2002-05-05 This is just one of the many examples where you can take biblical passages out of context.
First of all, he is quoting most of his passages from the Old Testament. Many Christians today, except when they need an Old Testament passage to justify a cause, will tell you the Old Testament "was done away with when Jesus was nailed to the cross.". Thus any reference to the old Testament is invalid. But, if one is going to quote the Old Testament, one needs to follow everything said, every law commanded. God told the Israelites quite plainly that it was an abomination to follow the practices of their neighbours. To follow their practices and beliefs was to receive the punishment of death. And there was no distinction between minor and major infractions. The so-called imperial system of weights and measures is a derivation of the Babylonian system. Babylon was a nation God considered an enemy of himself and Israel. To follow any of the practices of Babylon was an abomination for sure and punishable by death. Thus, one can say that measuring in imperial is an abomination and anyone using it or promoting it should be taken to the city gates (or limits) and stoned to death. I wonder what Tony Bennett would think of that. John ----- Original Message ----- From: "M R" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, 2002-05-05 13:06 Subject: [USMA:19924] Fwd: Some of you might find this interesting > Just like Osama Bin Laden took refuge in Islam, > this guy 'Tony Bennett' is trying to take > refuge in Christianity. > > If Britain has to retain its units, then they can > have a common market with Myanmar, since that is the > only country in the World using Imperial units. > > Liberia uses US Customary units. > > Madan > > > --- kilopascal <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > From: "kilopascal" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Subject: [USMA:19923] Some of you might find this > > interesting > > Date: Sun, 5 May 2002 12:39:42 -0400 > > Reply-to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > THE CHRISTIAN AND COMPULSORY METRICATION > > > > By Tony Bennett > > > > At first sight, compulsory metrication may seem like > > a minor irritation which should not particularly > > concern the Christian. Some may even regard the > > standardisation of weights and measures worldwide as > > a blessing. > > > > However, metrication has an interesting history > > which should at least give us pause for thought. It > > was devised, of course, by the French > > revolutionaries (many of them Freemasons), inspired > > as they were by their anti-Christian, humanist > > ideology. They abolished the 7-day week and many > > other trappings of Christian civilisation, quite > > apart from killing hundreds of thousands in their > > pursuit of 'liberty, equality and fraternity'. > > > > Whatever its advantages, the metric system is > > essentially an artificial system, with major > > disadvantages compared with our system of inches and > > feet, yards and miles, pints and gallons, ounces, > > pounds and stones and so on. These are all units > > easy for the human mind to conceive and nearly all > > of which can conveniently be divided into halves, > > quarters, sixths, etc., which is difficult in the > > metric system. The British system of weights and > > measures has passed down from generation to > > generation by oral tradition and cannot just be > > eliminated by law-making. Decades of compulsory > > metrication, including the removal of the teaching > > of British weights and measures from the national > > curriculum, have not stopped us weighing ourselves > > in stones and pounds, measuring our height in feet > > and inches, speaking of our car's fuel consumption > > in miles per gallon, and so on. > > > > The system of weights and measures the Israelites > > used was a human, natural system, like ours. A > > recent United Nations survey revealed an amazing > > 1,600-plus different systems of weights and measures > > still in use - all of them 'natural' systems like > > ours - and proof if it were needed that the metric > > system is by no means as widely adopted as its > > supporters claim. > > > > The decision to impose the metric system on Britain > > was made by Harold Wilson when he quietly met with > > leaders of the then European Economic Community in > > 1963, a year before he was first elected Prime > > Minister. Decimalization of our currency followed, > > garages were forced to sell petrol by the litre, > > hospitals ordered to discard their lbs. and oz. > > scales in favour of metric scales and supermarkets > > forced to sell by the kilogram and gram. The next > > notch on the ratchet was to make it a crime under > > British law for loose goods to be sold in pounds and > > ounces. That is currently being 'flouted' (or > > rather, very sensibly being ignored) by thousands of > > small shopkeepers and market traders. As I write, > > the law on this issue is about to be determined by > > two High Court judges, who will have to decide if > > five 'metric martyrs' are indeed criminals. The > > British public clearly don't think so, having > > overwhelmingly voted Sunderland greengrocer Steve > > Thoburn as 'European Campaigner of the Year', much > > to the irritation of the European Commission, and as > > 'Man of the Year' in an ITV Teletext poll last > > month. > > > > Despite all this, the government recently > > promulgated a Regulation which will make it a crime > > even to mention pounds and ounces in British shops > > after 31 December 2009. On 1 January this year it > > became illegal for supermarkets in Britain to sell > > any packaged items mentioning pounds and ounces. > > These attempts at outright obliteration of our > > system of weights and measures bring to mind the > > notorious quotation from former World Health > > Organisation Director Brock Chisholm when he > > addressed the United Nations 1985: "To achieve one > > world government, it is necessary to remove from the > > minds of men their individualism, their loyalty to > > family traditions, and their national > > identification". > > > > Against this background, compulsory metrication may > > be seen as one way of stripping away our national > > identity. So many other examples could be given. > > > > The next major attempt to eliminate use of British > > weights and measures will be the government's plan, > > recently admitted (see Daily Mail, 24.4.01), to > > destroy the three million British road signs in > > miles, yards, feet and inches, and replace them with > > signs in kilometres and metres. The pretext (for > > that is what it is) is that by 2006, more than 50% > > of British drivers will have been 'metric educated'. > > Already a start was made in 1994, when new > > Regulations allowed Councils to erect dual-unit > > bridge height and road width signs with metric units > > more prominent than British units. > > > > But apart from those two exceptions, all British > > road and pedestrian signs, even those on private > > land to which the public have access, must be in > > British units only - under the Road Traffic > > Regulations 1994. Yet this has been and is being > > routinely flouted by dozens of local authorities who > > have stealthily been erecting metric road and > > pedestrian signs whenever they can get away with it. > > This, of course, causes confusion, a point conceded > > by John Prescott two years ago when he was Transport > > Minister. So a campaign has developed to try and dam > > this creeping (and, it must be remembered, unlawful) > > metrication of our road signs before the trickle of > > illegal signs becomes a flood. When challenged, some > > authorities concede defeat and change the signs; > > others are clearly reluctant to do so, and need many > > letters before they give in. Still others refuse to > > deal with the illegality or claim they will alter > > the signs 'in due course', but never do so. What > > does one do when a local authority persistently > > refuses to remove or alter a metric sign which is > > clearly not permitted under British law? > > > > Some of us have, as a last resort, taken to direct > > action to stem the flow of unlawful metric road > > signs by neatly painting over any illegal metric > > distances the authorities fail to remove, carefully > > amending them into British units, or in appropriate > > cases removing them from the roadside. In a handful > > of cases, this has met with a swift and aggressive > > response from authorities unwilling to put their > > signs back into British units. They have reported > > these incidents to the Police. I have personally now > > been arrested three times in connection with such > > incidents. In one case, the charges were dropped; in > > another, the Police have so far decided there is > > insufficient evidence to proceed. The third case is > > proceeding in Maidstone Magistrates Court on a > > charge of 'criminal damage', and concerns 56 illegal > > metric road signs erected by Transco Pipelines - > > despite four years of campaigners having warned them > > time and again that to use metric distances on their > > signs was illegal. We painted over the illegal > > distances. The likely trial date is March. > > > > What do the Scriptures say on using any form of > > 'direct action'? There is Christ's warning that we > > should "Render to Caesar the things that are > > Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" > > (Mark 12:17) - regarded as a general injunction to > > obey the law of the land. By and large, the examples > > from the Scriptures of believers defying the > > authorities centre on attempts to ban believers from > > giving due worship and acknowledgement to God. The > > defiance of Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego in > > Daniel 3 is a shining example. But I might mention > > the midwives (Exodus 1:17), who "feared God, and did > > not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved > > the men children alive", and the Jericho harlot > > Rahab, who defied the king's men hunting for the > > Israelite spies with words she knew to be untrue: > > "There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they > > were.whither the men went I wot not: pursue after > > then quickly; for ye shall overtake them" (Joshua > > 2:4-5). > > > > I see compulsory metrication as one of many attempts > > our governments have been making for decades to > > strip away our sense of national identity for some > > ulterior purpose. It disconnects us from our history > > and erodes an aspect of our distinctive culture, > > contrary to the 'celebration of diversity' principle > > so often promoted in other contexts e.g. the > > 'multicultural society'. > > > > A sense of national identity was of course something > > God Himself gave to human beings - for the express > > purpose of restraining evil. In Genesis 11:9 we read > > how "the Lord did there confound the language of all > > the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them > > abroad upon the face of all the earth". This was in > > response to God's observation (Genesis 11:6) that > > "the people is one.now nothing will be restrained > > from them, which they have imagined to do" - a clear > > warning of the likely explosion of evil if we ever > > move to the one world government so many > > high-ranking people are now working towards. Taking > > direct action against illegal metric signs seems to > > those of us involved to be a legitimate way of > > helping to prevent the loss of one significant part > > of our national identity. But I am aware that many > > fellow-Christians may disagree. > > > > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Health - your guide to health and wellness > http://health.yahoo.com > >
