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Tagged: Alison Nisselle
Healing (2014)
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Summary: After 18 years in prison, Viktor Khadem (Don Hany – East West 101, Offspring, Serangoon Road, Broken Shore) is a man who has almost given up on life. Near the end of his sentence he is sent to Won Wron, a low-security prison farm 200 km outside Melbourne in regional Victoria, where Senior Case Worker Matt Perry (Hugo Weaving) has established a unique program to rehabilitate broken men through giving them the responsibility for the rehabilitation of injured raptors – beautiful, fearsome proud eagles, falcons and owls. Against all odds, Matt takes on Viktor as his number one test case, introducing him to Yasmine, the majestic Wedge-tailed Eagle with a two metre wingspan. If these two can tame each other, anything is possible.
Australian Cinema Release Date: 8th May, 2014
Director: Craig Monahan
Screenwriter: Craig Monahan, Alison Nisselle
Cast: Dimitri Baveas (Yousef), Laura Brent (Stacey), Tony Briggs (Travis), Justine Clarke, Don Hany (Viktor Khadem), Anthony Hayes (Warren), Tony Martin (Prison Warden), Jane Menelaus (Glynis), Joana Pires (Mrs. Yousef), Xavier Samuel (Paul), Richard Stables (Ted), Robert Taylor (Vander), Harry Tseng (Dave), Hugo Weaving (Matt Perry), Mark Leonard Winter (Shane)
Classification: M
OUR HEALING REVIEWS & RATINGS:
Over the past few years the prison genre of both the small screen and the big screen has become a reason for screenwriters to portray the art of brutality. Bashings, stabbings even the odd prison gets thrown in as Hollywood expects the audience to believe that most prisons are an absolute war zone. It's therefore a bit of a relief to sit down and watch Healing, a film that is more about the rehabilitation and emotions of prisoners rather than the physical violence that goes along with prison life.
The central character of Healing is Viktor Khadem (Don Hany – TV'S Devil's Playground & Serangoon Road), a fifty-something prisoner who has just been placed in the low security prison, Won Wron, as a way to prepare himself for release after serving eighteen years in Pentridge for murder. Here he finds himself befriending the lonely and quite, Paul (Xavier Samuel – Plush, Drift) – a prisoner who doesn't like to talk about why he is in prison and certainly doesn't want to see his family.
On his arrival at Won Wron one of the guards, Matt Perry (Hugo Weaving – The Mule, The Turning) realises that Viktor needs to seriously change before he is released but can't find the right rehabilitation program for him. After seeing Viktor's reaction to finding an injured wedge-tailed eagle he manages to talk the prison hierarchy into allowing him to set up a program headed up by Viktor which would see a select number of prisoners get to work closely with Healesville Sanctuary looking after injured birds of prey.
The program begins running and seems to have a positive effect on Viktor, however its whole existence seems to rest on the behaviour of Shane (Mark Leonard Winter – The Boy Castaways, Green Eyed), a prisoner whose limited mental capacity makes him seek out approval from those around him, sadly for the others that normally means he is loyal to the prison's 'king-pin' Warren (Anthony Hayes – The Broken Shore, TV'S Secrets & Lies).
The first thing that hits you about Healing is the cinematography. Filmed by Oscar-winning cinematographer Andrew Lesnie, who most would know from his work on The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, the film conjures up some beautiful shots of the wildlife at hand while also capturing some bird-eye views of the Victorian countryside that is rarely seen on the big screen. The visual brilliance of the film is well matched by an emotional script that really captures the thoughts and mind set of prisoners who have to face the reality of once again embarking on the big wide world.
Healing does have its faults though. There is the editing which sadly lets down the spectacular visuals. The cuts are noticeable (which should never happen in feature film) and at times makes you feel like you are watching something like Neighbours or Home & Away. The fact that the film's bad guy, Anthony Hayes' Warren, seems to throw back to every prison bad guy stereotype also drags down the film a little as well and at the end of the day makes him less menacing than he should be.
Another plus for the film however is the cast. The fact that smaller roles are filled by actors of the calibre of Tony Martin (Blood Brothers, Closed For Winter) and Robert Taylor (TV'S Mr & Mrs Murder & Longmire) gives a strong testament to how good this script is. Then there is Xavier Samuel and Mark Leonard Winter who put in credible performances, but they are outshone here by the leading men Hugo Weaving and Don Hany. Weaving puts in one of his relaxed-but-still-gripping performances while Hany delivers the performance that his legion of fans expected. Since his early days in White Collar Blue and his award-winning portrayal of Zane Malick in multicultural Police drama East West 101 the public has known that Don Hany would one day become a leading man that warrants feature film status. That certainly arrives with Healing which sees Hany play a character that is almost twenty years older than he actually is. To get into the role he ate junk food and started smoking, the result is a strong performance that should see him start to warrant overseas attention for his services.
Healing is hardly the kind of film that is going to be lapped by the popcorn brigade, no this is more a film for those who love good cinema. Heartfelt and warm Healing is the kind of film that will affect some emotionally.
IMDB Rating: Nil.
Other Subculture Media Reviews of 'Healing′: Please check Dave's Healing review that aired on First On Film on J-Air on the 4th May, 2014.
Healing (2014) – Wins Feature Film Script Award
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Pointblank Pictures and Pinnacle Films are thrilled to announce that screenwriters Alison Nisselle and Craig Monahan were last night announced as the winners of the 2013 QUEENSLAND LITERARY AWARD for FEATURE FILM SCRIPT, in a ceremony at the State Library Of Queensland in Brisbane.
Developed by the two writers over many years, and directed by Craig Monahan (The Interview) HEALING stars Hugo Weaving and Don Hany in a story of redemption and renewal centred around two men in a low-security country prison – one a warden, the other a long-term prisoner.
This prestigious award places the film's screenplay and its authors amongst many of the leading lights of Australian writing such as Christopher Koch, Murray Bail, Cate Kennedy and Andrew Bovell; and is the first public accolade for the yet to be completed film.
In awarding the prize to HEALING, the judges commented that "this wholly impressive, truthful work avoids all the usual traps of pursuing ideological agendas or stereotypical storylines, and in so doing, takes us to the source."
Production of HEALING took place earlier this year on locations in regional Victoria and the film is currently in post-production.
HEALING will be released in Australia in April 2014 by Pinnacle Films.


Losing a loved one is always difficult, but there is a more severe form of grief—called complicated grief—which makes it hard for an individual to ever move forward with life.
Complicated grief is marked by debilitating feelings that don't resolve or improve with time; instead, they can haunt an individual and even worsen with time.
Additionally, in the instance of complicated grief, an individual can suffer from further issues, such as memory complications.
A study from Harvard University found that people who suffer with this long-term grief often have trouble recalling past memories that don't involve their lost partner.
This is a testament to just how tragic and traumatic the loss of a loved one can be.
If you've lost a loved one, you know just how difficult it can be… to accept the loss, to understand the loss, and to move forward in life without your person. It often takes some time to find peace again, as you must first go through the grieving process. While grief looks different for everybody, oftentimes, a healthy process involves confronting difficult emotions like anger and despair, talking openly about your loss to a trusted individual (loved one or grief counselor), and ultimately deciding that you can—and will—move forward with your life.
That being said, sometimes grief is… complicated. Stubborn. Amplified. Overwhelming. With normal grief and bereavement, those feelings of anger, despair, guilt, and denial resolve. But with complicated grief, these debilitating feelings don't resolve or improve with time. The loss, and the painful feelings that accompany it, can haunt a person and make it extremely difficult—even impossible—to return to everyday life. In fact, instead of improving with time, these effects can worsen. And further issues may arise: such as those with memory, which were recently explored at Harvard University.
Two psychological scientists, Donald Robinaugh and Richard McNally, wanted to know more about how long-term grief might debilitate an individual. More specifically, they sought to better understand how one's memory may become skewed in the midst of complicated bereavement. Additionally, they sought to find out whether one's imagination is impacted by complicated grief—being that the same part of the brain controls both the recollection of real events and imaginary visions of the future.
To put their theories to the test, the two scientists observed several individuals who lost their partner within one to three years ago—some of whom were struggling with complicated grief, and others who were passing through the normal stages of grief. These study participants partook in a few tests designed to evaluate their autobiographical memory and their imagination of the future: they were asked about certain memories—some involving their lost loved one and others that did not—as well as hopes or thoughts about future events, both good and bad.
Robinaugh and McNally were impressed by the participants as they recalled detailed memories of the past in addition to thorough visions of the future. But they were even more interested to observe the final results: the memory and imagination of those suffering from complicated grief were clearly impacted, as compared with those who were experiencing normal grief. More specifically, these individuals failed to recall specific happenings of the past and imagine future scenarios… when their loved one was not involved. If, on the other hand, they were asked to recall past memories or create future visions with their partner, they had no issue doing so.
The scientists believe that their findings (which are published in the journal of Clinical Psychological Science) shed a light on just how truly tragic it can be to lose a loved one—specifically one's life partner. Furthermore, Robinaugh and McNally think that the profound difficulty these individuals had envisioning the future without their partner demonstrates that hopelessness and severe identity struggle characteristic of complicated grief.


In my 'My July' post, I spoke about the beginnings of changing my lifestyle for the better and how even though it'd only been a week into this change, I was feeling strongly about it and finally motivated enough to keep up with it. I'm talking about my new lifestyle of keeping fit and eating healthy; something I'd never done properly before or you could say never at all. Before you ask, I'm not doing it to lose weight or anything, I generally just want to be physically fitter, stronger and healthier as well as feeling it inside. I did just suddenly woke up one morning and decide for good but it came with a long time of thinking about it to actually doing it too. I'd tried before to eat healthier and to start a fitness regime and nothing seemed to stick, but this time (yes I know it's only been like 3 weeks), it has. And out of nothing but a sudden urge. Strange huh?
The reason I'm writing this post, is not only to remind myself of the achievement I had in beginning this new lifestyle and how strong I was to keep up with it so quickly, but hopefully to share my early experiences with anyone who is like me and never used to like exercise or being strict with what they eat. I've not changed too much, but enough to make a difference in how I feel towards my health and fitness levels. I needed to do it, because I didn't like how lazy I felt before, and it's actually given me a more positive outlook on something that used to terrify me for no real reason and turned it into something good!
In terms of eating, I'll be honest - I haven't changed that much. I decided to make more room for things like vegetables, and fruit. Picking healthier cereals for breakfast and not giving into lunch/break time temptations like the bakery on the way to Tesco or an unnecessarily expensive lunch to the closest coffee shop. I'm still having a bar of chocolate almost daily, but I'm picking a wrap over a BLT and skipping out crisps for a fruit bowl. I've even turned to my new smoothie maker, making smoothies for those times I feel the need to snack, and has even been great for making breakfast smoothie when I don't have time to sit an eat!
I've also cut out fizzy drinks (apart from in restaurants) and I've cut out fast food too, and will probably only have one once a fortnight, or every month if I can help it. This is the stuff that slows me down in the worst way, and I don't need it in my life, but sometimes I can't help but crave a quarter pounder with cheese!
Though I've started to eat healthier but still as yummy meals, and found alternatives to snacking, I love my chocolate too much to cut it out completely and I still want to eat what I like, when I like but with a little more control. It's all about the moderation.
My main exercise is running, and I've started to run lots! This is what's been keeping me going the most because I actually love running, and I always have. It gives me time to myself, listen to some music as well as doing something that's good for my body! I use the Nike Running app to help me with this and keep track of what and how I'm doing and run 5 times a week, as well as the iPhone's health app to track my steps throughout the day and Nike Training twice a week for a workout on top of my runs. I make sure I have two rest days so that I don't over do myself too.
I've seen a big change from day one to now in my speed, stamina and endurance with my running. I can now do my usual 1.26 mile lap in 13 minutes and I can go on for longer if I decide to mix my route up a little bit. It's not very quick, but for a beginner I feel pretty good.
On days I don't want to do anything but I have to it's been nice to have new workout gear to get into. Also the fact that I spent money on it to do something good for myself gives me a enough of a guilty conscious naturally to get up and go! I also think about how well I've been doing, and stopping is pretty much giving up - and I can't be having that after doing so well! I really want to be fit enough for a 10k run next year too. I'm also even considering a gym membership, which is crazy for me - but I don't think I need one. It's weird to know I enjoy something I used to fear so much, but I feel so amazing for it.
It actually makes me happy doing this. It took waking up one day for me but the want to do it for a long time before and I did start with little baby steps before like cutting out snacks first, and picking fruit instead of crisps. Going for a long walk with my dog and taking the stairs instead of the lift at work.
And if you're thinking about a little lifestyle change, there's so many things you can do - but do what suits you and what you want to do. Don't go all out changing yourself! I didn't and I'm so happy for it. It's all about balance and moderation - life is still for living and being happy, not dieting depressingly!


What Do We Really Know About The Soft Spot ?
Just like most of the information I am collecting for my book I have no idea how I ended up finding information about what many individuals call the soft spot.
The skull is made up of many bones, eight in the skull itself and 14 in the face area. They join together to form a solid, bony cavity that protects and supports the brain. The areas where the bones join together are called the sutures.
In an infant, the space where two sutures join forms a membrane-covered "soft spot" called a fontanelle (fontanel). The fontanelles allow for growth of the brain and skull during an infant's first year.
There are normally several fontanelles on a newborn's skull. They are located mainly at the top, back, and sides of the head. Like the sutures, fontanelles harden over time and become closed, solid bony areas.
The fontanelle in the back of the head (posterior fontanelle) most often closes by the time an infant is 1 to 2 months old.
The fontanelle at the top of the head (anterior fontanelle) most often closes between 7 to 19 months.
Above is the medical description, which didn`t satisfy my curiosity only raised it. It is this writers understanding that the human body is a Holy Temple and all body parts and functions also have a spiritual function. I use the word spiritual only to help the reader understand the deeper meaning.
For the individual who understands that the human body is one of spirit and flesh and understands how the flesh is created may not understand how the flesh is impregnated by the light, soul, spirit ect… Let`s take a look at the skull of a child. Looking at the fontanelle towards the back of the head could this be how the spirit, light, or soul enters the embryo during pregnancy?
When this was revealed I immediately added up the letters for fontanelle and it didn`t disappoint me as the number value is 32. Fontanelle ( F6,O2,N1,T7,A1,N1,E5,L2,L2,E5 ) 6+2+1+7+1+1+5+2+2+5 = 32. This is incredible see below what other words have this same numerical value.
Many readers will say this is just a coincidence or a play on numbers and I can understand that, however when information comes to this writer in the way this did I find it hard for it to be coincidence.
Now for the good stuff, I was discussing this with a friend and she mentioned that this could be the vail mentioned in the bible. Instantly another light was lit and I did some further research on the scripture and what I found is awesome. For individuals who have a literal understanding of this holy book this may seem crazy to you. Remember that we are all on an individual as well a collective journey.
13) And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: 14) But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. 15) But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. 16) Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. 17) Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18) But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
VAIL, n. L. velum, from velo, to cover, to spread over. It is correctly written vail for e, in Latin, is our a.
1. Any kind of cloth which is used for intercepting the view and hiding something; as the vail of the temple among the Israelite's.
You are the Lord of the temple.
There is so much more to be explored about the Vail which will be revealed in the book I have been working on. Notice that in verse 13 the words children of Israel this is a key to understanding more. Here is the numerical value for Vail( V5,A1,I5,L2 ) 5+1+5+2 = 13, this number alone has great meaning which I have touch on in one of my article you can find here> What Is So Important About The Cube Part 2 And Some Hidden Meanings In The Number 13 ?
I leave you this to ponder! When I look at a newborn and watch them develop all I can see is unconditional love and pure innocence and when a child approaches the age of two this stage in life is called the terrible twos. What if this is a result of the vail closing or cutting off the light or the love from God resulting in the spirit, soul, or light realizing it is now imprisoned in the flesh? This change in the child is known to start before the age of two in some children.
One for the road the skull has 22 bones and the value of the word seven when spelled out is 22. Seven ( S6,E5,V5,E5,N1 ) 6+5+5=5+1 = 22 and 22/ 7 = 3.14…. or the closest fraction know to Pi.
Why The English Language Is More Than Just Words Part 7 would have been my title for this but I decided to change it.
I have tried to keep this article as short as possible and found it was impossible to cover the information I am so excited to share with my readers.
What is so important about the Holy number 7? This number is alive all over the globe and many individuals use it daily without even knowing. Let us start out with some of the obvious places we read about or use this number.
We have seven days in a week, the rainbow has seven colors, their are seven main chakras in the human body, the human body cycles every seven years, there are seven continents, there are seven wonders of the world, there are seven notes on a musical scale, seventh inning stretch, Jewish Menorah has seven candles, the Jewish Shemitah and of coarse lucky 777 if you like to play the slot machines.
The bible speaks about six days of creation and rest on day seven, seven times around Jericho on day seven. Revelations speaks about seven churches, seven trumpets, seven seals, seven bowls and seven heads seven archangels.
If we are going to look at the number 7 then I need to use sacred geometry ( gematria ) to dig deeper into the hidden meaning. The English alphabet has 26 letters and the number system for these letters are 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 for the first 13 letters A-M and the number system for the last 13 letters are 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,6,5,4,3,2,1, N-Z. Notice that the number 7 is in the middle of the each sequence. Seven is a holy number.
I find it interesting the words Gematria and geometria when added using the cipher equal 70 and if we use decimal parity 7+0 = 7. Why is this significant well if you spell out 7 seven, ( S = 6, E =5, V = 5, E = 5, N = 1, 6+5+5+5+1 its number value equals 22 and 22\7 = 3.142.. this is the closer fraction known to the sequence of (Pi), which shows me all wisdom and knowledge is found in (Pi).
While researching truth I came across this symbol IO, the Egyptians used to identify how all creation came into existence. Using Gematria for IO (I = 5 and O = 2, 5+2 = 7 ). WOW this got me off and running to dig deeper. Without getting into a lot of detail I started down the road to find how the English alphabet was created. This will be a journey in itself.
I came across the five vowels we use in the English language and found that I was attached to the other four like so IA IE IO IU and guess what these all added up to. ( I = 5 , A = 1, 5+1 =6 ) ( I = 5 , E = 5, 5+5 = 10) (I = 5 , O = 2, 5+2 = 7 ) ( I = 5 , U = 6, 5+6 = 11 ) 6+10+7+11 = 34 using decimal parity we have 3+4 = 7. It is also known that all names of deity came from these letters.
The Egyptians identified Christ – Messiah using the letters Iu-em-hetep. Now we will take these words and separate them from the dashes and see what the value is. IU ( I = 5 , U = 6, 5+6 = 11 ) EM ( E = 5, M = 1, 5+1 = 6 ) HETEP ( H = 6, E = 5, T = 7, E = 5, P = 3, 6+5+7+5+3 = 26 ) Added together gives us the value of 11+6+26 = 43, 4+3 = 7.
Leaving in the( – Dash = 17 ) gives us the number 77 which I will touch on some more in this article.
On to Christ – Messiah ( C = 3, H = 6, R = 5, I = 5, S = 6, T = 7, 3+6+5+5+6+7 = 32 ) Dash ( D = 4, A = 1, S = 6, H = 6, 4+1+6+6 = 17 ) Messiah ( M = 1, E = 5, S = 6, S = 6, I = 5, A = 1, H= 6, 1+5+6+6+5+1+6 = 30 ) Added together we have 32+17+30+ = 79, 7+9 = 16, 1+6 = 7. With out the dash Christ Messiah equals 62, 6+2 = 8 which is the symbol for infinity.
The Egyptians also called Christ – Messiah The Comer,( T = 7, H =6, E = 5, 7+6+5 = 18 ) ( C = 3, O = 2, M= 1, E = 5, R = 5, 3+2+1+5= 16 ) 18+16 = 34, 3+4 = 7.
Please hang on this gets even more exciting. Take a close look at this image below what do you see.
I see 7 openings, two ears, two eyes, two nostrils and one mouth.
Now take a look at this other image and what do you see.
One morning while I was sitting on my bed putting on my socks as I looked down at my feet I said WOW, from below my knees to my feet it looks like a pair of 7`s upside down. I am sure that there are other 7`s within the human body.
OK remember the number 77, I find it very interesting the symbol for Pisces is two fish also known as fishes. let`s find the value of Fishes ( F = 6, I = 5, S = 6, H = 6, E = 5, S = 6, 6+5+6+6+5+6 = 34, 3 + 4 = 7 ). It is my understanding that we are all Christ – Messiah which is the higher consciousness also known as Christ Consciousness. The number 77 when spelled out has a value of 8.
Also Pisces has a value of 28 which is how many phalanges we have in both hands. And 28 reduced 2 + 8 = 10 which is how many fingers we have. And 10 reduced 1 + 0 = 1, we are all one consciousness.
I leave you this to ponder. Is it the continuous coming of the Christ – Messiah ( higher consciousness ) trying to wake us up to realize who we truly are? To throw a wrench into this the number 12 could be the perfect number and not the number 7 as many individuals believe. Seven may be the number to spring board us to the number 12.
Did you happen to see the resemblance of IO and the number 10?


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Funny questions for dating
Are the algorithms that power dating apps racially biased?
November 12, 2015 December 30, 2020 Dating
Filtering potential partners by ethnicity: How dating apps contribute to racial bias
Is race a factor in dating?
Redesign Dating Apps to Lessen Racial Bias, Study Recommends
When a Dating Dare Leads to Months of Soul Searching
Erika Ettin: Stop dating on the basis of race
On Racial Preferences in Dating
Dating has always come with challenges. But the advent of dating apps and other new technologies — as well as the MeToo movement — presents a new set of norms and expectations for American singles looking for casual or committed relationships, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. Among them, most say they are dissatisfied with their dating lives, according to the survey, which was conducted in October — before the coronavirus pandemic shook up the dating scene. Here are some additional key findings from the study. These findings are based on a survey conducted Oct. Recruiting ATP panelists by phone or mail ensures that nearly all U.
What was supposed to be a one-hour coffee date had evolved into a nine-hour marathon. We had a lot in common, having experienced what some might describe as all-American upbringings. Over dinner, we connected when we opened up about our strained relationships with our mothers and how we came into our own when we went to college out of state. Our thoughts and values mirrored each other, as did our Myers-Briggs personality types.
I smiled, expecting something from one of the countless jokes we had shared that day.
We observe stronger same race preferences for blacks and Asians than for Hispanics and whites, with insignificant overall level of racial preferences for female.
This site uses cookies to improve your experience and deliver personalised advertising. You can opt out at any time or find out more by reading our cookie policy. A match. Like a search engine that parrots the racially prejudiced results back at the society that uses it, a match is tangled up in bias. First, the facts. Racial bias is rife in online dating. Black people, for example, are ten times more likely to contact white people on dating sites than vice versa.
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In , OKCupid found that black women and Asian men were likely to be rated substantially lower than other ethnic groups on its site, with Asian women and white men being the most likely to be rated highly by other users. If these are pre-existing biases, is the onus on dating apps to counteract them? They certainly seem to learn from them. In a study published last year, researchers from Cornell University examined racial bias on the 25 highest grossing dating apps in the US.
They found race frequently played a role in how matches were found. The proprietary nature of the algorithms underpinning these apps mean the exact maths behind matches are a closely guarded secret. For a dating service, the primary concern is making a successful match, whether or not that reflects societal biases.
S inakhone Keodara reached his breaking point last July. Loading up Grindr, the gay dating app that presents users with potential mates in close geographical proximity to them, the founder of a Los Angeles-based Asian television streaming service came across the profile of an elderly white man. He is now considering suing Grindr for racial discrimination.
Even if you say "no preference" for ethnicity, the dating app tends to show you people of your own race.
Link to full article and supplemental materials here. Watts: Microsoft Research. Full citation:. Watts Sociological Science, volume 1. DOI What explains the relative persistence of same-race romantic relationships? One possible explanation is structural—this phenomenon could reflect the fact that social interactions are already stratified along racial lines—while another attributes these patterns to individual-level preferences.
Black Listed Fashion Style. Black Listed Entertainment Music. Black Listed Celebrities Entertainment. Black Listed Lifestyle Society. Keep in mind that OkCupid users can skip a question with ease.
At the same time, both men and women of all political persuasions act as if they prefer same-race relationships even when they claim not to. As a result, the gap.
I felt compelled to write this article because several things happened recently that left me fuming. All had to do with dating. And race. I am a dating coach, so part of my job is to ask people what they are looking for in a partner. Clients share everything from preferred taste in music does that really matter? And then there is the matter of race and ethnicity. I have read before, in research done by OkCupid, that people who reach out to someone of the same race garner a higher response rate.
But when it comes down to it, are we all as prejudiced as our own Mr. Do we all prefer to be with people who look like us? The answer is, of course, no. Thank goodness. But I have seen so many instances of blatant bigotry in my work that I had to let it out. Or is it just a matter of preference?
Alice G. Walton Nov 05, Sections Behavioral Science.
Attitudes towards interracial dating and marriage have historically been used as barometers of racial acceptance in this country. As such, the interracial.
Haley M. Salley , Winthrop University Follow. We hypothesized that interracial couples would be perceived more negatively than same-race couples, that survey participants would find those of the same race more attractive, and that they would be more willing to date within their race. Our participants were from a convenience sample of 77 females, 22 males, and 3 non-binary individuals, most of whom attend Winthrop University. We displayed a photo of an interracial couple and measured perceived levels of commitment, satisfaction, and physical intimacy.
Next, we showed a same-race couple and measured the same variables. Then, we displayed a series of photos of similarly attractive people and asked the participants to rank their attraction to each photo along with their willingness to date the person photographed. Then, we asked for the background of the participants, including their numbers of interracial and same-race relationships. Finally, we asked a series of demographic questions measuring gender, race, and age.
Statistical tests showed few significant differences between perceived attributes of photographed interracial versus same-race couples, with the exception that the woman in the interracial relationship was perceived to have a higher commitment level. Analyzing responses to photos of attractive people, we found that black participants were more attracted to and willing to date the black man than were white participants; white participants were more willing to date the white and Asian women than were black participants.
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What do tennis star Serena Williams, U. Kamala Harris and businesswoman Mellody Hobson have in common? But despite these real-world examples of interracial relationships, a Pew Research Center report found that black women are the least likely group of women to marry, especially outside of their own race. Despite this, Judice said race was not an important factor for most of the people she interviewed for the book.
Some Black women believe it sends the message that Black women are not equal to White women; in part, because when a Black man dates a White woman, the.
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it. Perceptions of same-race and interracial dating couples on sexuality and relationship variables. Author Carrasco, Gabriela. Metadata Show full item record. Abstract Attitudes towards interracial dating and marriage have historically been used as barometers of racial acceptance in this country.
As such, the interracial relationships literature focuses on attitudes towards different racial and ethnic groups as potential romantic partners, and on reactions from individuals in interracial couples regarding their relationship. However, the interracial relationships literature rarely examines the specific perceptions that interracial couples elicit. The research that does examine perceptions of same-race and interracial couples suggests that participants may form different perceptions for same-race and interracial couples.
Interestingly, some of this research also suggests that participants may rate Black and Hispanic targets significantly different from each other on education, social economic status, and personality variables. Unfortunately, the interracial relationships literature does not address in detail how race may alter perceived sexuality. In addition, the current study attempted to replicate results where participants rated Black and Hispanic targets significantly different on socioeconomic, personality, and education variables.
Participants included students enrolled at Texas Tech University. These participants were recruited from the Department of Psychology Human Participant Pool and from classes in upper division psychology courses.
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What the Bible says about Sodom and Gomorrah
These passages all have a similar context: They were written just prior to the fall and scattering of either Israel to the north or Judah to the south. Each shows a wealthy people unblinkingly focused on their pleasure. Giving no thought to God, they are casually uninterested in the moral welfare of their nation that is crashing into utter depravity. Shame for sin has disappeared. The Interpreter's Commentary of the Bible states that the Bible shows that, in the period before these nations fell, their societies show significant breakdowns in two vital areas: in political and business leadership and in family life, with specific blame falling on women.
In these passages, the following characteristics are either directly named or strongly implied: rebellion, obstinacy, betrayal, distrust, shamelessness, and greed, comprising an audacious self-centeredness against God and fellow man. These are not the characteristics of a nation that would bring honor to God. At one time in the history of this nation, the overwhelming majority of people expressed a strong sense of shame when they sinned. Sin was an ugly thing, and due to this sense of shame, they did whatever they could to hide their moral flaws from others.
Some of that still exists. The period of the late 1950s and early 1960s, however, was probably the beginning of the end of that attitude. Sin has gradually carried less of a stigma, and the sense of shame has been slowly replaced by a growing boldness of attitude, a flaunting of sin. Much of that sense of shame has disappeared from the American psyche. Some remains in a small percentage of the population, yet increasingly, bold immorality has become the way of life so that sin is now blatantly committed. Civility is becoming a thing of the past. Rudeness and open, brazen misconduct is becoming the normal way of doing things.
This is the kind of conduct the "whore's forehead" pictures. It represents the blatant, audacious sin of the streetwalker who is out in public, openly displaying what she is, promoting herself, and tempting others to engage in sin with her. The whore's forehead represents obdurate practice of sin done overtly with no attempt to camouflage. This attitude is reminiscent of the story of righteous Lot dealing with the homosexuals in Sodom just before God dropped the fire and brimstone on the people of that vile city (Genesis 19).
This relaxed and careless public acceptability of sin did not happen overnight. It gradually became tolerated over decades. Its growth was significantly aided by a so-called Christian church that abandoned its responsibility to "cry aloud and spare not" and show God's people their sins (Isaiah 58:1). We must be very careful to guard ourselves from succumbing to the temptation of being drawn into the same casual approach. It is our responsibility to overcome sin.
Related Topics: Casual Approach to Sin | Cry Aloud, Spare Not | God's Scattering of Israel | Moral Depravity | Scattering of Israel | Sodom and Gomorrah
This vignette deals with the prevalence of ungodly marriage practices leading to disastrous results. The gist of this section is that, after a few generations of multiplying, men as a whole began to leave God out of their lives. They chose wives—probably several of them, like Lamech—based solely on their physical beauty, not on their depth of character. Their children, though they became mighty, famous leaders, grew into wicked adults whose every impulse, thought, and plan was corrupt. Violence became a way of life. Once conditions reached this point, God decided to destroy them before they became so totally depraved that they could never repent, even in the resurrection.
The Bible pictures a society of unrestrained sin of every kind. The New Testament frequently mentions it in the same context as Sodom and Gomorrah and Israel's sins caused by Balaam and Korah. The underlying factor in all these situations is rebellion against and rejection of God. Cain, Lamech, and mankind in general never took God into account when they committed their iniquities. As Psalm 10:4 says, "The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts."
Has our present society reached this nadir of behavior?
'As It Was In the Days of Noah'
Related Topics: Balaam | Days of Lot | Days of Noah | Israel's Immorality | Korah | Marriages, Multiple | Sodom and Gomorrah | Sodom as a Type of the World | Violence
Genesis 15:14-16
The supreme Judge promises Abram that He will judge the nation that holds Abram's descendants as slaves.
God waited four centuries for the Amorites to become so corrupt that, as an act of mercy toward them, He had to remove them. He executed His judgment using the instrument of the Israelites—the former slaves, the descendants of Abram—coming into the land to dispossess the Amorites of the land they inhabited. There is a lesson in this for us. We just have to wait when God is working something like this out. We just have to wait until the righteous Judge of all mankind says the time is right for Him to execute justice.
God even considers the heathen and gives them an opportunity to repent. How long did God bear with Sodom and Gomorrah's sinful behavior before He re blasted them into oblivion? No one knows, but the Bible remarks about God's patience and longsuffering in dealing with them.
Justice and Grace
Related Topics: Amorite | Amorites | Dispossessing the Amorites | God's Longsuffering | God's Longsuffering Leads us to Repentance | God's Patience | Opportunity to Repent | Sodom and Gomorrah
We live in a land today where sin is discussed and displayed daily. Some of our own major cities could easily compare to Sodom or Gomorrah because of their blatant depravity. Even some of our smaller cities and towns have homosexual mayors and commissioners who flaunt their perversions in public. "Gay rights" is a major social concern to those who practice such degeneracy.
Though sexual corruption is the sin most associated with Sodom, the people of that city displayed other evil traits. Ezekiel 16:49-50 lists some of their other sins:
Look, this is the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.
The Sodomites also resorted to violence quickly when they were crossed. In a December 3, 1995, article in The Charlotte Observer, Linnet Myers reported:
Within the Western industrialized world, the United States not only is the undisputed leader in murder, but in rape as well.
According to the International Criminal Police Organization's 1990 statistics, England reported 6.7 rapes per 100,000 population; France, 8.1; the Netherlands, 8.9; Switzerland, 6.2; Germany, 8.2; Poland, 5.9.
The United States reported 41.2.
Former Secretary of Education William J. Bennett, author of the popular Book of Virtues, spoke of other shameful categories in which the U.S. leads the world:
But, during the same thirty-year period [1960-1990], there was a 560 percent increase in violent crime; more than a 400 percent increase in illegitimate births; a quadrupling of divorces; a tripling of the percentage of children living in single-parent homes; more than a 200 percent increase in the teenage suicide rate; and a drop of 75 points in the average SAT scores of high school students. . . .
Consider, too, where the United States ranks in comparison with the rest of the industrialized world. We are at, or near, the top in rates of abortions, divorces, and unwed births. We lead the industrialized world in murder, rape, and violent crime. (Imprimis, November 1995, p. 3)
Our society is certainly similar to the one into which Lot led his family. In his selfishness and greed, he purposely chose to expose his children and servants to the depravity of Sodom where Satan lay in wait like a hungry lion (I Peter 5:8). We, already living in Satan's world, are commanded, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues" (Revelation 18:4). God wants us to make strides to overcome the ungodly practices that we have absorbed from "this present evil world" (Galatians 1:4, KJV).
Ted E. Bowling
Remember Lot's Wife
Related Topics: Homosexuality | Israel's Immorality | Israel, Modern | Satan's Influence | Sexual Immorality | Sexual Perversion | Sexual Sins | Sodom and Gomorrah
Do we live in a spiritual Sodom and Gomorrah? Is the end coming? Is Christ returning? Is the Kingdom of God fairly close? Are we lingering in the worldliness that surrounds us? It will take faith to walk away. Lot believed to such depth that he urged his sons-in-law, and yet he lingered. Lot knew the angels were there, standing by and waiting for him and his family. Even they tried to hasten him out, and yet Lot lingered.
He was slow when he should have been quick. He was backward when he should have been forward. He was trifling when he should have been hasty. He was cold when he should have been hot. He was loitering when he should have been hurrying. We might say today, "Was this man out of it, or what?" In a major sense, he was, yet he was a converted man.
The world around us is smoldering embers that will soon burst into the flames of the greatest tribulation that has ever hit the entirety of the earth. Unfortunately, many linger while the world is getting ready to burn. Lot is an example of a true Christian, who appears to know far more than he lives up to; he can see and understand far more than he practices.
Such people are thrilled to hear good, sound preaching. They believe in the doctrines of God, and yet they are constantly doing things that disappoint others around them. They believe in the Kingdom of God, and even seem to yearn for it. They hate Satan, believe in the Lake of Fire, yet it seems as if they do things to tempt Satan into testing them, putting the screws to them. They believe that time is short, but they act as though they wish it were long. They know that holiness is a beautiful thing—they like to read about it in books and love to see it in others—but they have the notion that it is impossible for them to be that holy and spiritual.
Lot represents those who dread personal sacrifice and shrink from self-denial. They have a horror of being considered narrow-minded, and so they tend to go to the opposite extreme, becoming so tolerant that they try to please everybody. They forget that they should first please God. These people are trying to keep up with the world. They are ingenious at discovering reasons for not separating from it, giving themselves all kinds of justifications for attending questionable amusements; wild, violent, sexual movies; or holding on to questionable relationships. They persuade themselves that it does good to mix a little with the world.
They cannot find it in themselves to do battle with their besetting sin, whether it be laziness, a bad temper, pride, excessive self-concern, vanity, or impatience. They allow it to remain in their mind, justifying it by thinking, "Well, that's just the way I am. My daddy before me was the same way, and that's the way mama was, and I guess that's the way I'll always be." They are lingering while the world is beginning to burn. These people are not really happy, for they know too much and are conscience-stricken. They are not really committed and they know it.
Faith (Part Three)
Related Topics: Commitment | Compromise | Compromise with World | Lot Lingered | Lot's Worldliness | Self Denial | Self Sacrifice | Sodom and Gomorrah | Sodom as a Type of the World | Tribulation, Protection from | Worldliness
Compare two far-apart scriptures, ones which really are not that distant, considering they both deal with the concept of God's judgment. In the first one, Abraham "looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace" (Genesis 19:28).
In the second passage, smoke attends the fall of another great city, Babylon:
After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for His judgments are true and just; for He has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of His servants."
Once more they cried out, "Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever." (Revelation 19:1-3, ESV)
Judgment forms the backdrop of both passages, and, in both cases, smoke is present. One of the underlying concepts behind smoke is God's judgment. In fact, one Hebrew noun for "smoke" is closely associated with the noun "anger," as illustrated in Psalm 74:1: "Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?"
God also links judgment with smoke in Nahum 2:13: "'Behold, I am against you,' says the LORD of hosts, 'I will burn your chariots in smoke.'" It is only appropriate, then, that fully 22% of the scriptural references to smoke appear in the book of Revelation, since that book narrates the visions the apostle John saw regarding the Lord's Day—the Day of the Lord (Revelation 1:10)—a day of judgment.
Smoke and judgment fit hand and glove for at least two reasons:
First, smoke is evanescent; it is short-lived, ascending, dispersing, quickly becoming rarefied. In Psalm 102:3, the psalmist writes: "For my days pass away like smoke . . .." God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 51:6, assures us that "the heavens will vanish away like smoke." As smoke is short-lived, so is God's wrath. In Isaiah 10:25 (ESV), God tells us that "in a very little while My fury will come to an end." Like smoke, God's judgment is intense but short-lived.
Second, not only is smoke an apt image for the brevity of God's judgment, but it is also a good image of the fate of those judged and found wanting. In Psalm 37:20, David assures us that the wicked shall perish "like the splendor of the meadows, [they] shall vanish, into smoke they shall vanish away." In Hosea 13:3, the prophet, speaking of those who offer human sacrifices, concludes: "Therefore they shall be like the morning cloud and like the early dew that passes away, like chaff blown off from a threshing floor and like smoke from a chimney." Poof! And they are gone.
Charles Whitaker (1944-2021)
Clouds (Part Two): God's Cloud as His Chariot
Related Topics: Anger | Cloud Symbolism | Clouds, Significance of | Earth Burning Up in God's Judgment | Fire Kindled by God's Anger | Fire of God's Wrath | God's Anger | God's Cloud as His Chariot | God's Judgment | God's Wrath | Smoke Analogy | Sodom and Gomorrah
In verse 10, He is not speaking to Sodom. Sodom was already gone. He is speaking to end-time Israel.
Where Is the Beast? (Part Five)
Related Topics: Israel as Sodom | Jerusalem as Sodom and Egypt | Sodom | Sodom and Egypt | Sodom and Gomorrah | Sodom as a Type of the World
God has had it up to here with the hypocritical sacrifices that we make in mention of His name and so-called worship of the God of heaven. Our conduct on the streets and in business and in our homes nowhere near measures even to Sodom's standards. Now what is so weird about God comparing Israel to Sodom, Egypt, and Babylon? There is nothing weird about it at all! Thus God calling Israel "BABYLON, MYSTERY, THE GREAT HARLOT" (Revelation 17:5) continues to give evidence of the magnitude of Israel's unfaithfulness to her Husband and Benefactor—God.
Related Topics: Fickleness of Israel | Hypocrisy | Israel as Babylon | Israel as Great Whore | Israel as Harlot | Israel as Sodom | Israel's Faithlessness | Israel's Fickleness | Israel's Unfaithfulness | Jerusalem as Sodom and Egypt | Sodom | Sodom and Egypt | Sodom and Gomorrah | Sodom as a Type of the World
In all of God's dealings with Israel and Judah, and especially regarding the Second Exodus, we see His perfect application of justice and mercy. He is just, because He does not allow their sin to go unpunished. We could not trust God if He did not hold to His promises of blessing and cursing (Numbers 23:19; Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28). If He allowed Israel and Judah to sin with impunity, His laws would have no authority, and His words would be of no consequence. However, for the sake of what is best for Jacob, God has to show him that He is serious about what He says. So His justice will be upheld as Israel and Judah are brought to the painful realization that they have forsaken Him and have been living the wrong way.
Yet, we can also see God's mercy in His dealings with His people. Today's Western culture—a product of the nations of Israel—is not so very different from Sodom and Gomorrah. The same sins are committed in the same brazen manner. Our regard for humanity is so low that in America alone during the last three decades, an estimated 40-50 million pre-born children have been killed for the sake of convenience. Further, God has been systematically removed from schools, from government, and from public life. Post-Christian Europe has transgressed even further. Even Jerusalem—the "Holy City"—has an annual "Gay Pride" parade, and is essentially secular.
Despite these atrocious sins, God will not utterly destroy Israel as He did to Sodom and Gomorrah. A number of latter-day prophecies of various peoples—the Edomites, for example—foretell that God will make a complete end of them (Jeremiah 46:28). However, He has chosen not to do this with Israel and Judah, though not because they are righteous in any way.
He will show them mercy because of the promises He made, not because they deserve it. Ezekiel 36 shows this clearly. God repeats several times that He is bringing Israel back for His name's sake, and not for Israel's sake:
"Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "I do not do this [restoring Israel and blessing the land; verses 6-15] for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD," says the Lord GOD, "when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. . . . Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations. Not for your sake do I do this," says the Lord GOD, "let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!" (Ezekiel 36:22-24, 31-32)
God would be unfaithful to His own promises if He annihilated Jacob's descendants—even though, by all accounts, it is exactly what they deserve.
The Second Exodus (Part Two)
Related Topics: Blessings and Cursings | God's Fairness | God's Faithfulness | God's Judgment | God's Justice | Israel's Immorality | Israel's Punishment | Israel's Rejection of God | Sodom and Gomorrah
Jerusalem here is being compared to Sodom.
Related Topics: Jerusalem | Jerusalem as Sodom and Egypt | Sodom | Sodom and Egypt | Sodom and Gomorrah
Ezekiel 16:44-49 shows us another way that can be used to identify the Great Harlot of Revelation: by observing parallel conduct. The word "parallel" opens another avenue for consideration of duality, but this time not directly in a prophecy. At this point in God's narration concerning Judah and Jerusalem, He is showing the parallel behavior of Judah with Samaria to the north and with Sodom to the south.
Verse 47 is especially clear regarding parallel conduct. The Revised English Bible translates it as, "Did you not behave as they did and commit the same abominations?" Regarding their relationship, verse 49 declares they are "sisters under the skin," as we would say today, because their behavior is so similar.
This opens the door to consider the parallel conduct that leads Him to call Jerusalem by the derogatory names of "Sodom and Egypt" (Revelation 11:8). At the time of the end, God observes parallel behaviors and attitudes in Jerusalem, Sodom, and Egypt. Thus Jerusalem, representing all of Israel, reveals her spiritual source, which is most certainly not the God of the Bible, despite what the Israelites might say in calling themselves "Christian." If God can name Israel "Sodom," why can He not also call her "Babylon"?
The Beast and Babylon (Part Ten): Babylon the Great Is a Nation
Related Topics: Great Harlot | Harlot, Israel as | Israel as Babylon | Israel as Great Whore | Israel as Harlot | Jerusalem | Jerusalem as Sodom and Egypt | Sodom and Egypt | Sodom and Gomorrah
This passage is a brief insight into the three sisters in the land of Canaan, which were three cities. Samaria is the oldest, Sodom the middle, and the youngest is Jerusalem. Jerusalem, though not the oldest, is the vilest. This gives us insight that we need to heed because of the times in which we live—because our day tends to foster the same effects as occurred in these cities, and perhaps especially as occurred in Sodom.
Faith (Part Four)
Related Topics: Canaan | Jerusalem | Jerusalem as Sodom and Egypt | Samaria | Sodom | Sodom and Gomorrah
This "looking back" is not merely reflecting to evaluate the progress made since one decided to leave the world. Instead, it is like Lot's wife, who looked back with a degree of longing to return to what she had left. Her life was literally on the line, and rather than being fully engaged in surviving, she placed a higher priority on life's lesser matters than on the greater one of preserving her life through God's gift of protection.
She looked back, revealing her heart still to be in Sodom, a type of the world. Her action indicates regret for having left. Success in God's way requires following an awesome vision of future glory with devoted conviction. Abraham is a primary example: He looked for a city built by God, apparently leaving his homeland without ever looking back (Hebrews 11:8-10, 13-16).
Once we commit to Christianity, God's calling becomes our vocation, which requires our concentrated attention going forward. A vocation is a person's regular occupation. What happens when a Christian looks back with a measure of longing is similar to someone talking on a cell phone while driving his car. He frequently drifts all over the road, swerving this way and that because, at best, his attention is split between conflicting priorities. He is setting himself up for trouble, and all too frequently, an accident occurs. A Christian cannot make a beeline for the Kingdom with his attention diverted elsewhere. We are not to be anything but altogether followers of the Son of God. The stakes are that high, for the fulfillment of His promise is so great.
Dramatic, sudden death, as happened to Lot's wife, will not likely happen to us if we gaze yearningly behind us. For this reason, a person who has begun to fall away will most likely take the second step backwards with hardly a pause. Hebrews 10:39 says, "But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul." Almost invariably, longing for the old life is followed by gradually and increasingly believing that God's requirements are too exacting and difficult.
In Jesus' parable in Luke 19:11-27, did not the man given one mina complain something similar to this when asked what he had gained with it? "Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow" (verses 20-21).
We must be prepared to put God first in all things. There will be times when this will be exceedingly difficult, especially if the surrender of a thing involves the sacrifice of someone or something deeply loved or desired. It can happen, but such occasions are quite rare.
It has been said that he who is unwilling to sacrifice everything for the cause of God is really willing to sacrifice nothing. Drawing back happens despite God's promise that every trial is measured to the exact specifications needed by the individual Christian. In I Corinthians 10:13, God promises to provide relief from every problem: "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." The word-picture in Hebrews 10:39 portrays a person shrinking back from following through on the demands of faith. He is looking for an easy way out of some distasteful thing he does not wish to face. This eventually happens to us all.
A major appeal of the world's way is that it seems to be broader and easier. As Jesus says in Matthew 7:13, the easier, broader way it probably is - for a while. That deceptively effortless way draws the person ever-further from salvation, and he grows steadily weaker as he loses contact with God. The one who apostatizes thus permits himself to be drawn back.
The third step is taken when a person actually turns away. John 6:65-66 records such an occasion in Jesus' ministry: "And He said, 'Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.' From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more." In this poignant scene, Jesus watched people who may have been friends leave His entourage because they could not comprehend His teaching. He undoubtedly had spoken of things of an order far higher than they were accustomed to hearing, but rather than patiently facing it, as the apostles did, they simply gave up, proving themselves unfit for the Kingdom of God. Their loyalty could not stand the strain of what may have been merely a temporary misunderstanding. They had been followers, but apparently, they were seeking for something else.
By this stage, it is still not too late for a person to grab hold of himself and move forward, but the world's appeal has become almost overpowering. Spiritual decline has reached the tipping point, and he is in serious peril.
The fourth and final step backward is illustrated by Isaiah in the Old Testament: "But the word of the LORD was to them, 'Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.' That they might go and fall backward, and be broken and snared and caught" (Isaiah 28:13).
In examining the context carefully, we see that the people being described have reached the critical point where God's Word is falling on deaf ears. It is to them just jumbled noise. In New Testament terms, they had backslid beyond the reach of repentance and forgiveness. Here, the apostate reaches the point of no return; he has earned the Lake of Fire.
God's Power: Our Shield Against Apostasy
Related Topics: Drawing Back | Drifting Spiritually | Lake of Fire | Looking Back | Lot's Wife | Sodom | Sodom and Gomorrah | Sodom as a Type of the World | Spiritual Prosperity | World's Influence | Worldliness
Jesus Christ gave many "indicator markings" to help us to determine when His second coming is near. He shows us that an indicator of His imminent return is that the society around us will be similar to that of Sodom when Lot lived there nearly four thousand years ago. People will be going about their everyday lives seemingly unconcerned about the egregious evils in society, unaware that their lifestyles are abominable in the eyes of God. Thinking their ways of life are "normal," they will not expect the calamitous events that will befall them.
It is axiomatic that a dominant characteristic of Sodom's culture was rampant homosexuality. English has borrowed the words sodomy and sodomite to describe homosexuality and those who practice it. When angels came to Lot in the form of human men to inform him that God would overthrow the city, the men of Sodom came to Lot's door, demanding that the visitors come out and have a homosexual relationship with them (Genesis 19:1-5). The angels struck these Sodomites with blindness to drive them away (verse 11).
Most people would look upon such behavior as unthinkable. However, the men of Sodom apparently regarded it as "normal"; they did not view it as evil at all! Today, a similar attitude is slowly and insidiously beginning to work its way into our society. Increasingly, homosexuality is considered to be an ordinary lifestyle. Instead of being viewed as a horrible perversion, homosexuality is more and more being regarded as an "orientation" just as left-handedness is an orientation, for example. As usual, the Western world, composed primarily of the nations that have descended from Israel, is leading the way in this radical change in attitude.
An article appearing in the January 6-12, 1996, edition of The Economist entitled "It's Normal to be Queer" describes the radical changes in attitude toward homosexuals that have occurred worldwide over the last thirty years. As often happens, the changes have occurred gradually, one step at a time. First, many societies decriminalized homosexuality, and people slowly stopped considering it an illness or perversion. This led many to abandon the traditional view that homosexuality is shameful, opening the door to the idea that gays and lesbians are simply a cultural minority—like a racial or ethnic minority. Finally, some cultures are beginning to regard homosexuality as a normal but different lifestyle—simply an "orientation."
In fact, some countries have begun to look upon homosexuality as a harmless, neutral trait that a small percentage of people are born with—like having blue eyes or red hair. As such, it is seen as a characteristic that the individual did not choose and cannot change. These attitudes have led many to accept the homosexual lifestyle as a distinct but, at the same time, normal, ordinary and harmless condition. The article in The Economist describes how people just seem to accept this:
So emerges that rare but proliferating species: the young woman of 20 who realises she is a lesbian but, after a period of adjustment, shrugs her shoulders, informs her family, and plans to get on with an otherwise mundane life. (p. 69)
There are, of course, exceptions to this attitude. Many countries of the Middle East where Islam is the dominant religion still treat homosexuals very harshly. Throughout most of Africa, homosexuality is rarely discussed. Even in the Western world, many homosexuals still have not "come out of the closet." Nevertheless, the changing attitude is unmistakable and is growing in most areas of the world.
Last year the first gay page appeared in a mainstream newspaper in Turkey; an openly homosexual Pakistani poet published what may be the first book of gay verse in Urdu; and Latin America's first gay resort opened in Brazil. In 1995 activists demanded marriage rights in Austria, Brazil, the Czech Republic and New Zealand. Estonia's all-lesbian group started in 1990, Hong Kong's in 1994 (followed by another last year), and Brazil has at least seven. Mexico's homosexual groups number more than a dozen; South Africa's, more than 50. . . . In short, homosexuals are emerging from the closet. And, more interesting still, they are doing it in more or less the whole world at once. (ibid. Emphasis ours.)
Many would undoubtedly applaud this push to bring homosexuals out of the closet and allow them to practice their lifestyle openly with the same rights as "straight" people. Many would argue that this is an "enlightened" and "progressive" movement that all decent human beings should advocate. But what does God say about this? How does He see and regard homosexuality? Does God advocate gay rights?
God sees things quite differently than most people in this world. He clearly states that homosexuality is wrong (Leviticus 18:22); it is an abomination of which people must repent! In no uncertain terms, He decrees that homosexuals will NOT inherit the Kingdom of God (I Corinthians 6:9).
Many thousands of years ago, God knew that this type of movement would occur in the end time among His people, the modern-day descendants of Israel. Through the prophet Isaiah, God thunders a warning to His people today, calling them by a name that unmistakably brands them with the sin of homosexuality: "Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; give ear to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah" (Isaiah 1:10). God prophesies as to where this open acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle would lead:
For Jerusalem stumbled, and Judah is fallen, because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of His glory. The look on their countenance witnesses against them, and they declare their sin as Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have brought evil upon themselves. (Isaiah 3:8-9)
God reveals that when His people accept the attitude that homosexuality is "normal," they have begun to tread the path that will ultimately lead to their destruction.
As we see the same conditions that existed "in the days of Lot" developing today, we can take comfort that the glorious second coming of Jesus Christ is drawing near. When He comes, He will make the Spirit of God available to all (Joel 2:28-32), and homosexuals will be taught that they can repent and change. Jesus is described "like a refiner's fire and like fuller's soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver" (Malachi 3:2-3). He will cleanse the earth from all unrighteousness and perversion, and show all people how to live the way that leads to peace, happiness, and joy. Then—and only then—will the homosexual lifestyle be eradicated from the earth forever.
Earl L. Henn (1934-1997)
Related Topics: Days of Lot | Homosexuality | Indicator Markings of Christ's Return | Lesbianism | Sexual Perversion | Sodom and Gomorrah | Sodomy
Just before Lot's wife reached her place of safety—though she had made some effort to escape the impending disaster—Lot's wife disobeyed the angel's command and looked back. "She became a pillar of salt" (Genesis 19:26).
Why did she look back? The context does not specifically give a reason, but she probably had an inordinate love for the world and the material things she had in Sodom. Obviously, Lot was a wealthy man who had enough livestock and servants to cause a problem while he lived with Abraham (Genesis 13:5-7). He and his wife may have had a palatial house with many fine furnishings, servants to do her bidding, fine clothes, sumptuous food, and frequent entertainment.
Also, Lot had achieved prominence among the citizens of Sodom beyond his wealth. Genesis 19:1 shows him sitting in the gate of the city, a place usually reserved for the elders and judges. Lot's wife may have been reconsidering her decision to forsake the privileges of her high social status and her prominent friends.
Maybe she just loved the ways of this world more than God. John writes:
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (I John 2:15-17)
There may be more to it, however, than we have thought. Most people assume that Lot had only two daughters, but this is not the case. He says to the Sodomites, "See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man" (Genesis 19:8). He had two unmarried daughters. Later, in verse 14, he "spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters," meaning he had other married daughters who were not virgins. Finally, the angels tell him, "Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here" (verse 15), implying he had daughters elsewhere.
Since Lot and his wife had more than two daughters, they left more than just material possessions in the city. When God rained down fire and brimstone upon Sodom, their married daughters and sons-in-law—and possibly grandchildren—perished with the rest of the city's populace. What a poignant and tragic test of their faith!
Thus, when Lot's wife fled for little Zoar, her wealth, her house, and her social circle were not the only things on her mind. Those concerns were insignificant beside the certain death of her flesh and blood. Perhaps she did not believe that God would follow through on His threat. As a loving mother, her emotions for her doomed family in the city clouded her ability to make proper decisions.
Jesus makes a pertinent comment in this regard in Matthew 10:37-39:
He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
Though it goes against our human nature, God requires us to have more allegiance to Him than to the members of our own families. For His disciples, leaving family members behind to do God's will may be the most common hardship that they have to face as they come out of this world (Revelation 18:4). Perhaps this is why He reminds us to "remember Lot's wife." The day may soon come when we will have to heed God's warnings without hesitation to flee again.
"In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back" (Luke 17:31). When God commands His elect to flee to a place of safety, many of us will be required to entrust family members to God's mercy. Without doubt, this will be one of the greatest tests of our spiritual lives. We will know that before us lie life and hope and behind us death and destruction, just as Lot and his family experienced in fleeing Sodom.
Related Topics: Looking Back | Lot's Wife | Love of the World | Materialism | Pride of Life | Remember Lot's Wife | Sodom and Gomorrah | Worldliness
Three times in this section, Lot is called "righteous," and once he is called "godly." Yet, when we look at his story, found in Genesis 11 - 19, everything that is written about the man is negative. It is not good. He is not put in a good light at all, yet Peter calls him "righteous" and "godly."
It is even more shocking to consider Peter's obvious inference that he was righteous while all the evil, wicked things were happening in Sodom. From this, we can conclude that he did not become righteous through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ after the shock of events that occurred with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, but that God deemed him righteous before that time and through the event. Lot, that righteous man, was troubled with what was occurring within the city.
Lot, then, was not what we would consider a bad or evil man. He was, in fact, what we would consider to be a converted man. He had received the grace of God, so righteousness was imputed to him, even as it is to us.
Peter writes that Lot was tormented by the things that he saw in Sodom and Gomorrah. What does this mean? It means that he clearly understood sin. It does not seem that the Sodomites were concerned at all, but Lot was. He understood that his neighbors were far off the mark.
However, though he was not wicked himself, he did nothing to remove himself from his evil situation. There is the problem. He lingered. He was willing to coexist with sin.
Related Topics: Co-Existence with Sin | Lot | Sin, Co-existence with | Sodom | Sodom and Gomorrah
Jude 1:5-11
In these seven verses, Jude expands on his general description of false teachers in verse 4. He compares them in turn to the unbelieving Israelites, to the angels that sinned, and finally to the perverts in Sodom and vicinity. He is giving examples of the three major hallmarks of apostasy:
Unbelief, the Israelites' major failing.
Rebellion, which the angels who sinned did.
Immorality, what occurred in Sodom and Gomorrah.
Unbelief, rebellion, and immorality all result in divine judgment and punishment. The Israelites died in the wilderness, the angels that sinned were placed under restraint, and Sodom and Gomorrah were blasted off the face of the earth. We cannot find better examples of divine judgment and punishment than these.
Related Topics: Apostasy | Divine Justice | Divine Punishment | False Ministers/Prophets | False Teachers | False Teachers, Characteristics of | Immorality | Jude | Perversion | Rebellion | Sodom and Gomorrah | Unbelief
That identification is pretty clear: Sodom—Egypt—Jerusalem, all in one hand, each describing the other. God is giving evidence here to solve the identity of the prostitute by comparing Israel to Sodom and Egypt. Sodom is noted in all of the history of mankind for its sexual sins, and Egypt is known to all biblical students of a harsh and exacting slavery of the Israelitish people.
These two stunning and dramatic comparisons are of Israel's immoral characteristics, so why not compare Israel to Babylon? He has already compared Israel to Sodom and Egypt. Could it get any worse? None of those is a beautiful comparison. Every one of them is putting Jerusalem and Israel on the spiritual and moral level that they deserve—to be compared to Sodom and to Egypt. God reserved His harshest judgments for those who should know better but waste their gifts in prideful self-indulgence.
Related Topics: Babylon | Babylon as a Woman | Babylon as Israel | Babylon the Great | Babylon, End-Time | Great Harlot | Great Whore | Israel | Israel as Babylon | Israel as Great Whore | Israel as Harlot | Israel as Prostitute | Israel as Woman | Jerusalem as Sodom and Egypt | Sodom | Sodom and Egypt | Sodom and Gomorrah
Babylon is called great (Revelation 14:8; 16:19) in the same way that Jerusalem, representing all of Israel, was called great (Revelation 11:8). When "great" is used in this manner in this kind of a context, it not complimentary. The word in the Greek is megas, and it literally means "big." It can mean big or great in size, magnitude, intensity, or rank, in either a good or a bad sense. It depends on the context. This is interesting, because when God symbolically dwelt in the Holy of Holies, Jerusalem was known by its citizens as the "Holy City."
Tradition tells us (especially through Josephus) that God departed His residence there shortly before AD 70. The "Holy City" title for Jerusalem does not come back into the story-flow of the book of Revelation until Revelation 21:2-3.
In Revelation 21, the title "Holy City" is once again going to be applied to Jerusalem, but until that time, when God dwells there, it is known as the "great" city. It is great just like Babylon in its anti-God, sinful influence and economic, political, and military power. But most certainly it is not great in holiness. Israel's conduct puts its place next to Sodom, Gomorrah, Egypt, and Babylon in great defiance against God, against His message and His messengers, and thus it lost its identification as "the Holy City" and became "great."
Related Topics: Babylon | Babylon as a Woman | Babylon as Israel | Babylon the Great | Babylon, End-Time | Great Harlot | Great Whore | Holy City, The | Israel | Israel as Babylon | Israel as Great Whore | Israel as Harlot | Israel as Prostitute | Israel as Woman | Jerusalem | Jerusalem as Sodom and Egypt | Sodom | Sodom and Egypt | Sodom and Gomorrah
In Revelation 17:5, "harlot" is to be understood as including men too, involved in what the Bible specifies as "harlotry," something that in normal circumstances would only be said of a female, but biblically includes both men and women. Therefore, "MOTHER OF HARLOTS" specifically refers to unfaithfulness within a covenant relationship with God, not a specific human sexual sin.
The Protestant churches that revolted from the Catholic Church were certainly not unfaithful to God as churches. Neither was the Catholic Church unfaithful to God as a church. Why? Because they never entered into a covenant with Him! They were never His church! But the citizens of the nations of Israel were certainly unfaithful to God within a covenant relationship.
Related Topics: Babylon | Babylon as a Spiritual Entity | Babylon as a Woman | Babylon as a World Power | Babylon as Israel | Babylon the Great | Babylon, End-Time | Babylonish System | Covenant Relationship | Covenant, Rejecting God's | Great Harlot | Great Whore | Israel | Israel as Babylon | Israel as Great Whore | Israel as Harlot | Israel as Prostitute | Israel as Woman | Israel's Apostasy | Israel's Faithlessness | Israel's Immorality | Israel's Rebelliousness | Israel's Rejection of God | Israel's Rejection of God's Law | Israel's Relationship with God | Israel's Unfaithfulness | Israel's Worldliness | Jerusalem | Jerusalem as Sodom and Egypt | Sodom | Sodom and Egypt | Sodom and Gomorrah | Sodom as a Type of the World
Is it really wild, unjust, and perhaps outright wrong that God could refer to Israel as a great prostitute, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots? Notice, however, Revelation 11:8: "And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified." In the same book, He calls Jerusalem "Sodom and Egypt"! Both were despicable places. God is providing evidence to solve the identity of the prostitute by comparing Jerusalem—representing all Israel—to Sodom, noted in history for its sexual sins, and Egypt, known to biblical students for its harsh slavery of the Israelites and as a type of the anti-God world we must come out of.
These are two stunning and dramatic comparisons of Israel's immoral characteristics! Why should God not also compare her to Babylon? God reserves His harshest judgments for those who should know better but waste their gifts on prideful self-indulgence. Jesus says, "For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more" (Luke 12:48; see Amos 3:1-2).
In Ezekiel 16:46-51,56, God not only compares Jerusalem to both Samaria and Sodom, but He judges it to be more immorally vile than even those two well-publicized examples of ancient sin run wild! God portrays them as sisters under the skin! We all know the perversity of Sodom's sins. God goes so far as to say that Samaria had not committed half the sins that Jerusalem had. These verses put Israel's conduct into a perspective that we find difficult to accept, but it is true nonetheless—it is God's own judgment and testimony! That God calls Israel "Babylon" gives evidence of the magnitude of Israel's unfaithfulness to her Husband and Benefactor, God.
Related Topics: Babylon | Babylon as a Spiritual Entity | Babylon as a Woman | Babylon as a World Power | Babylon as Israel | Babylon the Great | Babylon, End-Time | Great Harlot | Great Whore | Israel | Israel as Babylon | Israel as Great Whore | Israel as Harlot | Israel as Prostitute | Israel as Woman | Israel's Apostasy | Israel's Faithlessness | Israel's Immorality | Israel's Rebelliousness | Israel's Unfaithfulness | Israel's Worldliness | Sodom | Sodom and Egypt | Sodom and Gomorrah | Sodom as a Type of the World
The phrase "mother of harlots" in Revelation 17:5 might be misleading and therefore misinterpreted because of the Bible's peculiar practice of frequently using terms such as daughters, sons, harlots, thieves, adulterers, and idolaters collectively, fully intending both genders. In other words, sin is not limited to one gender.
In collective usage, the term "daughters" includes males; the word "sons" includes females; and words like "harlots," "adulterers," "idolaters," and "thieves" include both males and females. This practice is what the Dictionary of Biblical Imagery calls a "double metaphor": one word, which may have a specific gender because the context demands it take that gender, but which actually includes both genders. Thus in Revelation 17:5, "harlots" is to be understood as including men involved in what the Bible specifies as harlotry.
Therefore, "mother of harlots," in Revelation 17:5 specifically refers to unfaithfulness within a covenant relationship with God, not a specific, human, sexual sin. The Protestant churches that revolted from the Catholic Church were certainly not unfaithful to God as His churches. They never made the Old Covenant with God, entering into a figurative marriage; they, as an entire nation, had never vowed to keep His laws. Nor were the Protestant and Catholic churches unfaithful to God as a church because neither ever had a New Covenant relationship with God as churches. However, the citizens of the nations of Israel were certainly unfaithful to God within a covenant relationship. Revelation 17 and 18 are describing a city/nation, not a church.
Related Topics: Babylon | Babylon as a Spiritual Entity | Babylon as a Woman | Babylon as a World Power | Babylon as Israel | Babylon the Great | Babylon, End-Time | Babylonish System | Great Harlot | Great Whore | Israel | Israel as Babylon | Israel as Great Whore | Israel as Harlot | Israel as Prostitute | Israel as Woman | Israel's Apostasy | Israel's Faithlessness | Israel's Immorality | Israel's Rebelliousness | Israel's Rejection of God | Israel's Rejection of God's Law | Israel's Unfaithfulness | Israel's Worldliness | Jerusalem as Sodom and Egypt | Mother of Harlots | Sodom | Sodom and Egypt | Sodom and Gomorrah | Sodom as a Type of the World