Neo-Paganism

Why is Neo-Paganism rising?

Neo-Paganism is a rising movement among people all over the world.  In fact, in Europe, United States, Canada, and Australia, Neo-Paganism has been the fastest growing religion for the more than a decade.  While adherents are still relatively small compared to those who call themselves Christians, Rabbinical Jews, and Muslims, it has still been growing at a rate of about sixty percent per year over the last decade in these countries.

This movement is strongest among those of Northern and Western European descent, although it is also growing among people who belong to other ethnic groups.  In some countries they are a significant part of the population.  For example, Estonia now has twenty percent of its population, who identify themselves as belonging to the neo-pagan religion of Maausk.

The first step to understanding why Neo-Paganism is rising, is understanding what Neo-Paganism is.  Neo-Paganism is a movement by members of an ethnic group to return to the ancestral religion of that ethnic group, before that ethnic group began to identify itself as being Christian.  It is not a single religion, but a movement to reconstruct and return to various ancestral religions.  These religions basically adhere to one of three different, but related, models.

The first model is polytheism.  This is classic idol worship.  The idols may be Norse, German, Roman, Greek, or other ethnic idols, but the story is the same.  These idols represent "gods" that control different aspects of nature and life.  The belief is that people must worship these "gods" in the right way, lest these "gods" become angry and send disaster upon them.  People are returning to worshiping the same idols as their ancestors, and doing their best to do so in the same way that their ancestors did.

The second model is animism.  This similar to idol worship, but without the idols.  Everything has a spirit, including, but not limited to, rocks, trees, animals, the Earth, stars, moon, sun, and even abstract things like words.  The belief is that all of these spirits have to be worshiped in the right way to keep everything in balance, since they control different aspects of nature and life.  People are returning to worshiping rocks and trees like their ancestors, and doing their best to do so in the same way that their ancestors did.

The third model is pantheism.  This is similar to animism, except there is only one universal spirit.  Everything is a different facet of that one universal spirit.  This spirit does not have any personality like the "gods" represented by idols, or even like the spirits of rocks and trees.  This one universal spirit is literally everything, and literally everything is this one universal spirit.  The belief is that people must worship, and cooperate with, this one universal spirit of everything to keep balance, since this one universal spirit is every aspect of nature and life.  People are returning to worship the same universal spirit of everything that their ancestors worshiped, and doing their best to do so in the same way that their ancestors did.

Of course, some of these ancestral religions combined, or have at least been reconstructed to combine, various elements of more than one of these basic models, although one of the basic models is usually dominant.  For example, some of these ancestral religions follow the polytheism model, but they have some elements of the other two models, like all of the "gods" being various manifestations of "The God", and all "goddesses" in like manner being various manifestations of "The Goddess", with these "gods" and "goddesses" interacting with the spirits of trees and rocks.

This desire to return to ancestral religions seems strange, whenever anyone compares how these ethnic groups fared under their ancestral religions to how they fared under Christianity.  For example, consider those who either worshiped idols, like the Vikings, or worshiped rocks and trees, like the Celts, did before these ethnic groups became Christian to various extents.

Everything we know about them, before they were introduced to Christianity, comes from the writings of other ethnic groups, like Greeks and Romans, because they were completely illiterate.  From these external sources we learn, that their average life span was about thirty-five years of age.  One of the reasons for this is, that they were constantly at war with each other - not to mention everyone else that they encountered.  Their total lack of sanitation and frequent human sacrifices could not have helped either.  It seems that the only thing they ever invented, were better, or more bizarre, ways of killing people.  This is why the Romans and Greeks referred to them as barbarians.

In short, before they were introduced to Christianity, they lived no different than the Native Americans north of Mexico lived, before the day when worlds collided.

It did not take long after the majority in these ethnic groups began to call themselves Christians, that everything changed.  They stopped being illiterate, and began producing great works of literature.  They stopped dying nearly as young, and started living longer to the point, that elder meant someone who was sixty years or older.  They stopped fighting with each other, and everyone else, all the time.  They improved their sanitation, and the human sacrifices came to an end.  They began to invent things that had peaceful uses like the printing press.

In fact, virtually everything that you can touch in the modern world was invented by their descendants, after they turned away from the pagan religion of their ancestors.  The further they got away from the pagan religion of their ancestors, the more enlightened they became.

These improvements came in proportion, and with the same speed, as their adoption of the religion taught in the Book of Truth (The Bible).  That is to say, the more their effective religion lined up with the Book of Truth, the more their societies improved, and the quicker their effective religion made this transition, the quicker these improvements to their societies came.

Their effective religion was what they actually put into practice.  The more people did things like wish each other "Happy First Fruits!" to celebrate Resurrection Sunday, and the less that they celebrated things like Ash Wednesday, then the more their effective religion was like the religion taught in the Book of Truth.  So things like Celtic Christianity, in its original form, was very similar to the religion taught in the Book of Truth.  This is evident in the actual teachings of Saint Patrick, which were far different in reality than what most people have been told.

So why would anyone want to go back to worshiping idols, rocks and trees, or some mysterious, unknowable, universal spirit of everything?

They want to turn away from worshiping the Father of Truth for the exact same reasons as their ancestors.

Their ancestors originally worshiped the Father of Truth, but did not want to live by His righteous commandments (Romans 1:18-20).  So they turned away from Him to worship idols - with or without the actual idols (Romans 1:21-23).  They created a religion where they worshiped the creation, instead of the Creator, so they could engage in every kind of sexual activity (Romans 1:24-27).  They did not want to remember the commandments of the Father of Truth, so they could do every evil thing that came to their minds, while pretending that they would not be judged by Him for doing these things (Romans 1:28-32).

So their ancestors began to make images of people, and animals, to worship them instead of the Father of Truth (Deuteronomy 4:16-18).  Their ancestors even worshiped things like the Sun, moon, and stars, without making any kind of image (Deuteronomy 4:20).

Their ancestors did all kinds of horrible things, when they worshiped everything except the Father of Truth (Deuteronomy 29:16-18).  They would even sacrifice their own children to these idols (Psalm 106:37-39).  These children came from the sexual immorality that they committed during their idol worship (Jeremiah 2:19-20).

Their ancestors would get drunk during their festivals in the worship their idols to lose their inhibitions (Daniel 5:23).  They would be willing to do all of these things, because they would take hallucinogenic drugs (Revelation 9:20-21).  [The Greek word translated as "sorceries" is "phamakeia".  This is the Greek word that the English word "pharmacy" comes from.  This word is used for taking hallucinogenic drugs as part of idol worship in ancient Greek literature.]

So their ancestors went into idol worship because they did not want to obey the commandments of the Father of Truth.  In particular, they did not want the Father of Truth telling them what was the right partnership for love, or when was the right time for love.  Their rejection of His commandments concerning these things led to developing a religious system that encouraged drinking and/or taking drugs to lose all inhibitions, having sexual activities of every kind after that, and then murdering the children who were born from these events.  Worshiping idols, or worshiping trees and rocks, or the spirit of everything, made this seem moral and normal, since it was all in the context of a religious calendar with religious holidays, when most of these events would occur.

It is the same today.  Those who wish to return to the pagan religions of their ancestors, want to do so, in order to get drunk or high, engage in sexual activity of every kind, and then murder their own children through abortion, without feeling any sense of guilt or shame for their actions.  In fact, the pagan religions of their ancestors make them feel compelled to do these things.

Another reason for Neo-Paganism rising, is that some people are attracted to the violence that it creates.  They want a religion that encourages them to pillage, plunder, rape, and murder other people.  They want a religion where they are promised to be rewarded by going to some place like Valhalla (Hall of the Slain) for dying a violent death in battle.

This rejection of the Father of Truth always leads to violence through deceit, and that is what cut the lifespan of their ancestors in half (Psalm 55:19-23).  The religion of their ancestors always leads to violence filling the land, when it becomes the dominant religion of the land (Ezekiel 8:15-17).
 
Another reason for Neo-Paganism rising, is that those who espouse it have been influencing other people to move towards it through popular media.  This is evident when examining some of the most popular content put out by some of the largest media companies.

For example, Marvel Comics plainly espouses polytheism with characters like Thor, who is even identified as the god of the same name from Norse polytheism.  In like manner, Disney plainly espouses animism with things like Pocahontas going to a tree, Grandma Willow, to see out advice.  Also LucasFilm plainly espouses pantheism with "The Force" in its Star Wars franchise.

These media companies appeal to the eyes of people with wondrous images, appeal to desires of their flesh with the costuming and actions of their characters, and give people a shared pride of life with great story lines, even though none of these things are from the Father of Truth (1 John 2:16).

Another reason for Neo-Paganism rising, is that many people are disillusioned with Atheism.

They look at the nations that came under control of Atheists, like Nazi Germany, the USSR, China, North Korea, Cambodia, Cuban, and the like.  It is quite easy for them to see the death and destruction, that control by Atheists has brought upon the inhabitants.

Also, those who study out objectively the details of evolution, have realized that it is the Greatest Fairy Tale ever told.  It totally contradicts math and science - not to mention the story told by the evidence.  Not even the math and science of the First Nations coming over a mysterious, and unnecessary, land bridge called Beringia, cannot be worked out to match with actual observable science, or realistic mathematical models.

Yet mostly, they have turned their back on Atheism, because as a religion, it is totally unfit to survive.

All religions answer three basic questions:  1) How did we get here? 2) Why are we here?  3) Where are we going?  The answers to these questions given by Atheism:  1) By accident.  2) Existences is pointless.  3) Annihilation.  Atheism has to be the most depressing religion every devised by man.  So these people become desperate enough to look back to the pagan religion of their ancestors to find more suitable answers.

Another reason for Neo-Paganism rising, is that those who espouse it, both religious professionals and laymen, have been subtly influencing other people from within the congregations of the Children of Truth to move towards it.  They move through congregations of the Children of Truth like a snake in the leaves.  They are counting on most of the Children of Truth not being able to see the hidden danger that they really are.  They call themselves "Christians", but they do not fit the definition of what is a Christian given by the Book of Truth.  They have no idea what the Book of Truth says, is the answer to the question posed by WWJD bracelets.  Instead, they espouse accepting others as "Christians", who embrace these things from the pagan religion of their ancestors, in the name of Christian Unity.

However, the Father of Truth commands that there be no tolerance for those who call themselves His people, but worship the Sun, moon, and stars (Deuteronomy 17:2-5).  In fact, Josiah (Oshiyah) was called the greatest king who ever ruled by the Father of Truth, because he faithfully carried out this no tolerance policy, and observed the holidays of the Father of Truth instead (2 Kings 23:3-25).  Those Jewish kings who worshiped the Sun, moon, and stars, were dishonored by having their bones offered up a sacrifices to these things, when the Father of Truth brought judgment for doing these things (Jeremiah 8:1-3).  The worship of the Father of Truth cannot be merged with the worship these things (2 Corinthians 6:16).

Their efforts to merge Christianity and Neo-Paganism into some sort of hybrid religion, are no better than those who try to do the same with Islam to create Chrislam.  They are preaching another Gospel that was given by another Spirit and tells about another Jesus, who is different than the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) told about in the Book of Truth.

Their disagreement with the words of the Book of Truth show that they are proud and know nothing (1 Timothy 6:3-5).  Those who seek to make some sort of friendship between the pagan religion of their ancestors, and the religion of the Book of Truth, are enemies of the Father of Truth (James 4:4).  So make no mistake, the love of the Father of Truth does not live in the heart of those who call themselves Christians, but love the things that come from Neo-Paganism (1 John 2:15-17).

Lastly, Neo-Paganism is rising, because most of the Children of Truth have never quite got everything from the pagan religion of their ancestors out of their practices, so they have left a foothold for Neo-Paganism in their effective religion.

The Children of Truth would never knowingly endorse worshiping what their pagan ancestors worshiped.  They would never knowingly participate in festivals and ceremonies of the pagan religion of their ancestors, that revolved around drinking, taking narcotics, sex of every sort with everything imaginable,and then murdering the children produced from these events.  They would never knowingly perpetuate the endless, senseless, violence that ultimately resulted from the pagan religion of their ancestors.  They certainly would not knowingly teach their children to follow the pagan religion of their ancestors.

Yet, they have left a shell of the pagan religion of their ancestors intact in their effective religion.  They have left a place for Neo-Paganism to plug into their effective religion, so that their children can be drawn away from the Father of Truth, and drawn back into the pagan religion of their ancestors.

They have done this in two ways.

First, they have done this by including many of the traditions from the festivals of the pagan religion of their ancestors in their holidays, sometimes including the name of the holiday.  This is what the Mensch who killed Christmas warned the people of Saints Ville about.

Second, they have done this by meeting on Sunday each week, without even questioning who changed the Sabbath.  Many of them are sincere in their desire to give one day a week to the Father of Truth.  Many of them are never bored on the Sabbath, because they are doing the right things on the wrong day of the week.  They just do not understand why it matters, that they meet on the actual Sabbath, instead of Sunday.

They inherited these things from the False Church of Rome, which had created a religious calendar that was pagan friendly.  Pagans were able to keep meeting together on the same day of the week that they were used to meeting on, in order to worship the Sun.  Pagans were able to keep celebrating many of their festivals, under new names, with the same traditions that they had always used in their worship of idols, or trees and rocks, or some spirit of everything.  They were able to keep doing the same things, but with a substitution of the Man of Truth and the Father of Truth for whatever they worshiped in their pagan religion.

This may sound like a fine way to evangelize pagans, but it is not.  The problem is, that the Father of Truth said for the Children of Truth to not to include anything from these pagan religions in their worship of Him (Deuteronomy 12:30-32).  Including these practices from pagan religions, gives an opportunity to those who follow after Neo-Paganism, to entice the Children of Truth back to the pagan religions of their ancestors, from even inside their own congregations (Deuteronomy 13:6-8).  This is exactly how the Jewish Children of Truth were turned back to the pagan religions of their ancestors (Psalm 106:34-36).

So Neo-Pagans can use the festivals and traditions that the Children of Truth are already familiar with, to slowly draw them back into the pagan religion of their ancestors.  They do this through the same process of a subtle influence that was used to move America from treating homosexuality as a death penalty crime to legalizing gay marriage.  This is why the policy of the Father of Truth concerning everything from pagan religions, has always been one of smash and burn.

The Children of Truth should never use the customs from the pagan religion of their ancestors to carryout the will of the Father of Lies (HaShatan aka Satan Aka The Devil), like using the Satan Clause as an excuse to lie to their own children.  They should not make any room in their effective religion for anything that is from the Father of Lies (Ephesians 4:27). 

The Children of Truth should always be walking in truth. They should have nothing to do with anything from the dark pagan religions of their ancestors (Ephesians 5:8-11).

So Neo-Paganism is rising, because people have either left the House of Truth, or the Children of Truth did not fully obey the Father of Truth, by removing every last vestige of the pagan religion of their ancestors from their effective religion.

The Good News is, that Neo-Paganism will never bring an end to the religion of the Book of Truth.  Instead, the Man of Truth will bring an end to Neo-Paganism forever (Revelation 21:8).  When he rules the New Earth, there will be no vestige of Neo-Paganism left anywhere (Revelation 22:13-15).

Neo-Paganism can end for you today, if you have been participating in the worthless pagan religion of your ancestors.  You can start getting rid of every vestige of Neo-Paganism as soon as you recognize them, after you come into the House of Truth.

The shackles of Neo-Paganism are broken whenever anyone comes into the House of Truth (John 8:34-36).  The Man of Truth breaks these shackles off of whoever makes him their king, when they come into the House of Truth, because they believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9).  Those who come into the House of Truth will be able to completely abandon Neo-Paganism, so they can rule with the Man of Truth (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10).  Those who come into the House of Truth, will live according to the religion of the Book of Truth, instead of Neo-Paganism (1 Peter 4:1-3).

Come into the House of Truth!

The Greatest Fairy Tale Ever Told

 What is the greatest fairy tell ever told?

Fairy tales are stories where things magically happen that defy all common sense and every observable fact of reality.  In fairy tales there is often no need for things to have an original source.  The story usually just begins with no explanation of how the things that are in them came into being or of the forces that brought about their beginning.  In fact, it is often implied that there was no underlying cause for the effect of what followed but rather things just "poof" into existence all on their own for no reason at all.  In those fairy tales where there is an active force it is usually some mysterious entity that either defies explanation or otherwise cannot be demonstrated to exist in real life.

People find fairy tales fun and interesting because they do not have to stand up to close scrutiny, they do not have any resemblance to reality, and they can provide people with a metaphor that gives permission to do about anything.  After all a fairy tale can end anyway that the one telling it wants it to end and can be considered proof of the worldview of the teller to anyone that is willing to hear and believe it.  The fairy tale can be modified over and over as needed by people when it is retold to reinforce whatever idea is fashionable at the time.

Of course, the truth is that no fairy tale is ever true.  Every fairy tale that has ever been told, has been the work of the vain imagination of someone, and has no factual basis in reality.  In short, ever fairy tale is really just an elaborate lie.

The Walt Disney company has made a fortune from retelling fairy tales such as Cinderella and Snow White. Many of these same fairy tales have been repackaged for the consumption of the same audience as they grow older by various video entertainment companies.  For example, there are many versions of Cinderella that have been retold in more modern settings to appeal to teenagers.  Then Cinderella was retold in another way to these same people when they were in their twenties as a romantic comedy.  There have been retelling of some fairy tales as scary stories in television shows.  There have even been porn films that retold classic fairy tales in a completely different manner than what is usually told to children.

So what is the greatest fairy tale every told?  What story has been modified the most to suit the times of the audience throughout all of history?  What tale have people went to the greatest lengths to make seem to be so real that other people will believe it no matter how much their own common sense, history, and demonstrable science contradict it?  What is this unimaginably unrealistic story that cannot stand up under close scrutiny but is presented as fact by so many because they simply wish that it was true?  What is the most elaborate lie ever concocted by the human mind?

The greatest fairy tale ever told starts out like many fairy tales without any actual explanation of an original source that made the fairy tale possible to happen in the first place. In fact the greatest fairy tale ever told insists that there was no original source and everything just magically happened.

A version of this fairy tale that might be told to young children would go something like this.

Once upon time there was a land that was completely barren.  In that land there was a magic potion that formed all on its own for no reason at all.  Then for absolutely no reason at all one day this magic potion was magically zapped and then "poof" it became alive. The magic potion was now a mindless living blob known as a magite.  The magite magically had everything that was needed for life in that magic moment and could of course magically make more magites.  Each magite had the very magical ability to give the magites that it made to posses abilities that it did not possess itself.

(Some say that the magites gave these new abilities to the magites that they made in response to changes in their surroundings as the magites moved further and further from the original location of the magic potion.  Others say that the magites gave new abilities willy-nilly to the magites that they made and the ones that had the abilities that worked out best would continue the process.  Those on both sides are sure that they are right and claim to have indisputable proof that those on the other side are complete nincompoops.  It does not really matter since this is a fairy tale and logic need not apply.)

One day a magite made another magite with a definite shape instead of just keep being a shapeless liquid blob like other magites.  This caught on and soon all of the magites were making magites that had more defined shapes and other characteristics that allowed the magites that they made to do more and more fantastic things.  Soon there were magites that grew roots to the center the earth and grew branches that reached above the top of the clouds.   There were magites that had wings and could fly higher than high.  There were magites that had legs and could run faster than fast.  There were magites that fins and could swim deeper than deep.  The magites also began making magites of all sizes.  Some magites were so small that a billion could live on a speck of dust.  Other magites were so large that it seemed that they could cover the entire world.

Eventually some magites made some magites that were not completely mindless.  These magites in turn made more magites that were even smarter than themselves.  This process continued for a long time until magites were made that were so intelligent that they called themselves "the Wise Ones".  It was the Wise Ones then made up this fairy tale about the magic potion to explain the origin of the Wise Ones and all other magites.

A version of this fairy tale aimed at teenagers would go something like this.

Once upon time the Earth that was completely devoid of life.  Then came along a god named "Hixie-Pixie".  No one could reliably predict what Hixie-Pixie would ever do for the actions of  Hixie-Pixie seemed completely random.  One day Hixie-Pixie made a mystical ooze completely on accident.  Then for absolutely no reason at all Hixie-Pixie spread his fingers apart and lightening came forth from his fingers that zapped the mystical ooze and it came to life. There was now a mindless living blob known as a zoa.  The zoa magically had everything that was needed for life in that magic moment and best of all could magically make more zoas. Hixie-Pixie would then sometimes give a new child zoa abilities that the parent zoa did not possess itself when he came upon the scene.

(Some say that Hixie-Pixie gave these new abilities to the zoas in response to changes in their surroundings as the zoas moved further and further from the original location of the mystical ooze.  Others say that Hixie-Pixie gave new abilities willy-nilly to the new zoas and that the ones that had the abilities that worked out best would be used to continue the process.  Those on both sides are sure that they are right and claim to have indisputable proof that those on the other side are complete morons.  It does not really matter since this is a fairy tale and logic need not apply.)

One day Hixie-Pixie gave one of the new zoas a definite shape instead of just being a shapeless liquid blob like other zoas for no particular reason.  Hixie-Pixie thought this was fun so soon all of the new zoas had more defined shapes and other characteristics that allowed the new zoas that they made to do more and more fantastic things.  Soon there were zoas that grew roots to the center the earth and grew branches that reached above the top of the clouds.   There were zoas that had wings and could fly higher than high.  There were zoas that had legs and could run faster than fast.  There were zoas that fins and could swim deeper than deep.  Hixie-Pixie also began resizing the newest zoas.  Some zoas were so small that a billion could live on a speck of dust.  Other zoas were so large that it seemed that they could cover the entire world.

Eventually Hixie-Pixie made some zoas that were not completely mindless on a fluke.  Whenever these zoas in turn made more zoas then Hixie-Pixie would occasionally give some of then newest zoas the ability to be even smarter than the zoas that made them.  This process continued for a long time (since Hixie-Pixie always acted in a completely unpredictable and random manner) until zoas were made that were so intelligent that they called themselves "the Wise Ones".  It was the Wise Ones then made up this fairy tale about Hixie-Pixie and the mystical ooze to explain the origin of the Wise Ones and all other zoas.

The version of this fairy tale told by professors to students in most universities goes something this.

Once upon time the Earth that was completely devoid of life.  Then came along a god named "Random Chance".  The actions of Random Chance were completely random and totally lacking in purpose.  One day the primordial ooze was made by Random Chance.  Then by Random Chance an electrical current of just the right amperage and voltage zapped the primordial ooze and it came to life. There was now a mindless living blob known as an organism.  The primordial organism magically had everything that was needed for life in that magic moment.  This included a minimum of 100,000 right handed nucleotides that each happened to have a matching left handed nucleotide that was needed to zipper up and form the simplest possible RNA and DNA that is sufficient to define an organism that has everything that is needed to live.  (The simplest organism ever found has 500,000 pairs of nucleotides but microbiologists have theorized that an organism might be able to get by on 100,000 pairs of  nucleotides.)  The  primordial organism had been magically given by Random Chance the ability to locate nutrients, relocate to those nutrients and then convert those nutrients into every thing that was needed to continue to be alive. Best of all by Random Chance the primordial organism could magically reproduce. Sometimes a new child organism would by Random Chance have abilities that the parent organism did not possess itself.

(Some say that new organisms acquired these new abilities in response to changes in their surroundings as organisms moved further and further from the original location of the primordial ooze.  Others say that they acquired these new abilities by Random Chance and that the ones that had the abilities that made them most fit survived to continue the process.  Those on both sides are sure that they are right and claim to have indisputable proof that those on the other side are uneducated buffoons.  It does not really matter since this is a fairy tale and logic need not apply.)

One day by Random Chance, for no particular reason, one of the new organisms had a definite shape instead of just being a shapeless liquid blob like other organisms including the one that produced it.  Soon by Random Chance all sorts of new organisms had more defined shapes and other characteristics to do more and more incredible things.  Soon there were organisms that grew roots to deep into the earth and grew branches that reached towards the clouds.  There were organisms that had wings and could fly high.  There were organisms that had legs and could run fast.  There were organisms that fins and could swim deep.  There also began to be a resizing of the organisms by Random Chance.  Some organisms were so small that millions could live on a speck of dust.  Other organisms were so large that they could cover the large areas of land.

Then on a fluke by Random Chance an organism reproduced and made another organism that was not completely mindless.  Whenever this organism in turn reproduced then by Random Chance some of their offspring had the ability to be even smarter than the parent organism.  This process continued for a long time (some say millions of years since Random Chance always acts in a completely unpredictable and random manner) until organisms were made through reproduction that were so intelligent that they called themselves "Homo Sapiens" (literally "Wise Men") or the Wise Ones.  It was the Wise Ones then made up this fairy tale about Random Chance and the primordial ooze called Evolution to explain the origin of the Wise Ones and all other organisms.

The Fairy Tale of Evolution like all fairy tales is really just an elaborate lie.  Its details change from generation to generation because it will not hold up to close scrutiny.  It is in constant need of rescue mechanisms as people ask more questions about its many deficiencies that are obvious to anyone that has not drank the kool-aid given to them by their science teachers. It is like when someone tells one lie and then has to tell other lies to cover up discrepancies in the original lie.  The web of lies just keeps becoming more elaborate because deep down inside people sense that it is a lie.  The truth on the other hand always remain simple because it never needs a rescue mechanism.

When I was first heard this fairy tale in middle school science class I thought that maybe it could be true.  But when I began to examine it more closely I found that it was no more true than stories of Leprechauns.

I loved mathematics and when I was sixteen I studied the mathematics of evolution over my summer break. The mathematics of evolution showed the complete absurdity of believing that the complexity of even the simplest organism imaginable, the primordial organism, came about by random chance.  Of course, there were other things that were equally impossible from a logical viewpoint like an organism adding complexity to its offspring that did not help the cause of evolution.  I had to let go of all belief in evolution just like I had previously let go of all belief in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.

Another thing that makes the Evolution Myth so far fetched is its total dependence on random chance.  There is no notion of anything occurring by random chance in science or mathematics any where except when it comes to theories about the origins of the universe and human life.  "Random Chance" is the god of the Evolution Myth.  So in a sort of loopy logic that would never work in an actual computer program those that cling to this myth insist that Evolution is the proof of the existence of Random Chance and Random Chance is the proof that Evolution happened.

In every other endeavor of science the universe runs on laws instead of random chance.  The science of physics is possible because of the laws of physics.  The same is true for chemistry, astronomy, and every other branch of science including computer science which deals with the laws of logic.  Mathematics is the study and discovery of the laws of mathematics. 

The truth is random chance does not really exists anymore than the gods of Greek mythology or Hixie-Pixie.  There is an entire area of mathematics devoted to dispelling the notion of random chance but instead showing that everything in the physical world indeed works by the laws of mathematics and science.  The entirety of the fields of science and mathematics is nothing more than discovering the laws that the universe works by and determining how to apply those laws to solve real life problems.  For example, it was by discovering and applying the fundamental laws of aerodynamics that allowed the Wright Brothers to create a heavier-than-air machine that could fly.

Random chance is just a perception of the human mind but not a physical reality.  For example when someone rolls a pair of dice the outcome of the roll is determined by the laws of physics.  The outcome is unpredictable to the roller because they do not know all of the laws involved and cannot control all of the parameters that apply to those laws.  However, those that have enough understanding of the laws involved and know how to control the parameters that apply to a pair of dice can change the dice to always come up with the same number.  This is done by moving the center of gravity of each die away from the center and towards the side that will be face down when the desired side is face up.  It is those that understand that dice operate by the laws of physics instead of random chance that can produced "loaded" dice that always produce the same number when rolled.

More than that there is no precedence of evolution ever being observed in any living organism throughout history.  There are one cell organisms with short time spans between when they became a separate organism when another organism divided and when they will divide into two organisms.  Some of these organisms have had millions of generations of reproduction since the time of Darwin and yet they remain identical to the ones observed at the time of Darwin.  Millions of species of organisms that have been discovered by man and no one has ever actually observed any sort of evolution occur.  There has not been one instance of anyone observing any organism ever producing offspring that is outside of the box that defines the core characteristics of its species.  Instead every organism just keeps reproducing more organisms of its own kind.  Would you believe that evolution only occurs when nobody is looking?  If so would you also believe that the word "gullible" is not in the dictionary?

Make no mistake evolution is at the core of a religion that requires people to ignore reality in order to believe that religion.  In this religion there is supposedly no god but in reality there is a god called "Random Chance".  Everything in this religion of human secularism relies on the god of Random Chance for all explanations of the past, all morality for present behavior, and all expectations of the future.

As has already been shown the universe operates on laws rather than random chance.  The god called "Random Chance" is just another idol made by people that has no ability to do anything (Deuteronomy 4:28).  The truth is that evolution is just another idol that was the skillfully made by some scientists just like a wooden idol that is made by some carpenters (Isaiah 44:13-15).  No matter how many people claim that they were made by random chance it is no more credible than those that claimed that they were made by some other idol (Jeremiah 2:27).  Those that believe in the god of Random Chance and the doctrine of evolution are foolish brutes who worship the work of their own minds like those that worship the work of their own hands (Jeremiah 10:8-9).

It was the god of "Random Chance" that Aaron claimed made the golden calf when the people of Israel threw their gold into the fire (Exodus 32:24).  In reality, "Random Chance" did not exist but was only an excuse for their rebellion against the Father of Truth (Exodus 32:21-23).  There was an original source that made the golden calf (Exodus 32:35).  Nothing ever occurs without a cause (Proverbs 26:2).  The universe was made on purpose by the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) just like the golden calf was made on purpose by Aaron instead occurring without a cause by Random Chance.

You might think that evolution is relatively modern invention that started with Darwin but it actually goes back much further than that.  There were Greek philosophers like Aristotle that taught similar notions but there is evidence of these ideas being believed by many of the elite in ancient Egypt way before that.  The truth is there is no new thing under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9-11).  Evolution is nothing more than this ancient religion being falsely called science (2 Timothy 6:20-21).  Real science that is practiced by the kings of science like Newton is methodically discovering and applying the laws of science that the Father of Truth has concealed (Proverbs 25:2).

If the structural design similarities between fins of a whale and the wings of a bat are not the product of random chance then how can they be explained?  It turns out that the obvious answer is the correct answer and that is that they have a common design because they have a common designer.  Instead of believing that there is intelligence in their design by random chance it is far more reasonable to believe that there is intelligence in their design because their design is the product of an intelligent designer.

The Father of Truth is that intelligent designer who created the universe (Genesis 1:1).  The Earth has an atmosphere of clouds that is necessary to support life by design (Genesis 1:6-7).  The Earth has oceans and dry land that are needed to support life by design (Genesis 1:9-10).  The Earth has plants with roots that go deep into the earth and branches that reach up towards the clouds which can create seeds to reproduce more plants of the same kind by design (Genesis 1:11-12).  The Earth has animals that fly high and swim deep with the capability to reproduce more animals of the same kind by design (Genesis 1:20-22).  The Earth has animals that run fast with the capability to reproduce more animals of the same kind by design (Genesis 1:24-25).  Most importantly, there are men on the Earth because the Father of Truth designed people to be miniatures of Himself (Genesis 1:26-27).  The universe and everything in it was made on purpose to take care of the needs of His crowning achievement called the human race (Genesis 1:28-30).

Every religion attempts to answer three questions.  Where did we come from?  Why are we here? Where are we going?  The religion built on evolution has an answer for each question.  The answer to the first question is by accident.  The answer to the second question is no reason at all.  The answer to the third question is extinction.  What a depressing religion!

The Book of Truth (The Bible) has much better answers to these questions.

The Father of Truth made the Earth and controls the atmosphere that surrounds it (Jeremiah 10:12-13).  He is the former of all things (Jeremiah 10:16).  He created the Earth to be inhabited (Isaiah 45:18).  The Earth was given to the human race as a place for them to inhabit (Psalm 115:16).

The original man was made by Him (Genesis 5:1).  From this original man came every nation of people (Acts 17:24-26).  We came from Him instead of coming from something that was made by man like an idol called Random Chance (Acts 17:28-29).

The Father of Truth made people so they could know Him but we have separated ourselves from Him (Genesis 3:8-10).  He wants all people to come to know Him instead of seeking after a man made god like Random Chance that offers no help in times of trouble (Isaiah 45:20-22).  He made all people and scattered them across the Earth to cause them to seek after Him so that they would find Him (Acts 17:26-27).

Our entire duty is to trust and obey Him because everything we do shall be made known to everyone (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

The Father of Truth told Moses that since people could not stand in His presence that He would send a man that they must listen to (Deuteronomy 18:15-20). He sent the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) so that people could come back to Him (John 3:16-18).  He sent His Son into this world so people could understand what He is like (John 14:8-10).  His Son became like us so we could become like His Father (1 John 3:1-3).  That is our entire purpose!

Where we are going depends upon which path we decide to follow.  We will all be resurrected and each person will either suffer eternal punishment or enjoy eternal reward (Daniel 12:1-3).

Some will follow the Man of Truth in obeying the Father of Truth (Matthew 7:20-21).  They will live with forever with their Father in the renewed universe (Revelation 21:1-4).

Most will follow the Father of Lies (HaShatan aka Satan aka The Devil) by believing elaborate lies like the fairy tale of evolution because he is the original source of all lies (John 8:44).  They will live forever with their father in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:10-15).

You might be wondering since evolution is the greatest fairy tale ever told why do so many people believe it.  People follow this fairy tale for the same reason that they worship idols.  People worship at the altar of evolution because they have rejected the Father of Truth (Romans 1:21).  People irrationally cling to evolution because they want to believe a lie instead of the truth (Romans 1:25).   People drink the evolution kool-aid because they are in rebellion against Him (Romans 1:28-31).  People believe in evolution because they refuse to hear the truth and turn from their wickedness just like the kingdom of Judah (Zechariah 7:9-11).  In short, they believe in evolution because they want the fairy tale to be true regardless of how unreasonable it is.

You still might want some proof of the validity of the Book of Truth.

The universe is way too complex to have happened by Random Chance but instead is proof of a universe maker (Psalm 19:1).  The very universe and every living thing on Earth is proof of a creator by their very existence and complexity (Romans 1:20).   All you need for proof is to look at the sky on a starry night.

The Father of Truth tells of things before they ever occur which can never be contributed to Random Chance or any other idol (Isaiah 42:8-9).  There is no possibility of this occurring by any other means (Isaiah 45:21).  He declares the end of a matter from its beginning like when the Babylonians came from the east to remove the Jews from the land of Israel (Isaiah 46:9-11).  He declared while the nation of Judah was still standing that the Jews would be scattered all over the Earth and then regathered to once again create the nation of Israel (Jeremiah 31:9-11).  All you really need for proof is to look at a map of the Middle East.

The Father of Truth has given assurance of all of these things by raising the Man of Truth from the dead (Acts 17:30-31).  This was not done in the corner of some long lost place in the obscurity of unwritten history but was a well known event in the land of Israel and throughout the Roman Empire (Acts 26:23-26).  All you really need for proof is to read the history of the Middle East during the first century AD.

But better than all of that, the Father of Truth makes an offer of proof that neither Random Chance nor any other idol can ever make.  He promises that you can still find Him even if you have been lead astray by the idol like the one called Random Chance (Deuteronomy 4:28-29).  He promises that if you will seek after Him with all your heart then He will show Himself to you in a way that is meaningful to you (Jeremiah 29:13).  So the proof is available to anyone that is willing to look for it.

The story of how things began never changes in the Book of Truth because the Book of Truth never changes (Isaiah 40:6-8).  Not one part of one letter will ever change in the Book of Truth (Matthew 5:18).  The Book of Truth will outlast the universe (Matthew 24:35).   If you look at a part of the Book of Truth found in the dead sea scrolls written in the original language (Hebrew) in 200 BC you will find that not even a part of any letter is different in that same passage in a modern writing in Hebrew.  There is no need for new versions or rescue mechanisms or any other sort of change because the Book of Truth is true.

Those that preach evolution call themselves wise ("homo sapiens") but have become fools (Romans 1:22).  Those that believe that there is no god will always end up as fools (Psalm 14:1).  Those that believe there is no god will inevitably lose all restraint so they commit all kinds of evil (Psalm 53:1). That is why the atheistic leaders of the twentieth century like Lenin, Hitler, Stalin and Mao Zedong managed to kill more people than all of their predecessors combined.  It is as foolish to trust in evolution as it is to trust in an idol (Habakkuk 2:18-19).  Those that make up this fairy tale called evolution will be shown to be fools like those that make idols (Isaiah 45:16).  Those that teach this foolishness because they relied on their own strength instead of the Father of Truth will all be shown to be fools (Psalm 52:5-7).

The Father of Truth will one day show the world that all idols like the god called Random Chance are completely worthless so that no one worships them (Jeremiah 10:10-11). The doctrine of evolution is a lie that has no life to it and those that worship at the altar of evolution are completely in error so that they will one day perish (Jeremiah 10:14-15).

If you have drank the kool-aid of evolution now is the age for you to be enlightened.  It is time to reject this escape from reason and face the facts of life with a sober mind. It is time to listen to the voice of reason.  It is time to lose your religion.

The Father of Truth wants to reason with you so that you can be cleansed from your sins (Isaiah 1:18).  He is the one that is drawing you to the Man of Truth (John 6:44).  He has been allowing mankind to continue in evil because He is not willing that any should perish but desires that all should repent (2 Peter 3:9).  He has sent His son because he wants all men to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:3-5).

You will not understand this with your head (mind) at first because you believe with your heart (spirit) not with your head (Romans 10:10).  You will understand more clearly as your mind is made new by reading the Book of Truth afterwards (Romans 12:2).

It is time for you to leave behind the greatest fairy tale ever told because you are no longer ignorant of the truth (Acts 17:30-31).  You need to come into the House of Truth by submitting to the Man of Truth in total surrender because you believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead (Romans 10:8-9).

Come into the House of Truth.

What are you saying?

What are you saying about the most important subject in life?

Have you ever been listening to someone and it is obvious that they do not know what they are talking about?  Have you ever been listening to someone and it is obvious that they have been given some wrong information that has lead them to wrong conclusions?  Have you ever been listening to someone and it is obvious that they have not really looked into the subject of the conversation themselves but are only repeating what they have heard others say?  Have you ever been listening to someone and it is obvious that they are making contradictory statements?  Have you ever been listening to someone and it is obvious that they have not thought out what they are saying?  Have you ever been listening to someone and it is obvious that something just does not seem right about what they are saying?

When this happens there are several ways to handle it.  You could just listen to them and let them continue on down the wrong path without saying a word.  After all, the subject might not be that important to you or you might not know enough yourself about the subject to put them on the right path.  You could learn about what they are talking about and then discuss it with them later if you do not know much about the subject.  This is a good option that could save yourself embarrassment when you do not know enough about the subject to be sure that they are on the wrong path.  You could get in their face and tell them that you think that they are talking nonsense.  This is could lead to a fight without any opportunity to put them on the right path.  You could use their words against them and start mocking them.  Some people think it is fun to bully those that are on the wrong path and to humiliate them.  You could express your interest in the subject and offer to study it out with them.   This could be a really good option if you think the subject is important enough to invest your time into and you do not really know enough yourself to put them on the right path even though you can see that they are on the wrong path.  You could pull them to the side so that they will stop displaying their ignorance and try to gently put them on the right path.  This is always the thing to do if the subject is important enough, if you know enough about the subject yourself to put them on the right path and you really care about their long term good.

How do you go about doing putting them on the right path?  If possible it is a good idea to talk to them in private or by sending them an e-mail or a private message.  If you can not talk to them in private, then perhaps you can talk about the right path to a group that they are in so you can show them the right path without singling them out.  You might even write a post in a blog that they read.  The goal in all cases is to get them to ask themselves one very important question about the subject:

What are you saying?

You can help them to see the error of their ways by going over what they have been saying and then giving them correct information so that they can see that they have been on the wrong path.  Some people will appreciate you taking the time to do so because they really want to be on the right path and are willing to make changes to get there.  Other people will be irritated because they really want to be on the wrong path and are unwilling to make any changes at all.  How people react is not your problem particularly when the subject is something that could cause them long term harm if they continue down the wrong path.

The truth is always the truth and will never change.  We cannot change the truth by telling a lie.  We need to be saying what the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) says about everything.   We do not want to spreading lies, even in ignorance, because then we are saying what the Father of Lies (HaShatan aka Satan aka The Devil) is saying (John 8:44).  There is one subject so important that everyone needs to be on the right path.  It is bigger than life and death to get this right.  We need to always be saying the truth about the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ).  This might seem to be an exaggeration to you and you might be wanting to ask me:

What are you saying?

I'm saying that we need to examine what various people say about the Man of Truth and compare it to what the Book of Truth (aka The Bible) says about him.  I'm saying that what you say about the Man of Truth is the most important thing that you will ever say.

What are you saying?

You might be one of those who say you do not need the Man of Truth.  You might say that you are a pretty good person.  You might say that there are many ways to get to Heaven and the Man of Truth is only one way.  You might say that your idols will keep you safe.  You might even say that there is no God.

What are you saying?

You are a slave to sin unless you are saved from sin by the Man of Truth (John 8:34-36). You are not righteous on your own merit (Romans 3:10).  You are a slave to the Father of Lies as long as you obey the Father of Lies (Romans 6:16). You deserve to die for your disobedience to the Father of Truth because the wages of sin is death and they will never changed (Romans 6:23).  You have sinned (1 John 1:8).

The path that you are on may seem right to you but it will only lead you to death (Proverbs 14:12).  Not every path will lead to life (Proverbs 16:25).  The path to life is very narrow with few travelers (Matthew 7:14).   The only way to be on the path to life is to follow the Man of Truth (John 14:6).  There is no other name under Heaven that you can call on to be saved (Acts 4:10-12).

The Father of Truth is the only God that there is (Isaiah 44:6-8).  Every idol is worthless and cannot help you in any way (Isaiah 44:9-10).  It is pointless to pray to something that you can make yourself from earthly materials (Isaiah 44:13-17).  The Father of Truth can open your eyes so you can see how useless your idols really are (Isaiah 44:13-17).  Your idols did not make you and they cannot save you (Jeremiah 2:26-28).  Worshiping idols is an empty religion no matter how beautiful you make the idols (Jeremiah 10:8-9).  Idols have not made Heaven and Earth so they will completely perish from the Earth (Jeremiah 10:11).  Every promise of help from an idol is a lie that came from the Father of Lies (Jeremiah 10:14-15).  Those who worship idols are eating in the house of the Father of Lies along with those that rebelled against the Father of Truth with him (1 Corinthians 10:19-21).  Every idol worshiper will be thrown into the Lake of Fire where their suffering will never end because they chose to live with the Father of Lies (Revelation 21:8).

The Father of Truth created everything (Genesis 1:1).  The Father of Truth created all people in His image (Genesis 1:27). The atmosphere and the stars are proof to every man that the Father of Truth exists (Psalm 19:1-3).  Only a fool would believe that there is no God because there would also be no right or wrong (Psalm 53:1).  The Father of Truth will prove to you that He exists if you will search for Him with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13).  The entire universe is proof of the existence of the Father of Truth so you are without excuse (Romans 1:20).  You know on the inside that the commandments of the Father of Truth are right (Romans 2:14-15).

You might say that you do not need the Man of Truth because you are Jewish.  You might say that you can be righteous by following the commandments of the Rabbis (Takhanot).  You might say that since you walk in the way of the Rabbis (halakha) that you are on the right path.  You might say that since you are a descendant of Abraham, Isaac (Yitzhak) and Jacob (Ya'aqob) then you are automatically a child of the Father of Truth. You might say that the Man of Truth is only for the Gentiles.  You might say that the Renewed Covenant (B'rit Chadashah aka The New Testament) is not for Jews.

What are you saying?

The commandments of the Rabbis are the commandments of men that provoked the Father of Truth to do something that they could not understand (Isaiah 29:13-14).  The wisdom of the Rabbis has kept the Jewish people from recognizing that they are under the judgment of the Father of Truth for rejecting the Word of Truth (Jeremiah 8:7-9).  The commandments of the Rabbis have kept you from keeping the commandments of the Father of Truth (Matthew 15:5-9).  The commandments of the Rabbis have kept you burdened down (Matthew 23:4-7).  The commandments of the Rabbis have been placed above the commandments of the Father of Truth by the Rabbis (Mark 7:9-13).  The commandments of the Rabbis were created because they zealously tried to establish their own righteousness instead of submitting to the righteousness of the Father of Truth by following the Man of Truth (Romans 10:2-4).  The commandments of the Rabbis cannot keep you from disobeying the Father of Truth (Colossians 2:21-23).  The commandments of the Rabbis will keep you from seeing the truth that was given by the Father of Truth (Titus 1:14).

You do not need to walk in the way of the Rabbis to keep the commandments of the Father of Truth (Mark 7:1-8).  You probably were not personally taught the way of the Rabbis by one of the great Rabbis like Paul the Jew (Shaul aka Saul aka The Apostle Paul) was (Acts 22:3).  You probably were not raised in the ways of the Rabbis by a Rabbi like Paul the Jew was (Acts 23:6).  You probably have not walked the according strictest way of the Rabbis since your youth like Paul the Jew did (Acts 26:4-5).  You have not walked in the way of the Rabbis better than Paul the Jew did (Galatians 1:14).  You do not have more reason to be confident in your walk in the way of the Rabbis than Paul the Jew had (Philippians 3:4-6).  Yet Paul the Jew found that his walk in the way of the Rabbis was as worthless as dung for keeping the commandments of the Father of Truth compared to following the Man of Truth (Philippians 3:7-9).

It is not enough for you to be a descendant of Abraham, Isaac (Yitzhak) and Jacob (Ya'aqob) to be right with the Father of Truth (Luke 3:8).  The children of Abraham are those that do what Abraham did (John 8:39).  Abraham believed the Father of Truth instead of relying on his own works in order to be made right with the Father of Truth (Romans 4:2-4).  You must have confidence in what the Father of Truth said that leads to action like Abraham had in order to be a child of Abraham (Galatians 3:6-8).

The Man of Truth was promised seed to come from Abraham to be a blessing to all families of the Earth including the Jews (Genesis 28:14).  The Man of Truth is the Prophet that Moses said that must be heard (Deuteronomy 18:15).  The Man of Truth is the Meshiach who David said would die but then rise to eternal life before his flesh would see corruption (Psalm 16:9-11).  The Man of Truth is the Meshiach who David described as dying from crucifixion (Psalm 22:14-18)  The Man of Truth is the Meshiach who David said the Rabbis would reject because they could not understand what the Father of Truth was doing (Psalm 118:22-23).  The Man of Truth is the Branch (Netzer aka Nazarene) who would come out of Jesse and that the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) would rest upon (Isaiah 11:1-3).  The Man of Truth is the Root that would Jesse came out of and that the Gentiles would trust (Isaiah 11:10).  The Man of Truth is the one who would bring Gentiles out of idol worship and back to worshiping the Father of Truth (Isaiah 42:6-8).  The Man of Truth is the one who would bring Gentiles back to worshiping the Father of Truth while the Jews were still scattered among the Gentiles (Isaiah 49:5-7).  The Man of Truth is the one who would be beaten, bruised and killed for the disobedience of all people including the Jews (Isaiah 53:4-6).  The Man of Truth is the Meshiach who Daniel said would come while the second Temple was still standing (Daniel 9:25-26).  The only reason for any Jew to not believe that the Man of Truth is the Meshiach after seeing what Moses and the Prophets had to say about the Meshiach is because they do believe Moses and the Prophets even though the Meshiach has risen from the dead (Luke 16:29-31).

The Renewed Covenant (the Hebrew word translated as "new" literally means "renewed") was not made with Gentiles but with Israel because Israel would not keep the Original Covenant (Tanach aka The Old Covenant) (Jeremiah 31:30-31).  The Renewed Covenant (the Greek word translated as "new" literally means "renewed") has replace the Original Covenant that was broken by sin (Hebrews 8:13).  The Renewed Covenant was sealed with the blood of the Man of Truth and we must obey him to walk on the right path (Hebrews 12:24-25).

What are you saying?

The Jew is no better than the Gentile because all have disobeyed the Father of Truth and need to follow the Man of Truth to be saved (Romans 3:21-25).  Both Jew and Gentile come into the House of Truth by believing that His Father has raised him from the dead and making the Man of Truth the absolute ruler of every aspect of their life (Romans 10:8-10).  The Father of Truth did not cast away the Jews when He brought the Gentiles into the House of Truth (Romans 11:1-2).  When a Gentile becomes comes into the House of Truth they are grafted into the family tree of Israel (where they do not naturally belong) by the Father of Truth (Romans 11:13-22).  When a Jew comes into the House of Truth they are grafted back into the family tree of Israel (where they naturally belong) by the Father of Truth  (Romans 11:23-29)  There is no difference between Jew and Gentile in the House of Truth because the Man of Truth has destroyed the wall of separation by his death on the cross (Ephesians 2:14-16).

Come into the House of Truth.