The TV News Channels -- Can Those People Really Be Trusted?

"You know what’s really frightening? You actually have an influence on this presidential election. That is scary, but it’s true. You’ve got stoned slackers watching your dopey show every night and they can vote." --- Bill O'Reilly (talking head par excellence of Fox News) as quoted in a remark to "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart, Sept. 22, 2004

We are a people practically smothered in surveys and polls with no sign of any relief in the near future -- especially in a presidential election year!

Competition is extremely fierce among those 24/7 news channels with at least two making the claim that they are number 1 and the most trusted!

Those are Fox News and CNN with others nipping at their heals.

Fox News with its razzle-dazzle display of graphics gives one the impression that here is a beauty pageant of females with nearly inch-thick layers of make-up masquerading as news -- there are a few males sprinkled here and there! The claim of this whole bunch is that they are "fair" and "balanced" and "surveys" taken are used as proof that they are trusted and the most "conservative," whatever that word is supposed to mean anymore!

CNN also does a great job of flashing all kinds of stuff before your eyes when it comes to graphic images and all that kind of stuff, being so similar to Fox News. One of the king pins on this network is "Wolf the Blitz" -- he, along with other CNN males and females, is an expert on just about any topic you want to name.

The networks are really scrambling to outdo each other in this election year -- you know how it works don't you? Higher ratings always mean more revenue for the network and fatter wallets and purses for the guys and gals who do the reporting! So it's a bare knuckle brawl out there as we move toward November 2008!

If these people were really honest with us, they would paint their faces white, put a red rubber ball on their noses, and dress up in a baggy purple suit with yellow polka dots!

Trust them? Why should we? They have an "agenda" which they will try to keep concealed as much as possible -- they are masters at the use of words and phrases -- the "tilting" of information and not really "reporting" objectively but telling us how we ought to think about the issues of the day.

One accessory is an absolute must in each household if you choose to view and listen to these people -- have an air sick bag at your side at all times -- and maybe two, especially when they conduct one of those presidential candidate "debates" -- you'll fill more than one bag after an episode such as that!

Be careful as you try to sort out truth in the massive flow of information with which we are bombarded daily from many different sources -- TV, talk (yak) radio, printed media, and what purports to be "news" magazines!

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. --- Colossians 2:8

The good news is that anyone can know the truth if he or she really wants to and to be able to discern the right from the wrong -- but there are conditions to be met in order to experience those things.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. --- 1 John 4:1-6

The Most Vicious Battleground Ever!

Volumes have been written about wars taking place down through the centuries of human history. Battles have been singled out time after time with graphic details given and with the invention of photography, the descriptive articles contained pictures which underscored the horror of war all the more. An infamous example of this would be the U. S. Civil War with an almost endless parade of photos revealing huge numbers of bodies of Confederate and Union soldiers killed in combat.

The battleground which receives the least attention and certainly never makes the news on major TV networks or cable news channels such as CNN or Fox News is the human mind! You think not? Maybe you have already become a casualty without even realizing it!

Here is what is going on ----

With the vast majority of this world’s 6 billion inhabitants in an unregenerate state of mind, God is seeking to reach each one with His eternal truth and the message of salvation offered through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Standing in opposition are the deceptive and misleading “teachings” of humans which reject God’s special revelation to us through the holy Scriptures (Bible).

"And like their bow they have bent their tongues for lies. They are not valiant for the truth on the earth. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know Me," says the LORD. --- Jeremiah 9:3

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. --- 2 Thess 2:9-12

This rejection takes place in many settings:

• The secular education system starting at the kindergarten level and continuing through graduate school at the university level. The great damnable “doctrine” which is repeatedly planted in learning minds is that we have evolved from a lower life form – you know, some stuff that started to wriggle in a mud puddle millions and millions of years ago! There is a strong anti-God sentiment mixed in this and the absolute forbidding of any suggestion that we are a special creation of God – created by Him and He has a special plan for each conceived human life!
  
  
• There are numerous religious groups ranging in size from a few score to millions of devotees. Among the larger groups are Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Shinto, Taoism, etc. The common agreement all have is this – they reject the truth that God took on human form in the Person of Jesus Christ, sacrificed His life for the sins of every human being, rose from the dead three days after crucifixion, ascended back to Heaven, and will one day in the future return to this chaotic world and rule it from Jerusalem! This very clearly indicates that all human governments presently existing will be dismantled – a great change for the better which we cannot begin to comprehend.
  
  
• Within the ranks of professing Christianity has been the importation of deadly heresies denying the basic tenets of Biblical Christian faith. These include denials of the divine inspiration and authority of the holy Scriptures, the Person and works of Jesus Christ, that He is exclusively the way of salvation from sin, and that He will personally return to this world, take full control, and rule it!
  

The human mind is bombarded daily with information from many sources. Decisions have to be made as to whether to accept or reject those many items of information. Most critical are decisions that are made regarding one’s eternal destiny and standing relationship with God. Upon what information will such decisions be made – what one personally thinks by way of opinion or what others think – what some Ph.D. in a classroom says about something – or some high profile entertainment figure or talk show personality – or some politician or some person of great wealth and influence?

Or will it be based on what God says through His holy Word? The battle continues to rage on and on – your mind and mine are the areas where the battle is most vicious – the victory is assured IF our confidence is centered in the right Person – that Person is none other than Jesus Christ, the Savior and only hope we have in this world and the one yet to be!

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed; in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. --- 1 Corinthians 15:51-58

November 28th Debate Orchestrated by CNN?

As has been the practice, the "news" network that is directly involved in a debate which involves aspiring presidential candidates always pulls out all the stops when it comes to promoting the event days in advance.

One has to wonder about CNN's involvement regarding the 07/11/28 event. There was a heavy emphasis on questions coming from individuals in a video format -- supposedly these persons came up with the questions and fired them at the competing candidates.

It is most interesting the types of questions that were asked -- unlike anything so far in the way they were asked and with graphic dramatization in some cases!

For instance:

• A guy held a Bible in his hand and asked if the candidates believed every word in the book he was holding -- then a close up view of the book with the title, "Holy Bible," in prominent view. That sparked interesting responses. Who manipulated that guy to ask that question?
  
  
• A guy asked about gun laws, 2nd Amendment rights, etc. For dramatic effect someone who is out of view of the camera tosses a shotgun to him which he catches with one hand and immediately proceeds to "load" by activating the slide action. Again, is this a case of "clever" manipulation or what?
  
  
• Now for the clincher -- the issue of abortion and a question posed that if Congress overturned Roe v. Wade and sent the legislation to the person who was at that time president, would he sign the bill? Again, a real scramble and fancy footwork when it came to responding!
  

Now for the real question on these shenanigans -- will CNN orchestrate an identical format for the Democrats for their next debate -- same questions worded in the very same way plus the drama?

Or maybe Fox News can do it -- you know, that "glamor channel" with dancing graphics, packed full of ads, and a few "news" comments thrown in now and then with a stress on the fact that Fox News is "fair and balanced" -- and, oh yes, a ticker going once in a while until the ads knock it off until they run their course!

As we grind through 2008 we can be assured that these networks that claim to be "news" dispensers will attempt to manipulate their audiences in every way possible to get us to vote for their preferred "candidate!"

The safe way is to view these people with a high level of suspicion whenever you are exposed to them -- it helps immensely to employ that great button on the remote at times -- it says, "MUTE!"

This, by the way, has been written by one who is officially a "Non-affiliated" registered voter.