The Great Laminin Hoax: Sorry To Burst Your Bubble

I’m sad to say that I needed someone to point this out to me, but the very popular post and video going around from Christian speaker, Louie Giglio, regarding the cross-like shape of the Laminin molecule and how that is, supposedly, pointing to how Jesus is the one who “holds all things together” as referenced in Colossians 1:15-20, is totally false.

Sorry. It’s not true.

The first problem is simply that the the purportedly cross-shaped Laminin protein is not cross-shaped. Not even close.

Let’s back up and summarize the claims before we get going.

Here are the basic claims being made:

“Laminins are a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue. Laminins are what hold us together, literally. They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what holds one cell of our bodies to the next cell. Without them, we would literally fall apart.”

That part is true. No problem there.

The problem comes when people like Louie Giglio [and he is the originator of this growing myth these days] shows everyone a diagram of Laminin that looks like this:

Wow. That probably reminds you of something, doesn’t it? Well, yes. It is sort of “cross-shaped”. But that’s an artist’s rendering designed to help students and scientists understand the component structure of the molecule.

Here’s what the actual Laminin molecule looks like under an electron microscope.

Uhm…Err...uh...yeah. Well, that’s not very cross-like is it? 

No. Not really.

Does that mean that Jesus doesn’t “hold all things together” the way Colossians claims?

Of course Jesus holds all things together. But does he only do that through Laminin molecules? Does everything have to be cross-shaped to testify of Christ’s power or to point to Him?

No, that’s not how it works.

There’s no magic in the shape of a cross. The crucifix is not a totem or a talisman. It’s just a shape.

The blood of Jesus is what sets us free. The death of Jesus is what tore the veil in the Temple. It wasn’t the shape of the cross.

So, maybe we should stop sharing posts that make us look silly to actual scientists who know that we’re off-base and talking about things we really don’t understand?

That would be my suggestion, for what it’s worth.

-kg

NOTE: Special thanks to Grant Alford for pointing out this hoax to me.

See Snopes: Laminin Hoax

[PODCAST] Subversive Radio: The Blood Moon Hoax Exposed

Everyone seems to be talking about this "Blood Moon Prophecy" lately, but what are we to make of it?

What's it all about? Is there any truth to it? How can we know for sure?

Click the link above to listen to this podcast and gain understanding what to believe about the Blood Moon Prophecy.

Top 10 Things You Need To Know About The Blood Moon Prophecy

Everyone seems to be talking about this "Blood Moon Prophecy" lately, but what are we to make of it?

What's it all about? Is there any truth to it? How can we know for sure?

Here's a handy guide for understanding what to believe about the Blood Moon Prophecy.

Number 1: Several christian pastors and authors have written books to suggest that a series of upcoming Tetrads (a series of four consecutive lunar eclipses on the Jewish Feasts of Passover and Tabernacles in 2014 and 2015) is an indication that "something" is about to happen in the Middle East. 

Number 2: No one know what this "something" might be. But when something big or important happens (between now and the final of the four Blood Moons occurs in 2015) they'll let us know. (Or perhaps write another book?) 

Number 3: The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar. This means that every Jewish Feast of Passover and  Feast of Tabernacles takes place during a full moon. Therefore the fact that Passover and Tabernacles in 2014 and 2015 will coincide with a lunar eclipse isn’t so unusual.

Number 4: There have already been a total of 7 Tetrads (4 consecutive lunar eclipses on Passover and Tabernacle Feast days). Those were in: 162 AD, 795 AD, 842 AD, 860 AD, 1492 AD, 1948 AD, and 1967 AD.

Number 5: Nothing significant happened during any of those previous 7 Tetrad events. The authors will try to connect events during 1492, 1948 and 1967 with the 4 Blood Moon eclipses, but the dates don't match up, and/or the eclipses weren't visible from the Middle East.

Number 6: No Blood Moon (or lunar eclipse) has ever been a sign of anything in Jewish history. Signs come before the events they are intended to foretell. Therefore if the event happens (like the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1478) and then 15 years later there’s a lunar eclipse during Passover, that lunar eclipse did not warn anyone of anything.

Number 7:  There have been 55 Blood Moons since the First Century AD. None of them coincided with anything significant in Jewish or Christian history.

Number 8: Numerous and tragic events have taken place throughout Jewish history and none of them coincided with any Blood Moon, including when the Jews left Egypt, entered the Promised Land, were taken into Babylonian captivity, or Assyrian captivity, or returned from captivity, or when the Messiah was born, or died, or rose again. 

Number 9: The Biblical references to a Blood Moon are all referring to events that are prophesied to take place before "The Day of the Lord" when "the sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and glorious day of the Lord" (Acts 2:20; Joel 2:31)

Number 10: Peter, in Acts 2:20 quotes the prophecy in Joel 2:31 - including the portion about the moon turning to blood and the day of the Lord - as proof that it had been fulfilled by the sending of the Holy Spirit during the Feast of Pentecost. (See Act 2:1-21)

IN CONCLUSION: The people telling you that the series of consecutive lunar eclipses taking place during the Feasts of Passover and Tabernacles in 2014 and 2015 are basing their claims on verses that the Bible itself says have already been fulfilled during Pentecost and random events from previous Tetrads that don't line up when you examine the facts.

I've written a much longer examination of the Blood Moon Hoax here>

-kg