La Luz del Mundo: Revisited
A couple of months ago, I published a blog about a church, La Luz del Mundo (LLDM), and to my surprise, it has caused quite some stir! I have since learn much more about the church and the mentality of some of the members that attend. As you may know, I pointed out that the church’s foundation is based on lies- due to their belief in a modern-day apostle, Samuel Joaquin Flores, who is at the core of the congregation’s teaching. Emphasis is placed on this man… more-so than Christ. Being straight to the point, people have to believe in this “chosen one sent by God” for their salvation in heaven, and what is worse: the church naively proclaims that outside of LLDM, there is NO salvation. It appears that our Lord Jesus Christ, dying for our sins, was not enough and people must revere this new “apostle” to be saved. As honest individuals, what are we to think of such bold blasphemies and blatant lies? The church hierarchy, beginning with Samuel himself, to his sons, and his elite inner-circle possess mostly dubious behavior, to say the least. Personally, I would not feel safe if surrounded by this group. They are interested in money and holding their position at any cost. In my other blog, La Luz del Mundo: A Church Founded on Lies, I was fortunate to meet several people with a genuine love of God and who put forth their testimonies regarding their negative experiences with this church, if it can even be called that, since it appears to be more like a cult… unbeknownst to the poor, misinformed people who attend, of course. My aim, and of others here, is not to offend at all but to expose the church for what it is. We are conscientious that many, many people that attend do so out of their love and genuine faith in God, what they do not know is that Samuel preaches a different gospel altogether.
When exposing the truth of this church, we point at the history of the church, the subsequent inheritance of the church by Samuel, and how the church is molded today. I mostly have focused on the history and the life-impacting aspects of the church while others, like Colin, Blue, Christopher and Alberto have put forth very solid and fool-proof biblical Scriptures challenging the authenticity of “Apostle” Samuel Joaquin Flores. A connoisseur of the Holy Bible, Colin has submitted evidence that convince, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Samuel’s “apostleship” is a farce.
Revelations 2:2 instructs thus:
“…You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and you have found them to be liars.”
As Colin has pointed out elsewhere, Samuel Joaquin Flores is 0 for 5 in the requirements of a true apostle:
Samuel has never seen Jesus Christ, Samuel was never chosen by Christ, Samuel has never performed a sign or miracle, Samuel has never written an Epistle, and Samuel never had the role in the foundation of the universal church by preaching the original and only Gospel of Jesus Christ… in short, Samuel soundly fails the prerequisites of a true apostle. Moving on, if you take an objective view on the lifestyle Samuel has had, it is not on par with the rest of the true apostles of Jesus Christ. For example, Samuel is very wealthy, living in luxurious mansions, owning luxurious cars, owning ranches with a zoo of exotic animals, owning other properties all over Mexico and abroad, vacationing frequently to Las Vegas, and dressing in expensive Italian designer clothes… it begs the question, were the biblical apostles filthy rich? All these are facts. Though we live in modern times, living like this was not the example set by the original apostles. Jesus, in Matthew 6:19, even commands us to not collect treasures on earth, but that is precisely what Samuel Joaquin Flores does.
Now, when you present these points to people who attend LLDM, we are the enemy. A member even claimed that I live a horrible life, made-so by the devil! They call us ignorant, stupid, morons, and other things that aren’t of a “Christian” nature. Regarding his wealth and properties, fanatics will always counter that God has simply blessed Samuel and if he lives in luxury, so be it. Members state that their “apostle” never asks for anything (though he sure is quick to accept a yacht, among other things) and that they simply want to “accommodate” and treat their spiritual leader well. Pretty preposterous, right? Most of the congregation are dirt poor, and pastors are sent with family in-tow to the poorest of regions to start-up new churches. As one commentator most eloquently put on the other blog, some of the pastor’s families only have tortillas with salt to eat (if that), while the tithe was mailed religiously to Guadalajara for Samuel and his family to live like royalty. Still, members see nothing wrong with this. They have filters for the reality surrounding their leader. The widows of the pastors exploited by the church do not even receive a pension. On the contrary, the church convinces widows and other members who are ill and close to death to donate their houses and/or their other properties to the church. Pastors have no insurance. As another frequent commentator stated, if a pastor falls ill and needs surgery and medication, he is pretty much on his own and headquarters reluctantly loan money to that particular church to temporary cover the medical costs, money that has to be paid back by the people that attend that church (basically, they pitch in money for the cause). All these points lead to the conclusion that LLDM executives are full of greed and unscrupulous. Yet another example of this is that members are pretty much required to pilgrim to Guadalajara on August 14th and February 14th to pay homage to the self-labeled “apostle”. What might surprise you is that February 14th is his birthday! Again, members will say that during this “holy supper”, mention of his birthday is never made. Be as it may, the day is still his birthday. As you read this, LLDM churches from every location are collecting and raising money to buy gifts for Samuel. Since most of the members have little to no education, it is an easy matter to brainwash them. For instance, they are told that the Bible can only be properly interpreted by their pastors, as it is too sophisticated for them to understand on their own. This, of course, means most of the members know very little about the Holy Bible. Even the ones that know the Scriptures interpret them in their own skewed way and defend their faux apostle with such zealot that it is almost admirable. They should remember the old adage “Just because you believe in something… it doesn’t mean it’s true”.
Naturally, the truth hurts and LLDM proponents have come out to defend their church. Unfortunately, most only state their opinions and cannot defend their beliefs, while rebuking us for “insulting” their religion. On the other hand, those who share my view mostly state clear biblical truths. What is closer to the truth? Contents from the Bible or opinions? If we are honest, and as academics it is our duty to be so, one can easily discern that what we write is VERITAS. Sadly, it has even come to the point that a member has researched me, trying to find out who I truly am, where I live, etc., as well as investigating my father’s history. Very creepy behavior, wouldn’t you agree? Yet, not unexpected. Still, who would go through such lengths to find out about a blog writer if the truth written here is not damaging their church? Digging into my family’s history and contacting some of my father’s siblings from the church is rather disturbing. It gives an unsettling feeling that I may be targeted for elimination. How far would this cult go to protect its interest? We have but to look to the past to see how fanatics were quick to shed blood like say in the crusades, all for their beliefs. Let us remember David Koresh who preyed on the ignorance of his followers and manipulated them to carry out his whims. The only difference here is that Samuel uses his claim as an “apostle” to get rich. Yes, many members are mad at my blog and for writing about LLDM. In their minds, they are blasphemies and God will surely punish me for it.
To make matters worse, some people have given testimonies that on top of all I have mentioned, sexual abuse has been occurring from long ago. Allegedly, Samuel has had many young women working in his mansion in Guadalajara and, intuitively, one can gather that the apostle has engaged in sexual intercourse with more than one woman throughout the years. Is it true? I do not know, I was not there. What is known is that said young women do wear clothing that reveals their voluptuous feminine figure. Investigation to these claims have always led to dead ends, primarily due to the money and influence of this church in Mexico.
Samuel Joaquin Flores is in his 70s, and his death is imminent. Will he chose a son of his to carry the mantle of “apostleship” just as he received it from his father Aaron?! That is precisely what will happen… and it will happen quite soon. LLDM criticizes the Roman Catholic Church for having the Pope as their maximum spiritual leader, failing to see that they themselves have their own ‘pope” who lives just as luxuriously and worse, by lying to 5 million people that he was appointed by God himself! Samuel has no education… but to make amends, he purchased an ‘honorary doctorate’… so he is now called “doctor”! It is an abomination that this man has never been convicted. In Mexico, government authorities like the police are easily bought and controlled. That LLDM steers its congregation to vote for PRI in every election guarantees them immunity from the government. Members always will tell you that Samuel is a kind hearted human being who builds schools, hospitals, clinics, and such… what they fail to understand is that none of those services are free. They are all charged for.
It is sad how humble people with a desire to know God are being taken advantage by this false “apostle”.
Chess and Paul Morphy
There are people who play poker, people who play dominoes, people who play Uno, people who play Counter Strike… and then there are people who play chess. I am one of the latter. Chess is my favorite board game of all time. Why? Because it is a mental war game! It requires deep thought, focus, and creativity. Opponents have to prepare both a defense and an attack and must endeavor to outwit each other… aiming for the precious capture of the enemy king… the checkmate! I learned to play chess when I was 13 years old and have been hooked ever since. I would be lying to you if I were to tell you that I have always played throughout the years. In fact, it is a hobby that I leave and come back to from time to time. This is because in my social circles, hardly anybody knows how to play chess… and if they do, they usually aren’t good at it. It is not that fun to play with someone who only knows how to move the pieces, the game requires the strategy of a knowledgeable opponent to make it interesting. I used to think I was a strong player in my teens and in my early 20s. That was until I started playing with a 40 year-old co-worker named Victor. Oh, my God… the guy annihilated me so bad that I still have nightmares! He would even give me odds of a knight and a bishop! It hurt my ego so I started reading chess books and opening theory. I learned tips and tricks and used them accordingly against him. It took weeks but then he would only give me a pawn… and soon we started our games on equal terms. I must have played over a hundred games with him! I did manage to beat him about 40% of the time eventually. Whatever I learned, he would learn from me during our matches, so I was only making him stronger! I started employing the Queen’s Indian Defence, the Caro-Kann, the Grünfeld Defence and the Queen Gambit’s Accepted! Sadly, I changed jobs and never saw him again. I still miss our grand chess games during our breaks and lunch hour.
Since Victor was a strong player by my standards I decided to read chess books… to become a better player. However, with school and other work (and the fact that nobody at home wanted to play chess), I walked out on my hobby. I just recently returned in full force! I bought a large, hand-carved wooden chess set made in Bethlehem worth $300 and I also bought Garry Kasparov’s book, On My Great Predecessors. It is part one of a 5-part series in which the 13th world champion, Kasparov, analyses the games of the early masters and tracks the evolution of chess to modern times. Kasparov is actually considered one of the greatest players to ever play the game, with a peak FIDE (the mafia that organizes chess tournaments) Elo rating of 2851 in addition to him being World Chess Champion from 1985-2000. The book is a compilation of masterpieces played by the best players both before and after the World Chess Championship was established and includes select games from the first four official world champions: Steinitz, Lasker, Capablanca, and Alekhine. It is interesting to note that there were several “unofficial” world champions… Philidor, Le Bourdannais, Staunton… and most notably Adolf Anderssen of Germany and the great Paul Morphy of America. These players were vastly ahead of their time. Anderssen dazzled everyone with his combination play in which he often sacrificed a rook, a bishop, even a queen to checkmate his opponents! He was the strongest player in Europe with no equal… that is, until “The Pride and Sorrow of Chess”, Paul Morphy, obliterated all opposition in both the New and Old Worlds.
Paul Morphy is actually my favorite chess player of all time! I would like to tell you about him. As Kasparov states in his book, Morphy was a “super-genius”. He was the epitome of a child prodigy. Born in New Orleans in 1837, he always surprised his family with his intelligence and acute memory. He learned chess from his father and his uncle, who valued chess as a family past-time. He learned just by looking at his father and uncle play, and upon their finishing a certain game, Morphy pointed out that his uncle had missed a “checkmate”. They were in shock since they did not even think he knew how to move the pieces, much less know any tactics. Morphy even arranged the chess board and demonstrated how his uncle had missed the checkmate! Naturally, his family encouraged him to play at the local chess club and at home, and soon, he made everyone his bitch… General Winfield Scott, while camping in New Orleans, asked his aides to bring him the town’s strongest chess player for an evening’s game. The general thought of himself as an extraordinary player and felt insulted when his aides brought him a 9 year-old Morphy, he thought it was a prank but his aides told him that everyone said the young Morphy was the strongest player around. Needless to say, Morphy vanquished the General not once, but twice. The General refused further games with him and preferred to go to bed! Sometime later, Löwenthal, one of Europe’s distinguished masters, visited New Orleans and consented to play with a 12 year-old Morphy… a few moves into the very first game and he knew he was facing a chess monster… he swiftly lost 3 games during his visit. Morphy went to get a law degree by the age of 19, and legend has it that he memorized all of Louisiana’s penal codes! However, he had to wait until he was of 21 years of age to practice law, so he decided to return to chess in the meantime. The rest is history. He easily became national chess champion by beating Paulsen, a very strong chess player. He then set off in 1958 to England in search of a match with the great English master, Staunton. He easily beat all the top English masters and Staunton, out of fear, refused to play him. Also, he beat Löwenthal yet again (+9 -3 =2)! However, Morphy was nice enough to buy his defeated opponent furniture with the prize money. Not satisfied, he crossed the channel into France. There, he beat all the top French players! Still not content, he challenged the awesome Adolf Anderssen to a match. Anderssen was not a coward like Staunton and accepted if only Morphy would wait until Christmas vacations since he had teaching duties. Morphy agreed and even pledged to pay Anderssen’s travelling expenses! While he thus waited for the German master, he kept busy crushing all opposition in grand style, even playing blindfold games with multiple opponents as exhibitions! He crushed two strong amateurs, the Duke of Brunswick and Count Isouard, who consulted with each other as to what to move during an opera, the well known “opera game“. Morphy, perhaps irritated because he wanted to see the performance, quickly destroyed his opponents in a mere 17 moves. When December arrived, Anderssen finally made it to Paris. Anderssen was given the title of ‘chess romantic’ and no one could match his combinations on the board. However, combinations, in which emphasis was placed on attacking as the best type of defense was to prove useless with the advent of positional theory, in which small advantages by position could render combinations ineffective. Paul Morphy, though also a combination genius, was the forefather of modern chess because his positional play was here to stay. Later, Steinitz would publish the first positional theories and made them known to the world. Reckless combinations were to become a thing of the past for the most part. Upon Anderssen’s arrival, Paul Morphy was very ill from an intestinal infection and was being treated with leeches. Morphy, subsequently, lost the first game against Anderssen, then forced a draw on the second game, and then won five in a row! The final score was +7 -2 =2 (Seven wins, two losses, and two draws)! Needless to say, he was a celebrity and Paris hosted a banquet in his honor, he was crowned ‘World Chess Champion’ (It is a pity that the official event of World Chess Championship was not established yet, so Morphy will always be “unofficial” world chess champion in the books). Upon returning to America, Morphy was hailed as a hero and was given a grand reception. In a short two years, he did something never before seen. Unfortunately, Morphy gave up serious chess competition forever upon his return. With the start of the Civil War, he was unable to practice law adequately and people sought him more for chess matters than for legal affairs. As it is with certain geniuses, Morphy started to exhibit signs of mental disorder. The disease progressed and he began to lose his grasp on reality, walking the streets of New Orleans everyday, disoriented and without purpose. He died of a stroke at the relatively young age of 47, in 1884. However, he will always be a chess immortal and many world champions since still regard him the best of them all.
So, there you have it! I am a chess aficionado! In the near future I intend to study the games of Paul Keres and Efim Geller… among others!
On Homosexuals
I have always wondered if homosexuals are born as such, or if through life experiences and choice… they become gay. Perhaps, both? I do not know, but I would like to share with you my view on the subject. It has been known throughout centuries that homosexuals have always been around, maybe since the beginning of man. Boy lovers in ancient Athens ran rampant, even Socrates himself was accused of being homosexual and was charged for perverting youths. Heck, homosexual behavior has been observed in several mammals, primates being no exception. Some of those chimps really go at it! Male to male attraction or female to female attraction has always perplexed me. We were designed by God (or evolution, depending your taste) to be a plug (man) and socket (female) combination. Anatomically, you have no need to look any further, men are designed for women and vice-versa, it isn’t as complicated as the Dirac Equation or Lev Landau’s superfluidity work (don’t ask)! Structurally, our sex organs and reproductive systems guarantee the propagation of the human race only in a male-to-female pairing. This is, to me, how nature always intended it. When push comes to shove, be it a successful life or a mediocre one, the one thing we share with most other humans is the ability to reproduce and to leave progeny on earth. Of course, it is not always this way but that is usually how it is and the main idea… wether we realize it or not is irrelevant. We just fuse DNA (egg+sperm) and out comes the next generation.
If we analyze a male-to-male pairing or a female-to-female pairing, we would arrive to the conclusion that these combinations do not function in the reproduction, propagation, and survival of the human species. It sounds harsh, but a two plug combination or a two socket combination… is not what nature intended. If all the peoples of the world became homosexual, our species would be in big trouble. There is a possibility that we would cease to exist, or reproduction would become a “burden”. Just to be clear, I am not implying that homosexuals contribute nothing to humanity. There are many great people with great hearts and charisma, who help and contribute to society in countless ways. I do believe everyone is entitled to live life as they want, personal lives are private and to each his own. Most of the time, I care not for how people decide to live, as long as they do not affect or interfere in my own life.
However, one can always be curious as to why people adopt a homosexual lifestyle. Perhaps, a gene sequence in people’s genome is faulty, implying a genetic disease. It is a possibility that we cannot rule out and it kind of makes sense, especially with cases when the child exhibits homosexual characteristics from early on. There is a lot of controversy regarding this theory as correlated twin studies (one twin being homo and the other hetero) discredit this approach. Still, I believe that even twin DNA can vary ever so slightly, expressing different genes. We still have so much to learn about our 3 billion base pairs in our DNA, full of genes and “junk”. Another approach to answer why people adopt a homosexual lifestyle involves choice. It is a much easier concept, people of the same sex find each other attractive and choose to be together. Maybe they were not ‘born’ gay but they, at some point in their lives, feel an inexorable attraction to the same sex. Sexual activity between said individuals only adds to their attraction and feeling of love. For instance, a male gay couple will get addicted to stimulation of their prostate and so on. We all can get addicted to some sort of physical stimulation but in my view, as a man, nothing can replace the pleasure a woman can give you. Most men (and women) out there will agree with me, but not gay couples, and that is understandable. Lesbians, I regard in a different light, this being so because no man can truly understand the female anatomy as well as another woman. Lately, the world has become more liberal and the gay community has risen to get things like gay marriage laws to be passed. I know I said that everyone is entitled to whatever life they want, but I am divided on this issue. If all the states allow gay marriage, it would fuel an upsurge and many will come out of the closet… gay numbers may increase. This is just one scenario, mind you, I am no expert on such things. Gay people on the same terms as heterosexual couples is not something I agree in, to tell you the truth. Moreover, in the decades to come, if more and more gay couples are seen in public holding hands and/or kissing, what are little children to think? Would they assume that homosexual behavior is normal? Would those children be inclined to follow such lifestyle if they see it all over? We function on a monkey-see/monkey-do basis much of the time, and I can almost be sure that precisely that will happen. In the end, it is a deviation from our intended design, giving over to physical lust. Allowing gay couples to adopt is also something I do not agree with, but that is just me. I know there are gay couples with great honesty and integrity that should be able to adopt, but as it is in this world, some ruin it for the rest. Mine is only but a mere view on such topic. What do you guys think on these topics?
Building an “Atomic Bomb”.
One of my most memorable memories from my childhood is when I was nine years old. I overheard my father and older brothers talk about the atom bomb and nuclear weapons, how they could wipe our cities out and possibly destroy our world. All this information blew me away, it sparked my interest profoundly. I decided to make my own “atomic bomb”. What I did was, I kept an empty aluminum coke can in my room. When nobody was looking, I would sneak material into my room and put it inside the can. I would get matches, cut the match heads and dump them inside! I would also add lighter fluid, small pieces of coals of charcoal, and alcohol. The can started to get heavy as the days went by. The problem was that I kept it hidden under my bed. One day, when I got home from school, it was gone—my mom had thrown it away! 
I have always wondered if my “atomic bomb” would have detonated… or at least light up as a Molotov. Come on, give me a break! I knew nothing about plutonium and uranium enrichment or fission and fusion reactions. The weird thing is that I would still love to build such a bomb and just keep it under my bed.
Girls… just want to have fun!
There is a particular song by Cindy Lauper called Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, that pretty much summarizes what most girls want. You could be the sweetest, most sincere nice guy out there, but if you do not know how to have fun or live like a hermit—guys, you are screwed. Women are special individuals with special needs; they love to have fun and love to be loved. It isn’t rocket science! I will be the first to admit, that I used to be an introverted lout lost in his own little world, reading books and doing outlandishly nerdy things, until it hit me… it sucks to be alone, it really does. Thankfully, I learned of a way to balance my interests and be more outreaching and extroverted.
Girls love to have fun, to go out and drink at a nice bar or a club and just unplug from work and/or school routine. Heck, not just girls, but guys as well. To tell you the truth, if we are single, we go to a bar and hope to find someone. We all yearn to find someone that we can love and be loved in return. For a guy, that is no problem, we drink and can hold our liquor (most of us anyway). If we find someone, fine, if we don’t… then there’s next week. Personally, I do not think like this, but for the sake of simplicity I will write how guys are in general. Guys are dogs, women! Never let your guard down or let yourself be deceived. I know what you are thinking, “heck, Oscar, you ARE a guy”. True, but I am not like those guys… neither am I a saint, of course.
Guys generally go to clubs to hook up for one night stands, contrary to what you believe, most are not looking for a serious relationship. How do I know? One, I’m a guy, and a lot of friends were like that, and two, I can observe guys at any club I show up and predict what they are going to do. I know, I know, still a nerdy thing to do, but bear with me. A girl drinking in a club is like a sheep entering a wolf’s lair, especially, if she is alone or only accompanied by girlfriends. I know the thinking patterns of guys; they will soon approach such a girl (especially if she is gorgeous) and will start getting their game on, smooth talking like Joel Osteen or Barack Obama, and sporting their tight douchebag clothes. If you start conversation with them and they aren’t cheap, they will gladly intoxicate you further. After all, that is what they want, to get you drunk and turn into an octopus before you know it (you girls know what I mean). That is why, if I were a girl, I wouldn’t trust any stranger at the club. All they want is sex, not the person within you. A true man waits.
Trust the guys at the library or Barnes and Noble. The mathematical probability of them being more honest and having integrity is much more elevated than some random stranger at a bar. Game theory attempts to mathematically capture behavior in strategic situations, in which an individual’s success in making choices depends on the choices of others. Therefore, the choices you make as a girl directly equate to the success the guy obtains. At the bar, women can make choices that will make the douchebag win. As for the nerd at the library, don’t take him for granted. Despite his uncombed hair, his badly need for a haircut, and crappy t-shirt, he could very well be a party animal if you give him the chance. The douche, sporting the appealing bad boy image and silver tongue will always be beaten by the nerd in the long run. Nerds go places. The other guys get stuck with child support and/or working like mules the rest of their lives, consequently, girls cease having fun.