govern point

Religious growth continues and Buddhism gains traction in the united states, this NBC news overview is a great baseline for what it means to be a Buddhist in the United States and in general.

The story of the Jews’ Exodus from Egypt is definitely an exciting one. I mean you couldn’t write a script that was more exciting.

• A baby is found in a basket adrift in the Egyptian Nile and is adopted into the pharaoh’s household.
• Moses rediscovers his roots and finds slavery to suck
• God sends down 10 plagues against Egypt
• Moses leads his enslaved Israelite brethren from bondage
• Moses parts the Red Sea to allow them to escape.

It doesn’t stop there, but that the action part. They continue to wander for 40 years in the wilderness and, under the leadership of Joshua, conquer the land of Canaan to enter their promised land It has dramatic triumphs, but what does it mean to me today? What relevance does the story of the Exodus have for me in my daily life?

So lets drill into the back story details.  The Exodus takes place around 1445 B.C. The Israelites are captives in Egypt and the time of Joseph, the Jew who became Prime Minister in Egypt are long forgotten. The Israelites are now slaves to Egypt and the ruling Pharaoh fears the strength of their numbers. They are now an estimated two million in number. Moses, who had been raised in Pharaoh’s court, is now living as a shepherd in the desert.

God instructs Moses, “Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbor, and every woman of her neighbor, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.” (Exodus 11:2) God opened the hearts of the Egyptians, and they gave their belongings to the Israelites. God was providing His people with wealth to take with them to the Promised Land. Then the Lord told Moses that He would take the first born of every Egyptian and the first born of all the Egyptians animals. If the Israelites obeyed God’s instructions and sacrificed a lamb, prepared a special meal and marked their doorposts with the blood of the lamb, their firstborn would be spared; the angel of death would pass over their houses. Sure enough the first borns were killed and the Jews were soon out of there.

They assembled in groups to eat the roasted paschal lamb and the unleavened bread. After the sun rose on the 15th day of Hebrew month of Nissan, the Jewish nation rose together to leave the land of Egypt. The Egptians actaully told them to leave and gave them so stuff to enable them to leave.

After 3 days, Pharaoh started to regret that he had permitted the Israelites to leave. He mobilized his army in hot pursuit of his former slaves. He reached them near the banks of the Red Sea.

Moses led the Israelites onwards until they came to the very borders of the Red Sea.  Next God spoke to Moshe:

Lift up your rod, stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it; and the children shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground.

So Moshe did as God ordered. Then a strong east wind blew all night, and the waters of the Red Sea divided. The Jews marched along a dry path through the Red Sea until they reached the opposite side in safety.

The Egyptians continued their pursuit, but the waters of the Red Sea closed over them and drowned Pharaoh’s army. Then you are on to the 40 years thing.

So what is the importance is how I started this out. Well, it’s the metaphor that if you trust and believe in God good, miraculous and awe inspiring things can and do happen.

With the recent sting around a catholic group and sex, I thought it might be worth a post.  Robert Eric McFadden, who helped co-found the group Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, was arrested Wednesday in suburban Dublin, Ohio. Police believe McFadden was the man they have been looking for in connection with an online prostitution ring on craigslist.com, according to a report on the website of  WCMH.  Police cracked the ring when men involved in a website that posts reviews of prostitutes held a raffle for sex.  Reviews online isn’t that bright.

The police noticed over time a man involved in prostitute discussion boards under the names of Sullivant Guy, Broad Street Guy and Toby, per the Columbus Dispatch. They now believe it is McFadden. Two others were also arrested in connection with the ring.

He has been charged with seven felonies, including pandering obscenities involving a minor, promoting prostitution and compelling prostitution, according to a Columbus Police Department spokesman.

Sex and Religion doesn’t stop there.  More and more training and study is needed.  Recently, The Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice and Healing released a study called: Sex and the Seminary: Preparing Ministers for Sexual Health and Justice.  Are we living in a national state of emergency when it comes to the lack of connection between sexuality and religion?

In January 2008, NSRC partnered with the Center for Sexuality and Religion to create one of the first sexual literacy trainings ever for seminarians, administrators, staff & students in the U.S. labeled “21st Century Challenges to Religion and Sexuality”. The Center for Sexuality and Religion is currently focused on training seminarians nation wide around sexuality.

So education is apparently not just needed for priests, looks like everyday folk need some help. Since it appears that abstinence pledges are a little weak too.   I guess in the end , sex and religion are two different things which are forever connected by dogma and the public’s fascination.

Related articles:

• Why Do Men Buy Sex?
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Need a list on the books of the bible? Here it is.

Old Testament

Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalm
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi

New Testament

Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude
Revelation

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