Text Box: We Write For You! You Decide For Us!
Pittsburgh Standard

Text Box: I'm putting my rainbow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant between Me and the Earth. (Gen. 9:13, The Message)
  

 

Home

Introduction

Express Your View

Monthly Archives 

JUNE 2006 

Best of 2004

Best of 2003

Best of 2002

Best of 2001

PSDonations

Our Sections

PS Editorial Board

 
Search this site or the web powered by FreeFind

Site search Web search

 

 

EXPRESSIONS
 

Updated July 01, 2006 at 8:53 am EST

 

BEST OF

AUG 04 - JULY 05

 

NEWS


Special three year   anniversary 9-11 edition

 

Blasi on Board Brings Brightness!

 

President Bush's inaugural address focuses on freedom, friendship, and faith!

 

Pop singer Michael Jackson acquitted of all 10 counts!

 

SGB ELECTIONS:

 

'Driven', 'Proven' and 'Results Matter' slates sweep SGB election!
 

Endorsing the fabulous five for Student Government Board (SGB) elections on Nov 17!

 

Election 2004:

 

MORAL PUSH 4 BUSH WORKED!

Kerry for a weaker America: Running for president, they call him Kerry!

 

PSelect-cision 2004 asks: "What are issues that are most important to you that you are basing your vote on and why?"

 

PSelect-cision 2004 asks 40 students, "Which presidential candidate will best lead this country and why?"

 

Kerry for DRAFT which Bush is against!

 

Trial advocate Edwards could not defend Kerry against charges!

 

Who cares for the the 2nd victim!

 

Republicans are the political party for African-Americans and people of different ethnicities!


Answering, "Voting for neither candidate of a major political party is going to bring us closer to God."

 

Impressions

 

Carnegie Library corrupts the morals of a minor!

 

SGB and Rainbow Alliance’s view of homosexuality is not held by all!

 

Juveniles escape of death penalty could influence abortion decisions.

 

FDA should continue to ban gay sperm and ignore editorials opposing them!

 

Expressions

 

Archives of Daily Devotionals Delivers Dosage!

 

Christian groups seek to provide haven for incoming students!

 

Boston Red Sox ace Curt Schilling knows all about spiritual strikeouts!

 

Vote for the perfect candidate 24-7!

 

Hotpressions

 

The Pitt News editorial, 'Troop casualties undercounted by 17,000'  makes it sound like......

 

Rebuttal to Daniel Masny's Feb 03,05 Pitt News column

 

Sports

 

Pitt  2004 Cheerleading and Dance Team surrounded Schenley Quad with their Squad!

 

Pitt Cheerleaders and Dance team try to cheer up Panther fans!

 

"Golf’s New 'Sultan of Swat' Victorious Again"

There’s a New 'Berg' in the ‘Burgh.'

 

Three Panther fans weather the floods at 6:30 a.m.


Steelers Open Season with Home Victory

Pitt's Track and Field could go the distance!

 

Pittsburgh Steelers come back with rookie and backup players!

 

Deja Vu for the Steelers

 

Entertainment

 

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

 

Feature

 

"Top 25 reasons given for why students think the original candy cane was made with red and white stripes and was in the shape of a candy cane?"

 

Top 14 answers to "Love is....."

 

My Kiss of a Lifetime hopes to be special!

 

Top 14 responses to 'A Loving friend is........'
In celebration of Valentine's Day, the top 50-26 responses to 'Love is....'

 

In celebration of Valentine's Day, the top 25-1 responses to 'Love is....'

 

Top 5 responses given by students to, "What is the most important lesson your mom taught you?"

 

Acrostic Poem for Mother's Day!

 

Greek Life

 

Greek communities can communicate charity and care!

 

Kappa Kappa Gamma sister Jessica shows her Pitt spirit with her friends!

 

Newest sisters of Delta Zeta sorority enjoy a meal at Schenley Cafe after their initiation!

 

Student Government Board member Liz Blasi enjoys a meal at Schenley Cafe with her Chi Omega sisters!

 

Food

 

PGSIS 2005 Taste with Haste Cereal Poem

 

PGSIS Class of 2005 Favorite Cereal Survey Results

 

Education


Human Resource Management Final Exam Sample Questions II
 

Human Resource Management Final Exam 45 Sample Questions

Demystifying Dan Brown’s Delusional Deceptive Da Vinci Code: Part I"


By Ramesh C.Reddy
Pittsburgh Standard


Saturday, July 1, 2006

The Da Vinci Code novel and movie is packed with lies that are presented as fact. Each day, every false statement, heresy, or theological misstatement in the novel or movie, will be demystified with evidence. There are more than 108 lies in the Da Vinci Code that Brown wants people to believe as fact in a fictional novel. My job will be to expose the lies and present the truth. We will be looking at LIE # 1 today.

 LIE #1:

In 325 A.D. at “a famous ecumenical gathering known as Council of Nicaea….many aspects of Christianity were debated and voted upon….the divinity of Jesus. Until that moment in history, Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet…a great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless. A mortal….Jesus’ establishment as ‘the Son of God’ was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicaea…a relative close vote at that.” (Da Vinci Code paperback, pp. 252-253)

Let me demystify the lies from the truth:

The truth:
The Council of Nicaea did convene in 325 A.D.

The lies:

  1. The Council of Nicaea voted to give Jesus divinity.

  2. Jesus was viewed by his followers as a mortal prophet, a great powerful man, but a man nonetheless before 325 A.D.

  3. Jesus’ establishment as ‘the Son of God’ was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicaea

  4. The vote was relatively close.

The Council of Nicaea did not have to vote to give Jesus divinity. Their vote was more of an affirmation of what followers of Christ already believed before the fourth century.

Followers of Christ believed in Jesus to be divine that they were willing to be brutalized by gladiators to their death, torn up by lions, stoned to death, and go through all sorts of persecutions rather than denying who Jesus is and why they followed Him. All these Christians had to do was renounce Jesus as God and King which would have spared their lives. They did not because of their belief that Jesus was not a mortal prophet but God Himself come in the flesh to save humanity. To them Jesus was not ‘just a man nonetheless’ as Brown wants people to believe. Majority of Jesus' disciples died terrible deaths for believing in Jesus as their Lord and Personal Savior.

It is shocking that Brown wants people to believe that for four hundred years, people just decided to go through torture and persecutions for belief in a prophet. All the persecutions resulted because they knew Jesus is divine and were not going to renounce Him for any reason. Jesus died on the cross for the sins of humanity in 33 A.D. and came back to life three days later. That is 292 years before the Council of Nicaea. It was during that era the Christians suffered enormous persecution. Yet, more Christians have died for their faith in the 20th century compared to all the 19th centuries combined. They were willing to give up their lives without renouncing the Truth.

Jesus’ establishment as ‘the Son of God’ was NOT officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicaea. People before then already believed Jesus to be ‘the Son of God’ and have the characteristics of divinity.

If anything, the issue came up again because of heretical teachings by pastors who were spreading lies. One of them was Arius of Alexandria. To squash those lies and heresy, the Council of Nicaea began the development of a creed in 325 A.D. It was formally adopted at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 A.D. and became known as the NICENE CREED.

The Nicene Creed    
  
We believe in one God
      the Father, the Almighty,
      maker of heaven and earth,
      of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
      the only Son of God,
      eternally begotten of the Father,
      God from God, Light from Light,
      true God from true God,
      begotten, not made,
      of one Being with the Father;
      through him all things were made.
      For us and for our salvation
          he came down from heaven,
          was incarnate of the Holy Spirit
          and the Virgin Mary
          and became truly human.
          For our sake he was crucified
          under Pontius Pilate;
          he suffered death and was buried.
          On the third day he rose again
          in accordance with the Scriptures;
          he ascended into heaven
          and is seated at the right hand
          of the Father.
          He will come again in glory
          to judge the living and the dead,
          and his kingdom will  have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord,
          and the giver of life,
      who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
      who with the Father and the Son
          is worshiped and glorified,
      who has spoken through the prophets.
      We believe in the one holy catholic 
          (Christian) and apostolic church.
      We acknowledge one baptism
          for the forgiveness of sins.
      We look for the resurrection of the dead,
          and the life of the world to come. Amen

The vote to make Jesus divine was not the reason for the vote as stated before. The vote was for the affirmation of the divinity of Jesus Christ. It was NOT a relatively close vote as Dan Brown wants his readers to believe. Rather, the divinity of Jesus Christ was affirmed 316 – 2. Any child that knows math can see that it was not even a close vote.

Before the Council of Nicaea convened, we learn from many followers of Christ that they believed in Jesus to be divine as early as 292 years before the Council convened. Here are some of the names of those who affirmed the divinity of Jesus before Brown’s deceptive claim.

Ignatius: “God Himself was manifested in human form.” (AD 105)

Clement: “It is fitting that you should think of Jesus Christ as of God” (A.D 150)

Justin Martyr: “Being the first-begotten Word of God, is even God”; “Both God and Lord of hosts”; “The Father of the universe has a Son. And He ….is even God” (AD 160)

(For more names, read page 90 of ‘Exploring the Da Vinci Code’ by Lee Strobel and Garry Poole)

In the first century alone when the Gospels were written, they attested to the divinity of Jesus Christ. Remember that was the same century that Jesus walked the earth. When speaking to the disciples Jesus claims to be the ‘I AM’. This is how God addressed Himself to Moses at the burning bush. The Pharisees would have known about that. Now Jesus says to others, “I AM” and describes His function as ‘I AM’

“I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." (John 6:48-51, NIV)

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12, NIV)

"You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins." (John 8:23-24, NIV)

"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" (John 8:58, NIV)

“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:10-11, NIV)

“What about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's Son'?” (John 10:35-37, NIV)

“Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26, NIV)

"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am.” (John 13:13, NIV)

“Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." (John 14:6-7)

“Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.” (John 14:10-11, NIV)

“Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.” (John 14:10, NIV)

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5, NIV)

Jesus’ divinity is attested in the Old Testament and New Testament writings which were written 292 years before the Council of Nicaea. Brown figured he could make people believe what he wrote because of his half truths but they are coded in deceptive delusions.

If you still are having trouble believing in the divinity of Jesus Christ, remember the Bible has stood the test of time. If you have read the Da Vinci Code and believe a novel, I assure you if you take the time to go through the Gospel of John and read it through, you will come to know the real truth about Jesus and His claims to divinity. The other Gospels will supplement that Truth!

The Gospel of John starts out proclaiming the divinity of Jesus Christ.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. (John 1:1-4, NIV)

“He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:11-14, NIV)

As the movie DaVinci Code opened across the theaters on May 19, 2006, which speaks against the church and most importantly degrades the Name of Jesus Christ, we need to make ourselves available to speak the truth to the falsity presented in the movie and the novel. If you plan to watch the movie or have read the book and have questions or your faith seems to be shaken, please email me or give me a call at 412-720-4579 so we can discuss the false claims in the book that are presented as fact even though the book itself and the movie is presented as fiction. May the Lord bless you and guide you!

If you need anyone to talk to, pray with, or study the Bible with this Spring or Summer of 2006, you can email me at reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com or call me at 412-720-4579. Please do not hesitate. One-one Bible studies can be so powerful to because the Holy Spirit is still in the midst.

"This is my work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)

Express Your View

 


 

 

Copyright 2006 Pittsburgh Standard

Reproduction or reuse for profit prohibited without written consent from Pittsburgh Standard