Note: This archive version of the e-newsletter is in ASCII text. To view this in Rich Text Format/HTML (with pictures & links), use the Contact page to send an e-mail to request that edition. Dear Friend, This Early Edition of InfoQuest* is being sent to you just in the nick of time for you to forward it to your church members, friends, family, and peers regarding the truth and dangers of the Halloween holiday. Also enclosed in this edition is a beautiful new poem by Poet Glenda Stoneback (an IQ* Exclusive!) and several interesting information bits, alerts, and evangelism information! CONTENTS: (1) Glenda Stoneback's New Poem! (2) Halloween Is Banned in Moscow Schools! (3) The Truth Behind Halloween - Resources & Info! (4) RWU Youth Site - Safe Chat Rooms & Message Boards! (5) ALERT for All U.S.A. Citizens! EASY Steps! (6) Gran'pa Jack! (7) Understanding Mormonism, Part 2 - Evangelism (8) Traditional Values Coalition Responds to IQ* FMA ALERT! ==================== ==================== (1) Glenda Stoneback's New Poem! Dear Friend, I am privileged to know Glenda Stoneback, a member of my church. Ever since she shared her spiritual gift of poetry with me, she has permitted me to share her poetry with you and others through this international InfoQuest* ministry. Glenda, realizing that her gift is too precious to just bottle up to wait for published books, allows me send you her poetry as soon as she's written it so that it may bless you and others immediately. If you haven't done so already, think about how her new poetry book would make a wonderful Christmas gift! Just about nothing sweetens the soul as wonderfully as Holy Spirit-inspired poetry. Thank you for your prayerful consideration! IQ* Note: Unlike poetry books, here, via InfoQuest*, we have the poet's thoughts behind her poem! Enjoy! "Okay, here's a new one. I intended it to be a children's story, but the message I want to convey is of more relevance to adults - specifically Christians who are feeling defeated. Inspired by a recent message from Pastor Randy and also the Neil Anderson book, "Victory Over the Darkness", this poem, Identity is all about who we are in Christ. Whether is would be an appropriate children's story remains to be seen." Identity, by Glenda Stoneback Identity "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come." 2 Corinthians 5:17 There was a lovely butterfly With brightly colored wings Who flew above the flower tops And other pretty things. He knew that he was beautiful And that he was adored As he was a reflection Of his majestic Lord. One day he overheard a thought That traveled through his head That maybe he was not so grand As everybody said He folded up his lovely wings. Decided not to fly, Crawled beneath a maple leaf And there began to cry. The shadows became comfortable And felt a lot like home. He crawled around beneath the leaves Where wings should never roam. Soon he heard a voice above - Another butterfly - "My friend, why are you hiding here and what has made you cry?" He peeked his head out and replied; "I don't know what to do. It's easier to hide down here Than fly up there with you." The sympathetic butterfly Saw he'd traveled far And said "it looks to me like you've Forgotten who you are. "Your wings were made for soaring high. Remember what is real. You'll always be a butterfly No matter how you feel. "Come out and spread your wings again And let all creatures see The grand reflection that you are Of God's great majesty" Feeling better from these words And knowing they were true, He shook off all the dirt and leaves, Spread his wings and flew. Copyright, Glenda Stoneback, 2003. "God is your loving Father and you are His accepted child. That's the foundational truth of your spiritual identity. You are a child of God, you are created in His image, you have been declared righteous by Him because of your faith in Christ." Neil T. Anderson, Victory Over The Darkness. Reference: "His Grace" by Glenda Stoneback http://fp.users.fast.net/InfoQuest/poetry.htm#His_Grace ==================== ==================== (2) Halloween Is Banned in Moscow Schools! http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_833100.html Halloween banned in Moscow schools Halloween has been banned from schools in Moscow after Russian education chiefs ruled it was too pagan. Officials caved in to Church demands and issued a blanket ban on all Halloween celebrations from carving pumpkin heads to dressing up. The Moscow Education Department has ordered all schools in the capital to ban any Halloween celebrations, Izvestia newspaper reported. In a letter sent to school heads and governors teachers were warned that: "The very fact that Halloween activities contain elements such as the cult of death, rejecting death, personification of death and evil spirits produces a destructive effect upon the psychological, moral and spiritual health of students." A ban had earlier been called for by Russian Orthodox Church leaders who claimed the pagan festival was "satanic". Story filed: 11:32 Tuesday 28th October 2003 ==================== ==================== (3) The Truth Behind Halloween - Resources & Info! Dear Friend, Here are the best resources that I've found to educate others on the true holiday of Halloween. I'm also including the entire text of the tract, "What's Wrong with Halloween" by Dr. Russell K. Tardo. What's Wrong with Halloween? BY RUSSELL K. TARDO Halloween has become an issue among Christians. Long considered harmless fun, many are now questioning its history, nature, influence and fruit. The revitalization of Satanism and Witchcraft and their obvious association with Halloween has caused Christians to wonder whether they should participate in it at all. There is no denying the bizarre and occultic nature of Halloween decorum (certainly witches, devils, ghouls, monsters, vampires and ghosts are not Christian in character!). But in spite of that, some Christians defend their participation in the holiday asserting their "liberty" in Christ from the bondages of "legalism", or shrugging it off as innocent fun. Many churches see the whole thing as evil and will have nothing to do with the celebration whatsoever. Others see no harm in it and participate fully, with costume parties, Halloween decorations and trick-or-treat. Still others try to find a "middle-of-the-road" approach, allowing trick-or-treat and masquerades, but as "Bible characters" instead of demonic and occult figures. What's wrong with Halloween? And, what should be the attitude of the conscientious Christian towards it? Is it harmless, or is it sinister? The facts we present below should help you to answer that question once for all. 1. The Halloween celebration is thoroughly rooted in Paganism and the Occult. History traces it back to the ancient religion of the Druids, a religion so evil that Rome forbad its practice. The AMERICAN PEOPLES ENCYCLOPEDIA explains: "The origin of Halloween customs antedate Christianity. The Druids, members of pagan orders in Britain, Ireland and Gaul, held a celebration on October 31st, the eve of the Festival of Samhain. It was a night of ghosts and fairies, in which bonfires were built and futures were foretold and witches rode through the sky." Superstitions linking cats with reincarnation made them special objects of notice on Halloween. Unquestionably, the holiday had its origin with the pagan Druids, only they called it the "Festival of Samsonite lord of the dead". Sampan was nothing more or less than a demon (a demon spirit of death at that, or perhaps he may have been Satan himself!) who was given special homage on Halloween. This is where the emphasis on death comes from on that night. Death symbols such as coffins, tombstones, skeletons, skulls and crossbones, ghosts, mummies and graveyards are common Halloween decorations. Numerous legends surrounded the holiday, but two significant things supposedly occurred on that night: First, It was believed that the dead would rise out of their graves and wander the countryside, trying to return to the homes where they formerly lived. Frightened villagers tried to appease these wandering spirits by offering them gifts of fruits and nuts. If not placated, villagers feared that the spirits would kill their flocks or destroy their property. This is the origin of our present day "trick-or-treat"! It's a custom born out of superstition, and pagan superstition at that! Furthermore, its a blasphemous perversion of the Christian belief in the Resurrection. In Christianity, the righteous dead are resurrected in a glorified, immortal body. In Druidism, the dead are raised as horrifying creatures of the night, hideous monsters, decaying skeletons, vampires, etc. They received not glorified bodies, but grotesque ones; not immortal bodies, but inhuman ones. Second, Samhain was the supreme night of Demonic jubilation. This was a celebration of the beginning of Winter and darkness, as daylight grew noticeably shorter, and nights lengthier. The hoards of hell would roam the earth in a wild celebration of darkness and death, all in honor of Samhain! Pity the poor mortal forced to travel on such a night! The only thing the superstitious people knew to do to protect themselves on such an occasion was to masquerade as one of the demonic hoarde, and hopefully blend in unnoticed among them! This is the origin of Halloween masquerading as devils, imps, ogres, and other demonic creatures. The question is, should Christians adopt such practices? Can we borrow the pagan customs and superstitions of ancient peoples and "Christianize" them? The Bible is not silent on the subject: "Learn not the way of the heathen....for the customs of the people are vain." (Jeremiah 10:2-3), and, "When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations" (Deut. 18:9). Ephesians 5:11 declares, "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." 2. Halloween glorifies Satan. When America and the world celebrates the powers of darkness by masquerading as evil creatures or decorating our homes, schools, businesses and churches with occult symbols, Satanic power is glorified. While you may have participated "all in fun", be assured, Halloween is serious business for Satanists and Witches. Anyone familiar with witchcraft would tell you that there are certain rituals and spells that can only be cast on Halloween night. That is the night when the "veil" believed to separate the living from the dead is thought to be the thinnest, and futures are easier and more accurately foretold by diviners. Those who oppose Christ are known to organize on Halloween to observe Satanic rituals, to cast spells, to oppose churches and families, to perform sacrilegious acts, and to even offer blood sacrifices to Satan. Last year, Newscasters in numerous cities warned their viewers to guard their animals on Halloween night. Dogs and cats are thought to be the most often sacrificed animals on Halloween, and many S. P. C. A. centers will not allow black cats to be adopted until after Halloween. In rural communities, it is not uncommon for farmers to awake to find the mutilated remains of their farm animals (cows, calves, chickens, even horses) that were ritualistically slaughtered in Satanic sacrifices. The practices that accompany such sacrificial rites are almost too revolting to believe-the drinking of animal (or human) blood and urine, the digestion of entrails and organs, orgiastic rituals, substance abuse, and something becoming more frighteningly common across the U.S.-human sacrifice. The 700 CLUB interviewed several people last Halloween (several of which were teenagers) who actually participated in or witnessed human sacrifices while involved in Satanism. No one scoffs at such stories anymore, as police departments around the country have had to scurry to develop a whole new field of investigation dealing with the gruesome reality of Satanic sacrifices. Isn't it sad that while Satanist, Witches, Occultists and Police are taking Halloween very seriously, many in the church protest our "spoiling all of the fun for the children," by urging Christians not to participate in it. 3. Halloween treats Occultism as "Harmless". When Christians participate in Halloween, it sends a message to children that Witchcraft, Demonism, Satanism, and the Occult is something fun, entertaining and harmless. It gives the false impression that what is actually lethal, is innocuous! It's the spiritual equivalent of painting a loaded gun to look like a toy and giving it to a child to play with! On another recent 700 Club testimony, one man said that it was while he was out trick-or-treating on Halloween night as a boy that he had a profound psychic experience that led him on an occult odyssey that kept him bound and oppressed for dozens of years! Halloween participation led him into deeper forms of occultism, until he was swallowed by it. Christians, we betray others and deceive ourselves if we consider this celebration a harmless or innocent one. It is more deadly than a rattlesnake, and God says such things are an abomination (cf. Deut. 18:9-12; Lev. 18:24-30). 4. It is the Appearance of Evil. The Bible says, "Abstain from all appearance of evil." (1 Thess.5:22). Who can deny that virtually all of the symbols of Halloween are evil? Witches, monsters, ogres, vampires, ghosts, ghouls, goblins, devils and demons all portray evil! On the other hand, Christians are called to be "followers (Greek: imitators) of God" (Eph.5:1), and "lights" to a sin darkened world. How can we justify our masquerading as creatures of darkness in the light of the Scriptures? And if our houses and churches are dedicated to God and are to glorify Christ, how do we justify decorating them with demonic and occult symbols? Virtually all of the common Halloween decorations represent something Demonic or Occult. For instance: The "Jack-o-lantern" is the ancient symbol of a damned soul. The "black cat" has long been associated with Witchcraft and numerous superstitions are still connected to it. Witches and Witchcraft are a dominant theme of the holiday, but are an abomination to God (Exodus 22:18; Deuteronomy 18:8-14; Leviticus 18:24-30). Even the "trick-or-treat" is a threat! It's nothing less than extortion! "You either give me a treat or I'll play a trick on you." Halloween Destruction Vandalism and wanton disregard for the property of others is common on Halloween night, as even normally well behaved children are driven by unseen forces to destructive behavior. Police officials everywhere report great increases in such activities at Halloween. Worse yet are the horrifying accounts of poisoned candy and fruits booby trapped with razor blades and needles. Such threats are so real that many hospitals offer free X-Rays of Halloween treats in order to prevent children from being harmed. Who but Satan could inspire such monstrous actions? 5. It is Disobedience to God! God repeatedly forbids his Children's participation in such demonic activities, as the following passages attest: Deut. 18:9-14; Ex.7:11 - 12; 22:18; Lev.19:26,31; 20:6,27; 1 Chron.10:13-14; 2 Ki.21:5-6; Isa.2:6; Jer.27:9-10; Zech.10:2; Mai.3: 5; Acts 8:9f; 16:16f; 19:19; Gal,5:16-21; 2 Tim.3:8; Rev.21:8; 22:15. A careful examination of these Scriptures reveals God's unreserved condemnation of all who participate in any occult activity. What's wrong with Halloween? Everything about it is wrong! It does not have even one single redeeming virtue. It is a demon inspired, devil glorifying occult festival! Those who love the Lord Jesus Christ should have nothing to do with it! "Learn not the way of the heathen...for the customs of the people are vain." (Jer. 10:2-3). "When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations." (Deut.18:9). "Let us cast out the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light." (Rom.13:12) "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." (Eph.5:l 1) "Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness." (1 Thess.5:5) "For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing..." (2 Cor.6:14-17). What Should Our Position Be? Clearly, we should have nothing to do with the Halloween celebration whatsoever. If Christians assemble on Halloween it should be to worship, sing, praise, pray, intercede, wage Spiritual warfare and pull down demonic strong-holds. Under no circumstance should we compromise with this celebration or attempt to imitate the world in any manner. It should not be observed as any kind of a festival or "party" (masquerades, apple-bobbing, games, treats, etc.), but rather as a time to wage holy warfare and be separate from the world. The Christian should not fear Halloween or any of the powers of darkness, for we have authority over them (Mk.16:15; Lu.10:19), and "God has not given us the spirit of fear..." (2 Tim.l:7). But at the same time, "We are not ignorant of Satan's devices" (2 Cor.2:11) Some may call me "legalistic" for doing so, but I have forsaken this pagan celebration altogether. Perhaps its time you considered doing the same. "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light." (Eph.5:8). Reference: InfoQuest* Occult Page http://fp.users.fast.net/InfoQuest/occult.htm ==================== ==================== (4) RWU Youth Site - Safe Chat Rooms & Message Boards! Are you between 13 and 22 years of age and looking for others with whom you can relate regarding Judeo-Christian morality as well as civics? Do you have children or grandchildren who you think would benefit from communicating with Judeo-Christian value young adults, using safe and moderated online chat rooms and message boards? If you answered "yes" to either of the questions above, then I've got fantastic news for you! Check out the New RWU Youth Site now! http://www.rwyouth.com/ ==================== ==================== (5) ALERT for All U.S.A. Citizens! EASY Steps! I'm sure that you've heard about bills in states to give illegal immigrants driver licenses, which could enable them to register to vote! Yes. That's right. Non-citizens voting in the United States of America!!! I'm sure that you've heard about plans to give amnesty to uncountable illegal immigrants, to be rewarded for breaking our laws, while honest immigrants (like all of my grandparents who immigrated here from Germany after WWI) pay the price. I'm sure that you've heard about illegal immigrants taking work away from law-abiding citizens. I implore you to: 1. Visit the Immigration and FTAA ALERT Page to educate yourself on the issue! 2. Contact your representative and senators immediately and tell them that you are opposed to amnesty for illegal immigrants, period. Ask them to oppose all bills that would grant amnesty to illegal immigrants. Here is a link to software you can use to identify your representative and senators and obtain their e-mail and mailing addresses: http://www.jbs.org/visitor/congress/cgcontact.htm According to the New York Times for October 13th, there is "a wave of immigration legislation that has gathered bipartisan momentum in recent weeks." A wave of legislation to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants that is. And a bipartisan deception is at work to keep most Americans asleep by never mentioning the word "amnesty." There is Senator Hatch's bill to grant amnesty to high school students. Senators Kennedy and Craig have introduced another bill that would grant amnesty to half a million farm workers. Even more dangerous is Senator McCain's deceptively named "Border Security and Immigration Improvement Act" (H.R. 2899 and S. 1461) that would grant amnesty to millions of illegals. Reference: Immigration and FTAA ALERT Page http://www.thenewamerican.com/focus/ftaa/ ==================== ==================== (6) Gran'pa Jack! Dear Friend, When I received the "Innocents Betrayed" video in the mail, it came with several info booklets, one of them being Gran'pa Jack #7 Do Gun Prohibitionists Have a Mental Problem? by Dr. Sarah Thompson and Aaron Zelman Here's a description of this booklet: --- Work Smarter, Not Harder! This is the most aggressive Gran'pa Jack ever published. Why? It gives you an ability to expose the underlying motivations of millions of anti-gun ownership advocates. It also can be used to help anti-gun people acknowledge that they may indeed have mental problems they may not know about or understand. Gran'pa Jack #7 can help them deal with reality, no longer fear guns, and hopefully encourage them to go shooting with you. Once they realize the fun of a gun, their incentive to support "gun control" diminishes. Of all the Gran'pa Jack booklets, "Do Gun Prohibitionists Have a Mental Problem?" is truly the most dangerous and challenging to the promoters of "gun hate." If you use it, you can inflict a devastating blow to the anti-gun ownership movement. Here's How You Benefit by Using Gran'pa Jack #7: * Understand why so many people are anti-gun * Communicate effectively with your anti-gun friends and family members * Avoid frustrating and ineffective arguments * Defuse emotionally charged discussion about guns * Understand why most women and minorities are anti-gun * Provide anti-gun people with a positive firearms experience * Help the public realize that some elected officials have mental problems and irrational fears concerning firearms, and these people should not be making public policy that endangers your life or the lives of others. --- Here is one snip from this booklet: --- WOW! Uncle Boris, are all vegetarians like that? Oh, heavens no! The world has many wonderful people who are pacifists, vegetarians, spiritually inclined, or who support animal rights. What is important is not the belief itself, but the way that person LIVES that belief. Sincere people practice their beliefs in a way that respects others who hold different views. In contrast, the insincere person uses his beliefs as a "socially acceptable" way to harm, abuse, or kill his fellow man. Some "animal lovers" want to ban meat and even believe that murdering hunters is justified to "save the animals." The strident, angry, "believer" wants to outlaw self-defense and believes that people are obliged to suffer rape and murder "for the good of society." For example, the noted feminist Betty Friedan said "that lethal violence, even in self defense only engenders more violence." (10) 10. Japenga, A. 1994. Would I Be Safer with a Gun?" Health. March/April, p. 54 --- I highly recommend this booklet! References: "Innocents Betrayed" Video http://www.jpfo.org/ib-orders.htm "Do Gun Prohibitionists Have a Mental Problem?" by Dr. Sarah Thompson and Aaron Zelman http://www.jpfo.org/gpjack7.htm ==================== ==================== (7) Understanding Mormonism, Part 2 - Evangelism Dear Friend, If you're interested in learning more about Mormonism, click here for a text document. http://fp.users.fast.net/InfoQuest/Mormonism%20Part%202.txt You can find many resources on false religions and cults on the InfoQuest* Apologetics page! http://fp.users.fast.net/InfoQuest/Apologetics.htm ==================== ==================== (8) Traditional Values Coalition Responds to IQ* FMA ALERT! Dear Friend, It appears that our campaign to educate others on the importance of preserving state rights and putting the breaks on Federal Constitution amendments on morality, reserving these amendments for state constitutions, is being acknowledged, in part, by Reverend Louis P. Sheldon of Traditional Values Coalition. Although I have mailed Reverend Louis P. Sheldon two information packs and have not received a reply from him, PDF reports on the TVC website show a change in their strategy to protect morality laws in the U.S.A. On August 25, 2003, before we began our Preserving Morality Law Through State Rights education campaign, TVC published the following Pro-Federal Constitutional Morality Amendment report (you can right-click on this link and select 'Save target as' to save this PDF to your PC, open the PDF and select File -> Document Properties -> Summary to see the creation date): The Federal Marriage Amendment Description: Homosexual activists are on the verge of winning the "right" to marry in Massachusetts. Only a Federal Marriage Amendment will protect us from liberal judges who usurp the will of the people. [WRONG!!!!!] http://traditionalvalues.org/pdf_files/FMA.pdf On October 28th, 2003, several weeks after we began our Preserving Morality Law Through State Rights education campaign, TVC published the following report, which repeats the information provided in Mr. George Detweiler's "Constitutional Trojan Horse": Judges: Our Robed Masters - A Call To End Judicial Tyranny! http://traditionalvalues.org/pdf_files/JudicialTyranny2003.pdf Description: Renegade judges ignore the Constitution to impose their own political ideologies upon American citizens and culture. We must stop them. The last page of "Judges: Our Robed Masters" provides the information presented in Mr. George Detweiler's "Constitutional Trojan Horse!" Here is the excerpt: --- How Do We Fight Judicial Tyranny? FIRST: We must limit the appellate jurisdiction of the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Constitution, Article III, Section 2, states that "the Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, with such exceptions, and under such regulations as the Congress shall make." Under this provision of the Constitution, Congress can pass a law or series of laws that prohibit the Court from cases involving such issues as abortion, homosexuality, school prayer, pornography, etc. SECOND: Under Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution, Congress has the power to create or abolish federal courts. Congress can also cut off salaries to renegade judges and their staffs. Congress has the power to abolish federal judgeships if it wishes. Perhaps it should abolish a few judgeships to make it clear that judicial usurpation will not be allowed to continue. A judge who knew his position would be abolished might be more restrained in his rulings. THIRD: The Constitution provides in Article III, Section 2, that judges can remain in power as long as they are on "good behavior." The Constitution provides for the impeachment of judges who fail to fulfill their duties. Grounds for impeachment are broad in the Constitution. We should urge impeachment proceedings against out-of-control judges. --- Although TVC is now promoting the only true legal solution to preserve morality laws in the U.S.A. (enforcing the Federal Constitution, not amending it) through its report, "Judges: Our Robed Masters," it is still promoting the Federal Marriage Amendment, which will destroy the state/federal morality law protections set forth by our Christian Founding Fathers if it is passed! Will you take the initiative, go to the TVC website at http://www.traditionalvalues.org , vote against the Federal Marriage Amendment in their online poll, and then use their online contact form to explain why you are against federalizing morality law and terminating state rights? An easy way to do this is to copy and paste the following text and URL into their online message field: Please see the following web page for why I do not support the federalization of morality law and the termination of state rights: http://fp.users.fast.net/InfoQuest/Federal_Marriage_Amendment.htm Thank you for working to keep the U.S.A. under God's protection by keeping our governing body honoring to God! "And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary!" Galatians 6:9 Reference: TVC Online Contact Form http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?name=Feedback