is right and wrong- why not use that logic against them and make it all bad, or all good? If you want pro choice that comes with pro choice for guns/drugs/foods/ you have to be consistent and make everything pro choice. Why just kill the most innocent babies, why not make killing of old people a choice also?
    Old people are not contributing to society, why kill the potential humans that can be taxed later in life.

  9. “Why just kill the most innocent babies, why not make killing of old people a choice also?
    Old people are not contributing to society, why kill the potential humans that can be taxed later in life.”

    > Women have been having abortions since they have been having babies. The Bible describes in detail how to give an abortificant to a woman who is suspected of cheating on her husband. So your Bible believers have no warrant, no ground to stand on to support your anti-choice stance. Abortions were legal and openly advertised in this country when our Constitution was written. Had the founders wanted to make abortions illegal they certainly would have.

    Making abortions illegal would not stop one woman who really wants an abortion from getting bone. Making abortions illegal would only make them dangerous and cause a lot of unnecessary suffering. I know this is something all your Bible believers can get behind. Your God delights in watching people suffer now doesn’t he. He watches about 30,000 innocent children starve to death each and every night proving that there is no merciful,benevolent God. But you already knew that.

  10. Van,

    You wrote:
    “The Bible describes in detail how to give an abortificant to a woman who is suspected of cheating on her husband.”

    The above comment is as stupid as they come. No such thing exists in the Bible. The passage that you allude to has nothing…I repeat, nothing to do with abortificants. Your statement is plain stupid and just regurgitation of the very vomit that you have lapped up from swine calling themselves scholars. Well we do not need trolls smelling up this place with the smell of sour minds.

  11. Bo, Where have you been? I have missed your blogs it was like having a friend that just up and left. Welcome back, all I had was Van in the blogaspher.

  12. Jon,

    Sometimes I have to go back to real life 🙂 No matter how much I post here, it don’t pay the bills.

    Shalom

  13. I called into your show yesterday and if I had a chance to finish I was going to say that I do not support the violent combative sports, which include Mixed Martial Arts, because 1) MMA is often practiced for physical, mental and spiritual development. I was first trying to address the spiritual aspect and how its roots are not biblically based. Yes, I compared it to yoga because many Christians are more readily to agree that yoga is dangerous for the Christian and yet they don’t see the same roots apply for both. 2) I do agree with what you said about how we should not be entertained by violence. It is written that we are to meditate on whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely etc. (ref Phil 4:8) Being entertained by violence seems contrary to things of virtue. Also, from a self-defense perspective, God fully equipped those who went into battle. David is a great example. He did not practice grappling or hitting another man of God before he symbolically stepped into the ring with Goliath. He picked up 5 smooth stones, yet it only took 1 to kill Goliath- the giant taunting God’s power. I think that is key- God’s ways are not our ways. Anyway, to entertain violence goes against God’s word in so many ways. We are a holy people, to be set apart and the peace of Christ is to reign in our hearts. Gearing up for a “playful” combat does not create peace. I’m sure when the blood is pumping and the adrenaline is rising, the flesh takes over and just wants to take down their component and win. Blows to the head and whatever physical wounds come out of it are not glorifying God.

  14. To argue the reason for legalization to sum it up simply – The republicans need to go nuclear and change tactics. Hold pro choice and the democrats accountable! If the secular wants to hold a pro choice position that comes with pro choice on all levels period. Guns/ammo/liquor/soda’s/tacos/
    Also that is pro choice to not bake a cake for a gay couple/pro choice to be gay/pro choice not too marry a gay/pro choice pastor’s who marry gays/pro choice pastor’s who don’t/ When the dumbacrats try to have it all their way you go after Choice! We are either pro choice or we are not pro choice- the dumbacrat decides what is important too them. I have a feeling the holy grail is too not be accountable to being pregnant will be their stand no matter what. Yes, society will suffer under legalization, but that all steams from pro choice of baby killing- and Colorado lead the way as the first state to (adopt) that position. Hold society at all levels accountable to pro choice in all facets!!!

    The argument against legalization I am surprised I did not hear on this program. The forbidden fruit in the garden argument- The third eye- how marijuana may in fact be a forbidden fruit from the serpent. This in fact is why I take a Clinton view on marijuana that legalize it, however I choose not to use this drug. (do not inhale) Or Clinton’s view on abortion – He is personally against abortion and wants to make it rare. hahh

  15. Bo, what does Numbers 5:11-21 describe exactly?
    In Numbers 31:17 Moses says, “Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every women that hath known man by lying with him.” In other words: kill women that might be pregnant, which clearly is abortion for the fetus.

    IN Hosea 13:16 God promises to dash to pieces the infants of Samaria and the “their women with child shall be ripped up”. Once again your God kills the unborn, including their pregnant mothers.

    In 2 Kings 15:16 God allows the pregnant women of Tappuah (aka Tiphsah) to be “ripped open”. And the Christians have the unmitigated gall to say God is pro-life. How can you Christians read passages where God allows pregnant women to be murdered and yet still claim abortion is wrong? God tells us to be like God, bad morals and manners included.

    Perhaps you should have read your Bible before you let someone convince you to believe every word of it.

  16. Van,

    You did not deal with the fact that you misrepresented the scripture concerning a supposed abortificant in the law of jealousy. Now you want to misrepresent the righteous judgment of YHWH upon a culture that had rebelled to the point of no return. Van must stand for Very Annoying Neophite…at least when it comes to knowing and understanding plain English, especially in scripture. You have proven this over and over. You do not know the difference between idiom and symbolism compared to literal language. And you refuse to accept any idea but your own faulty logic. You worship yourself and will not worship your creator. You still need a clue and a life.

  17. Van, when God was angry with Achan for taking gold, (Joshua 7) is it right to use the argument that “based on this”, it is wrong for a Christian to own gold?

    Yet this is the kind of arguments you make.

    We can not justify abortion because in a time past the Lord told his people to kill the enemies of both him and his people, some of which were pregnant.

  18. “We can not justify abortion because in a time past the Lord told his people to kill the enemies of both him and his people, some of which were pregnant.”

    > Killing people because you believe God wants you to is a pretty good definition of insanity.

    There is no God but Paul Copan is a moral monster for attempting to defend the actions of the most evil character in all of fiction.

  19. “Van, when God was angry with Achan for taking gold,”

    >Anger is a character flaw so your God is not perfect. Poof. Murder is a crime and so your God is a criminal. He breaks promises and so he is a liar. Should I continue?

  20. God please show Van the realism of your almighty benevolance. Make your self known!

    I pray on the Shabbat to create in Van a new will, a new heart! Show him the evil that he closely protects as his eyes follow you from the shadows he cowers into. I pray that your power will be made known to all that pray for Van. Lord this is your day where we rest, and you work. This is the day where you answer our cries, Lord thank you for the recognition of Van’s cry unto you. Lord have mearcy on us, Lord we bless you and glorify your unspeakable name. Lord forgive Van in what he does not know.

  21. Van,

    You wrote:
    “> Killing people because you believe God wants you to is a pretty good definition of insanity.”

    So what of the US founding fathers and the civil war and the taking of this country from the natives? Were all those men insane?

  22. Van,

    You wrote:
    “>Anger is a character flaw so your God is not perfect.”

    Your logic, if it can be called that, is what is flawed. Your assertions are infantile. Actually to not be angry is a moral flaw in many instances. When someone is being denied their life or liberty, it is wrong to be calm cool and collected about it. When a group of thugs is beating a woman to death or raping her, it is heartless immorality to stand by with no emotion. When a society is performing human sacrifice and torturing and enslaving innocent people, it is wrong to not be angry at such outrages. This is precisely the type of anger that the Bible shows YHWH to have. It is perfect anger…anger for the right reasons and for the sake of the greater good of the vast majority. It is the kind of anger that you do not possess. You have no righteous anger against the murder of millions of unborn babies. It is you, my friend, that should stop worshiping yourself.

  23. So, Question- Is the arguement that Marijuana is a gateway drug a solid arguement? Tell you where I stand first- I am not pro drug- However all the choice that the left crams down my throat has made me ask for consistancy here. You want pro choice that is for all choices (Libertarian view).

    The gateway arguement forgets that heavy drug abusers started with alcohol. Actually they started with baby carrots- are carrots the gateway vegetable? Studies have shown heroine abusers have eaten carrots when they were young and are searching for a link. The gateway drug I think is exaggerated, drug abusers are actually missing the spiritual component and are abusing alcohol and pot and not finding the missing link so they abuse to stronger chemicals. By legalizing pot- or having more “Choice”/ does not really effect the heroine abuser much either way- they will always exists until they find the spiritual answer they are searching for.

  24. I am not a cigarette smoker, however I think the left has gone way too far in baning smoking! I wish I would smoke just to protest the over reach of the government. This over reach needs to stop!
    If the democrat continues to tout pro choice make them lose ground in banning tabacco (smoking). Make them lose ground in banning what we eat/drink/smoke/. The same liberal will take the cake baker here in my area and take him out of business for not baking a cake for a gay wedding. He is going to go out of business- he has no choice! So, take pro choice down!!! Either you have choice, or you dont have a choice. The democrat has it both ways and we just sit and take it. This is not a two way street buckaroos. You want a teenage girl to have a choice to abort????? Then I have the choice to lite a cigarette where and when I want to. It is my own health! I am sick of the deomocrats that take away all choice except the ones that change the laws of the universe. This must stop!
    When we make the arguement to not legalize pot, we are actually creating the one way street for the dumbacrat.

  25. If everyone was a tree hugging, bicycle riding, homosexual, I wonder if government would stop. I don’t think so as their (or some spirit they have been under) appetite for harm to the body of Christ can not be satisfied.

  26. Right Ray, It will however force a revolution I believe. The chaos that is already here from our liberal stance is not going to be somehow controlled by banning recreational drugs. The full force of the impact of the 1960’s will need to come to fruition before needing a whole change in our society.

  27. “So what of the US founding fathers and the civil war and the taking of this country from the natives? Were all those men insane?”

    The founders of this nation were super-rich slave owners who did not want to pay their fair share of taxes. The Christians who first settled this country were genocidal maniacs who used the Bible as an excuse to wipe out millions of Native Americans so they could have their land and resources. You should be so proud them.

  28. Van,

    You can post here freely, but you’ll need to tone down your rhetoric, especially when you make outlandish and utterly false charges that, “The Christians who first settled this country were genocidal maniacs who used the Bible as an excuse to wipe out millions of Native Americans so they could have their land and resources.” So, if you want to continue to post, tone down the rhetoric, especially the lies.

  29. Dr. Brown,

    As much as I hate to defend Van, in the spirit of free speech, I think he should be able to say what he wants as long as standards against profanity are enforced. Once we start telling other people they are not free to express their contrary opinions, what will we say when society objects to our own? What will we say if America follows Canada and Sweden in curtailing free speech that is unfavorable to the gay agenda?

    Van’s vitriol and absurd statements just show how out of touch he is with the facts. If he wants to make himself look ever more foolish, he should be allowed to do so.

    Many Christian’s of good character try to show Van who reappears under various pseudonyms, his many errors as an act of Christian love. As his statements become ever more silly, they will come to realize that there are no rational arguments that he will accept and simply go on to ignore him.

    Just my 2 cents.

  30. Christians constantly brag that Christians settled this nation. The people who settled this nation committed genocide against the Native Americans. This is a fact no one can deny. If Dr. Brown had any facts to support his absurd accusations then we surely would have seen them.

    If it weren’t for the rise of secular humanism, skepticism, deism in this country Christians would still be hunting heretics, burning witches and books and being as uncivilized as they were for centuries. It is we humanists that have given Christianity its modern morals and ethics. You’re welcome.

    Dr. Brown’s comments are a great illustration of what would happen to free speech in this country if Bible believers ever got control of our government.

  31. I don’t appreciate being accused of lying by someone who tortures logic, stubbornly denies evidence, has a very shallow understand of many of the subjects he talks about and has such a reckless disregard for the truth. Dr. Brown actually tears truth completely away from the realm of fact and redefines “truth” to mean whatever he has convinced himself to believe about the Bible. That is not the truth or even close to it. Science can tell us what is so but theologians will only tell us what ain’t so. This is why atheism is on the rise and why Christianity is on the way out.

  32. Van, a while back (different thread) you posted with no hesitation or qualification, that Jesus never existed. When challenged to provide some sort of support for such an apparent absurdity, you never responded. Other examples can be given. That sort of behavior leads to your being asked to cease posting bald-faced lies.

  33. Matt, you were challenged to write a short biography of Jesus and the apostles using sources other than the Bible. You ignored the challenge because you realized you could not answer this challenge. The existence of Jesus and the apostles cannot be verified using sources independent of the Bible. So if I’m wrong you should be able to give me some information about Jesus not gleaned from the Bible but taken from reliable sources, let’s say historians who were alive when Jesus supposedly lived. Philo lived in and around Jerusalem during the first half of the First Century and write extensively about it. He doesn’t mention Jesus, any of the events described in the gospels or the existence of any early Christians. Neither do any of the other historians who were alive then and wrote about Palestine. Christians have to resort to hearsay accounts, all of which appear to be forgeries done by Eusebius, and none of which that were written by people alive when Jesus supposedly was. Appealing to Josephus who claimed Hercules was a real person and who claimed to have witnessed ten foot tall giants casting out demons just shows how desperate Christians have become in their defenses of the indefensible. There isn’t a shred of evidence to support a historical Jesus and you know it. You should just be honest enough to admit that. If you aren’t, then let’s see your evidence. Step up to the plate and back up your claims or admit you cannot.

  34. Van,

    You wrote:
    “…Josephus…who claimed to have witnessed ten foot tall giants casting out demons…”

    Would you please provide book, chapter and verse for your assertion about Josephus writing of these giant exorcists? Please skip the rhetoric and give us the references when you make assertions.

  35. Re Matt’s post
    Van, a while back (different thread) you posted with no hesitation or qualification, that Jesus never existed. When challenged to provide some sort of support for such an apparent absurdity, you never responded. Other examples can be given. That sort of behavior leads to your being asked to cease posting bald-faced lies.
    Matt I agree the most dignified,qualified,intelligent people do not make this argument that Van so flippantly makes. The only ones that make the argument that Jesus never existed is the most classless, unqualified, and simple minded types. I would continue bestowing prayer on ever single post that Van makes. If dozens of prayers are made for his post then the fog will lift.

  36. Van, 866 34 TRUTH Call in and broadcast your views. Everyone here sees you as silly and full of nonsense. That does not disqualify you from being prayed over.

  37. “The only ones that make the argument that Jesus never existed is the most classless, unqualified, and simple minded types.”

    No those are the people who deny the validity of evolutionary theory. Fortunately no one in the Christian academic community does that. Only the most devout Bible believers are that deluded.

  38. “There is nothing more negative than the result of the critical study of the life of Jesus. The Jesus of Nazareth who came forward publicly as the Messiah, who preached the Kingdom of God, who founded the Kingdom of Heaven upon earth, and died to give his work its final consecration, never had any existence.” – Albert Scweitzer (1875-1965)

    You just accused Albert Schweitzer of being classless, unqualified, and simple minded. Par for the course for people who have no respect for intelligence and education.

    Many scholars have tried to find evidence from outside the Bible that Jesus really existed. They came up with nothing, absolutely nothing as Dr. Schweitzer said.

    You people have bought into all the lies of religion and then you repeat these lies without any hint of a conscience. Calling me a liar when all I do is speak the truth just shows how backward your evil religion really is.

  39. “Everyone here sees you as silly and full of nonsense.”

    > No, that is how the entire world sees you Bible believers. It might make you feel good to denigrate me but it just shows how wrong you really are.

  40. Van, Do you suppose some people evolved into being able to speak in tongues, and it just so happened to be those that believe in Jesus?

  41. Van,

    Well, it’s a classic move by you to rip a quotation out of context. Who is it you’re listening to? It makes no sense for you to drop what you think is a bombshell when all you’ve done now is make yourself look more foolish because you never considered that Google just might have Schweitzer’s book on line.

    Anyone who cares to can read further down the chapter and see that Schweitzer was referring to the historic Jesus as He was portrayed by the modern theological historians of his own time. His thought was that “That” Jesus never existed… His point was that we end up molding Him according to our modern way of thinking categorically. We essentially risk minimizing the astonishing profundity of His teachings.

    This link begins with the quote you gave us and then explains exactly what Schweitzer was getting at. The man made the cross he wanted on his own grave, for Pete’s sake.

    http://books.google.com/books?id=uzRXxvPsylkC&pg=PA478#v=onepage&q&f=false

  42. Sheila,
    You already proved that there isn’t any way to verify the existence of Jesus or the apostles using sources independent of the Bible. The Bible has been debunked about a million different ways by science. The only people left who do not know this are called Evangelical Christians. But they’ve been in the dark about everything forever. You people are the laughingstock of the rest of the world. No one has taken you seriously since the rise of secular humanism made you stop torturing, harassing and murdering unbelievers. The show is on the other foot now and that foot is kicking you into the dust bin of history.

  43. Van, Wow! I am no longer going to put anything out there to argue with you. I am sorry for your hurt, I am sorry for your position. I will only pray for you as you post this silliness. I will say that I am proud to be the laughingstock of the world I would not want it any other way. I am proud to stand with Israel that is a testament to the existence of God. If this is darkness, then this is where I will be!! The post you put out there are a cry for help, and the help you will receive.

    This is my last post to you directly, the rest is just prayer.

  44. We are going to be so eternally blessed because we read the Bible, took heed to it’s instruction, kept justice and judgment, and believed in Jesus.

    We will live with joy forevermore, and be so filled with eternal life, I’m sure we won’t be able to find the words to express our thankfulness to God as well as we would like to.

  45. Van,

    Please answer the charge that Sheila made that you used Schweitzer out of context and erroneously to back your position. And please give the book chapter and verse to back your assertion that Josephus “claimed to have witnessed ten foot tall giants casting out demons…” Please do these things if you can…if you are not just regurgitating the slop that you get from troughs of swine that pretend to do scholarship.

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