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J. Grant Swank, Jr. This email came in in response to “NEW ORLEANS’ SIN BROUGHT DEVASTATION: ‘REPENT AMERICA’.” "Wow!!! I just happened to see your article. It is a good analysis of the way New Orleans is. Although my heart goes out to the people, it is a wake up call to all of them. "You mentioned homosexuality in your news article. However, you failed to mention their practice of hoodoo, voodoo, and gris-gris. All this is against God's word. God clearly stated in the Bible that he is a jealous God. "Also, look at the movie, ‘The Skeleton Key,' that is now currently showing. Look at the connection. The movie is centered on a caregiver who gets a look at the hoodoo community of Louisiana. Pretty scary, right? And now this happens with hurricane Katrina. "Just thought I'd give you a heads up. But then again, I am sure you already made the connection "Sincerely, "Irene" First, hoodoo as mentioned in the email involves practices that are abhorrent to the God of the Bible. He has prescribed His own worship exercise of prayer, praise and adoration. But He will not tolerate Satan’s practices counterfeiting the divine, hoodoo being one of them. Hoodoo uses roots, herbs and minerals by which to communicate with the unseen powers. Such empowers the individual for healing, money, settling disputes, overcoming goes, and protection. Originating in Africa, hoodoo gives credence to a "high god," not the God of the Bible. Through ancestors and "divinities," those practicing hoodoo have a relativistic view concerning "evil." It is not the definition of evil as given in the Bible. There are no moral absolutes in hoodoo. Therefore, it’s convenient that hoodoo is practiced by theological liberals, pagans, New Age practitioners and those into outright sinful lifestyles. Second, voodoo is mentioned in the email. Voodoo is laden with evil spirits and demonic works. It is in direct contradiction to the God of the Bible. Charms and talismans are used for "good luck" and to keep bad things from happening. Voodoo’s gris-gris involves dolls and images of deities, sometimes cloth bags holding herbs, stones, hair, oils, nails, and other items considered advantageous to securing the dark powers for one’s personal good. All of this hoodoo, voodoo, and gris-gris is prevalent in New Orleans and surrounding areas. It has woven itself deeply into that part of the country. In fact, New Orleans is known as "the American headquarters for voodoo." These anti-God practices are used to bring in new money and love, halt gossip, shroud a house in protection, provide health and yield all sorts of bonuses in life. At one time in New Orleans’ history, police carried a gris-gris for personal protection. A voodoo gris-gris is offered at a pagan altar consisting of earth (salt), air (incense), fire (a candle flame) and water. There are prescribed items to be placed in the gris-gris. The container always has one, three, five, seven, nine or thirteen items. None can ever add up to an even number or exceed thirteen. Stones and colored items are of more prized standing because of their occult value. They also provide astrological definitions matching the purpose of the gris-gris. Marie Laveau, the well-known, legendary New Orleans Voodoo Queen, testified that her gris-gris held slices of bone, vibrant stones, dust from the cemetery, salt and red pepper. Third, as to the movie, "The Skeleton Key," mentioned in Irene’s email to me, the plot centers on Caroline, a young adult hospice employee caring for the sick and elderly. She is employed in this manner because she feels she has to make up for shunning her father when he was dying. At that time in her life, she was enjoying success as a rock-n-roll manager, thus self-preoccupied. After her latest elderly patient dies, Caroline goes to Louisiana, overseeing Ben who suffered a stroke. He’s confined to his bed and is unable to talk. In time, Caroline becomes wary of the dwelling and Ben’s aloof wife, Violet. Caroline comes upon a skeleton key that opens a heretofore secret section of the house. It’s a part of the attic. There she finds blood, bones, human hair, and other means for practicing voodoo. Caroline discovers that black magic has a history attached to the house. In yesteryear, some of the housekeepers were lynched because of voodoo worship. From then on out, the horrors increase as the demonic overseers proceed to engulf everything and everyone. So it is that Irene mentions in her email to me hoodoo, voodoo, gris-gris and the movie, "The Skeleton Key," all focusing on the New Orleans area. Further, with that Irene states that the God of the Bible is displeased with such goings-on as well as the homosexual lifestyle prevalent over years in that geography. The latest occasion is "Southern Decadence" planned for the Labor Day weekend with web sites advertising the event stating the prudish should stay home for open sexual activity and nakedness would prevail. Then came Katrina. Then why, some emailers ask me, did not God strike when the homosexuals were there "doing their thing?" To that I wrote www.michnews.com/artman/publish/article_9323.shtml. Could it be that God has mercy upon the homosexuals so as to give them warning? Could it be that God, in His wisdom, chose the timing to be when those homosexuals planning to attend who have biblical backgrounds can rethink their activities so as to come to God? Could this not likewise apply to others living in other spiritually rebellious styles? Yet what about the saints in New Orleans? To that I wrote www.michnews.com/artman/publish/article_9321.shtml . One thing is certain, according to the Bible, God makes no mistakes, knows no errors, and His methods and timing are perfect for God is God. Therefore, eternity will reveal more detail as to why Katrina took place when and where that it did. In the meantime, there is obvious warning from Katrina for other geographies entertaining major sin to repent. The Bible does state that God has a jealous love. He is God. God being God deserves our total commitment to His call to holiness. There are those who have emailed me to state their God is a God of love who condones the homosexual lifestyle and so forth. These persons do not have the God of the Bible for their deity; they have a New Age or pagan deity. The God of the Bible is both loving and just. He cannot tolerate condoning evil. The just part of God is what the emailers "believing only in a God of love" do not understand for they don’t believe or research the entire Bible. They pick and choose the convenient love passages from the Bible to justify their warped liberal theology. Homosexual lifestyle, for instance, is abhorred by the God of the Bible. He will not tolerate practicing homosexuality, no matter the apostate segments of various Protestant denominations that want to baptize it as a divine blessing. (See footnote). God cannot tolerate sin. He accepts the repentant sinner, forgiving the sincere sorrow for sins committed, then he calls that one to a life of holiness. "Be holy, even as I am holy," God pronounces in both the Old and New Testaments. Further, because God is God, He expects His children of grace to abide by His commandments. Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." That only makes sense. A love for a Savior who sacrificed Himself upon a cross in our stead deserves our keeping His expectations. With that, God then is a jealous God. He wants our total love and deserves our total love. If we renege on that love, God must discipline those He loves. That discipline may be exceedingly harsh in order to save an eternal soul. FOOTNOTE: ANTI-HOMOSEXUAL PASSAGES IN THE BIBLE Leviticus 18:22: "You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination." Copyright © 2005 by J. Grant Swank, Jr. For More Information On This Story Visit: truthinconviction.us/weblog.php Copyright © MichNews.com. All Rights Reserved.
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