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We all have ethics and guidelines we live by. They form the foundation for each person's belief system, spirituality, philosophy, ideology, faith, practice, moral values, tradition, or religion. Those of us on an earthwise path support these basic principles. (1)
* We recognize that all beings are connected.
* We have a reverence for earth and all creatures and we believe it is important to protect and heal the environment. We try to step lightly on the earth and to live in harmony with nature.
* We support free inquiry and we honor learning, knowledge, skills and ideas, both ancient and modern. We value discovery and understanding, rather than unquestioning obedience and we believe in equal access to education for all people.
* We cherish, support and protect artistic expression and we celebrate creativity in all it's forms.
* We believe in the four basic human freedoms (2):
Freedom of Speech ">Freedom of Worship,
Freedom from Want,
Freedom from Fear
* We believe in equal opportunity and equal treatment under the law for all people, regardless of their religion, nationality, political affiliation, age, race, gender, sexual orientation, physical challenges, or social status.
* We oppose cruelty, abuse, and the exploitation of others.
* We have a desire to help those in need and to be a force for good. We work to prevent and correct the mistreatment of children and animals both around the globe and close to home. We also seek to help those men and women who are less fortunate than ourselves.
* We believe that every human being is ultimately responsible for his or her own actions. Therefore, as individuals and as citizens, we endeavor to make choices that are wise, healthy, informed and responsible. We acknowledge that our choices matter greatly to others, both in the present time and in future, and we act accordingly.
* We respect the beliefs of other people as long as these beliefs do not violate basic rights and freedoms.
* We oppose fanaticism and hatred and we speak truth to power.
* We honor our own cultural heritage and respect what is positive and life affirming in every society.
* We support economic and civil justice for all.
* We value integrity and honor wisdom in all it's forms.
* We treat ourselves and other people with respect.
* We claim the right to be joyful, creative, fulfilled human beings and we support the right of others to do the same.
* We accept the global and personal challenges before us. We seek out the solutions that work best, both for us and for the planet as a whole.
* We honor the past but avoid repeating the mistakes of history. We celebrate the present with a sense of perspective and gratitude. We take action today to create a better future for us all.
For many of us there are spiritual components to these principals:
* We believe in the spiritual equality of women and men.
* We honor our connection to the sacred, as we understand it.
* We celebrate the changing of the seasons, our holidays, and the important moments in our lives according to our chosen path, tradition, faith, or philosophy.
* Our personal practice is a source of joy, comfort, empowerment, and growth. It includes self-acceptance, respect, honor, courage, understanding, and compassion.
* We accept that each person will find the path that is right for him or her. We do not claim that our way is the only one, true or right way. We offer information on our traditions and beliefs to those who are interested but we do not proselytize.
* We speak out against spiritual abuse, intolerance and fraud, including that which we find in our own groups, and circles.
* We treat people of other faiths and traditions as we wish to be treated.
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- Copyright 1999, 2005, 2008, 2009 Sia Vogel
Questions? Comments? Additions? Write to me at via the email link (the one that says Contact Sia) at the top, right hand side of this blog.
You can also take the Poll I've placed at the top of the blog.
Endnotes:
(1) I've been tinkering with this mosaic of earthwise principals since the mid-90's As you can see, very little here is original; these ideas come from a number of different sources, including the U.N. statements on human rights, feminism, the ecology movement and the recovery movement, not to mention a myriad of writers, thinkers and philosophers. Hecate's recent post reminds me that it is again time for us to clearly state what we believe. But none of this means anything if we do not put these principals into action in our daily lives.
(2) The Four Freedoms were outlined in a speech by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1941.
Thanks to:
Artemesia, Chaos, Fritz Jung, Kitchen Diva, Lynn W., Rowan Fairgrove, Snakemoon, Terry P. & Wren Walker for their thoughts and suggestions as these notes grew and changed over time.
Sia@FullCircle
Tags: llewllyns magic religion teutonic teutonic african voodoo spell ecular vs religiou 0318 13 new york women of the word claims can be questioned
In the magical comic book series "Promethea", author Alan Moore introduces us to a world where the heroine lives in the shared unconscious mind of humanity, which he calls "the Immateria." Whenever a human being taps into her current and invokes her through artwork, poetry, or fiction, that human becomes Promethea in the physical world and, in true super hero fashion, fights the evil hordes. All of history's Prometheas, however, continue to live in that unconscious world to train and advise their successors. Psychologists recognize this as the Jungian collective unconscious, mystics as the world of meditation and dreams, and qabalists as Yesod, the foundation for everything in the physical world.
"Assassins", a decidedly non-traditional musical by John Weidman and Broadway superstar Stephen Sondheim, taps us into this same world. Only in "Assassins", we aren't connecting to a mythical super hero. We are connecting to every American who as either killed or attempted to kill a U.S. president. In an incongruous, carnival-like setting, famous assassins like John Wilkes Booth and less famous ones like Leon Czolgosz (who killed President William McKinley) share space with those who attempted to kill a chief executive, people like Squeaky Fromme (Gerald Ford), John Hinckley, Jr. (Ronald Reagan), and Sam Byck (Richard Nixon). They tell their stories through song, and present a dark side to that collective unconscious: the part of us that is fascinated by their monstrous deeds, dissatisfied with America as much as many of them were, and wishes to make our mark in history. The show suggests that they live in us and we aren't much different from them. They were just willing to do things that we would never dream of.
The daring musical was big on the college circuit in the 90s, but quickly became obscure. Most likely, frank talk of killing presidents and crashing hijacked 747s into the White House didn't go over very well after September 11, 2001. Mysterium Theater, never afraid to experiment, has brought it back. Theater fans should be grateful because this is a fascinating play with wonderful music and intricate, thought-provoking lyrics. It is a sign of how strong the music and ideas behind it are that, even though the scenes are only loosely stitched together and there is no real plot, it is still a thoroughly satisfying and enjoyable piece of theater.
Two characters act as narrators. The Proprietor, dressed as a carnival barker, seems to represent the wishes and desires of the killers, who were willing to do the worst if it meant they could get their "prize." The Balladeer sings us through the four successful assassinations. He helps us understand the motives of each killer, how they did it, and what happened to them. He also tends to represent American idealism and uncomfortable reminds each assassin that, in the end, they never got what they wanted. John Blaylock is appropriately dark as The Proprietor and Nicholas Palmer sings The Balladeer with bright eyed zeal. In a new twist to the show, the assassins ultimately turn The Balladeer into Lee Harvey Oswald, which makes Palmer's early idealism all the more tragic. It's a brilliant move that suggests that all of us, even the most optimistic, have that dark side within us.
Leading the killers is Garret Chandler as the "pioneer" of American assassins, John Wilkes Booth. Chandler does an admirable job, although he tend to rush through some of his important lines. The strongest successful assassin is Duane Thomas as the little known but very colorful Charles J. Giteau, who killed President James Garfield. Each successful killer gets a Ballad to himself, and Giteau's is a showstopper. It mixes solemn, fearful prayer with a high energy, one-man kick line as Giteau approaches the hanging scaffold. The number is gallows humor at its best, and Thomas delivers.
Here's a great version of it with Neil Patrick Harris as The Balladeer:
Leon Czolgosz is such a tragic character. He provides the perspective of the turn of the 20th century, laboring immigrant and reminds us all just how much human labor and pain goes into everything we use in life, even simple items like bottles. Imagine the anger a modern sweat shop worker would feel watching you throw out your Nikes because they're a little dirty. Aaron Lyons brings us into Czolgosz's tortured world; he always has a faraway look on his face that emphasizes how much his character was changed by his horrid life in the factories and hints at his plots to get even.
The unsuccessful assassins have their own moments to shine. They are presented as losers, either doing what they did to impress another, for some nebulous dream of saving the country, or for no real definable reason at all. Luis Ceja's John Hinckley, Jr. is appropriately withdrawn as he pines for his teenage movie star; Gabby Trainor as Manson Family acolyte Squeaky Fromme is just the right amount of dreamy, hippy, and pathetic as she pines for her mass murderer/lover, Charles Manson. Together, they sing the show's signature number "Unworthy of Your Love," each addressing their own obsession. It's really a powerful piece, and these two singers bring out its power while also reminding you just how mentally ill they both really are.
The least well known would be assassins may be the highlights of the show. Sam Byck, an unemployed tire salesman who tried to crash a plane into the White House in 1974, is given a full-throated and sensitive portrayal by Daniel Berlin. Byck's best moments are his two monologues where he records tapes about his plans to send to celebrities and leave behind to explain his motives. The monologues are both hilarious and tragic, and Berlin strikes that balance perfectly.
Sara Jane Moore, a bumbling CPA who bungled her attempt to kill Gerald Ford, adds a spice of fun to this show about murder. Sarah Meals gives full life to her characters quirky ideas and confusing life, all the while emphasizing her down home charm. Even after the assassination attempt, you still might want to go over to this Moore's house for a Sunday evening fried chicken dinner.
Like it or not, these notorious historical figures are in America's shared Immateria. As the Ballad of Booth emphasizes, once the first president was assassinated, the idea appeared in our national story. Once it was there, it remained constantly in the back of our country's mind. These are haunting personalities, always reminding us of America's imperfections- somebody always loses, and sometimes that somebody looks for revenge. "Assassins" confronts that uncomfortable element of our collective unconscious, leaving us with the sad truth that, for some, there really is "Another National Anthem."
"There's another national anthem, folks,"
"For those who never win:"
"For the suckers"
"For the pikers"
"For the ones who might have been..."
Tags: excalibur merlin uspto large entity small entity determination guises of the morrigan patiality geography reflection material rf continuing relationships to the beyond
News this week that James Cameron has an upcoming documentary on television showing what some are claiming is the "tomb of Jesus" doesn't sound like news to me. I've been hearing these stories now for a few years. The catacombs in Jerusalem, well known for a long time, have a tomb supposedly inscribed, "Jesus, son of Joseph," and one for Mary Magdelene and even one for "Jesus' son" by M.M.
Cameron, well-known for making a popular movie of one of the most famous disasters of the 20th Century, the Titanic, and turning it into a schmaltzy love story, has something to do with the Jesus documentary. Cameron is like a lot of Hollywood -types, a huckster selling a product. If they can get people to watch this stuff, why not? It's like those stories I've heard off and on of finding the remains of Noah's Ark, or relics, splinters of bone from a saint, or a vial of Christ's blood. There's no end to any of it, as witness the ongoing story of the Shroud of Turin, which pops up every now and again to some public attention. People eat this stuff up, whether they agree with it or not. How much furor was set off by a potboiler like "The Da Vinci Code"?
If it involves religion or Jesus it's going to get attention. The faithful won't believe it, the unbelievers will scoff, and the mystics will argue about it. In the meantime folks who made the documentary will walk away counting their money.
Jesus is a public figure whose image is everywhere. I went through my house and even I, the least religious person I know, have pictures of Jesus. I looked at them, scanned some of them and noticed that not one of them is identified as being Jesus. Not necessary. Jesus is like Santa Claus, with an image and persona instantly known.
Click on pictures for full-size images."Two of the pictures I have, the Jesus jigsaw puzzle and the cheap five-and-dime store black-and-white print, show a more effeminate Jesus; a kinder, gentler Jesus. The picture of Jesus talking to the couple in the garden is from a 1959 book called Your Bible and You" by Arthur Maxwell. The picture is by the great illustrator, Harry Anderson. The anachronistic sight of Jesus in modern setting was popular a few years ago. I remember the button-down, crewcut 1950s and this Jesus would not have been talking to a couple in their garden. He probably would have been hauled off by the police. If it was ten years later the couple would have mistaken him for a hippie, flower power and all that. The picture up on top of this essay is of a more rugged and macho-looking Jesus I found on a postcard. This is the resurrected Jesus outside of the tomb where he laid for three days. The idea that the new documentary promotes is that Jesus was but a mortal person who lived, died and had a wife and kid.
TV hype and hoopla notwithstanding, my interest in all this is our common perception of Jesus. All of the pictures I've posted here have things in common: Jesus has long hair parted in the middle, he has a beard, and he's wearing a white robe. This is what people think when they picture Jesus. I believe this is more of a modern image, within the past few hundred years, anyway. Jesus wasn't described physically in the New Testament, so we're basing our image on an idealization made many years after he lived. Some of the pictures look like modern American guys, not like a resident of the Middle East from 2000 years ago.
What I wonder is, if it is true that Jesus actually was a god who was sent to earth, born and lived as a mortal, is the only person who ever died who has been resurrected, then what happens if he comes back and no one recognizes him? What if he looks more like someone of Middle Eastern origin than a guy from a Hollywood casting agency?
If Jesus is coming back, maybe it might be a good idea to know who we're looking for.
As for James Cameron and his documentary, I won't be watching. I'm tired of being burned by this sort of thing. The cable channels constantly run "documentaries" on UFOs, Bigfoot, haunted houses...the list goes on and on...and they never prove anything one way or another. They just repeat the same old unsolved mysteries we've heard about over and over, ad infinitum. I don't expect anything different from this documentary, thinking it's probably closer to the "mystery" of Al Capone's vault than the solution to a mystery 2,000 years old.
Ciao for now.
Tags: 25 things to do for christma robert draper the making and remaking and remaking of the candid snmr 8 23 plantel 7 torah code regarding what political views do i have pledge of allegiance in sign
Hey there, Dorothy - are you a Good Witch or a Bad Witch? Is your friend acting like a bitch? Answer these five questions from Samantha's Twisted Book of Shadows and find out which witch is which?
1. These days I ride:
a) side-saddle
b) a broom
c) a vibrator
d) a vacuum cleaner
e) the bus home alone
2. My familiar is:
a) a dog named Toto
b) a flying monkey I conjured up the other day in my cauldron
c) Sailor Moon
d) several black cats
e) a gay friend
3. My idea of a good time is:
a) baking cupcakes for the poor
b) stealing food and reselling it outside the food bank
c) dressing up like Vampira and going to fetish night
d) doing impressions of Margaret Hamilton to amuse my friends
e) being alone so nobody hurts my feelings.
4. My favorite television witch is:
a) Martha Stewart
b) Endora from Bewitched
c) Sabrina the Teenage Witch
d) Heather Locklear
e) Kathie Lee Gifford.
5. My favorite witch movie is:
a) Practical Magic
b) The Craft
c) Rosemary's Baby
d) Mommie Dearest
e) The Wizard of Oz.
Now analyze your answers below to find out what kind of witch you are!
A) GLINDA THE GOOD WITCH
If your answers were all "a", you are a modern Glinda the Good Witch. You visualize all your troubles surrounded in a bubble and floating away from you, and it works. Congratulations.
1. You're probably a real tree-hugger and into horses and nature and all that.
2. You're just like Dorothy, who, if you'll recall, was Glinda the Good Witch's prot'eg'ee in The Wizard of Oz.
3. You know that all the goodness that you do comes back to you three by three by three.
4. You love the way Martha Stewart says, "It's a good thing" at the end of every segment.
5. You love the idea of a bunch of modern witches mixing up potions from their kitchen cupboards, wearing headscarves and dancing to music by Stevie Nicks.
B) A WICKED WITCH
If your answers were all "b", you are just plain eeevil.
1. If you get on a broom and your feet actually lift off the ground, that is truly creepy.
2. A monkey with wings is a dead giveaway.
3. To steal from the poor is pretty unspeakably evil.
4. Endora's a wicked old crone just like you - only a little prettier.
5. You kind of like that Fairuza kid... you wish you had a daughter just like her.
C) YOU'RE A WITCH WANNABE
If your answers are all "c", you're just a wannabe. You've bought one of those do-it-yourself witchcraft
4. Statistics in The Toronto Sun recently cited that witchcraft is the No. 1 interest of teenage girls, so if you're a wannabe, chances are that this is your favorite show.
5. So far you've been practicing witchcraft all by yourself. Wouldn't it be nice to belong to a real coven like Rosemary's friends?
D) SURPRISE... YOU'RE NOT A WITCH BUT A GAY MAN!
If your answers are all "d", you're gay! I know it's confusing, but it's true. Gay males love a good wicked female archetype more than life itself.
1. You like to clean; that means you're gay!
2. Cats are considered to be "gay children".
3. You also like to do the occasional impression of Joan Crawford.
4. She's a Goddess in the Office! You wanna be Evil Scheming Manipulative Heather Locklear!
5. You love the scene where Joan beats little Christina with the hanger.
E) YOU'RE A WITCH'S VICTIM
If your answers are all "e", the only kind of spell you know is a fainting spell. You're more the kind of person prone to be the victim of witches because you refuse to acknowledge that magic exists. You wouldn't know what an athame was if you were lying on a slab and it was plunged into your heart (not that there's anything wrong with that).
1. Witches have cast spells so they get all the men and all the rides home.
2. All the straight males have been bewitched by real witches, so you're stuck with this gay friend.
3. You are the victim of the many psychic attacks practiced by amateur witchlets out there.
4. You don't really like Kathie Lee Gifford but for some reason every time she's on the TV you just can't stop watching her... it's like you're under her spell or something.
6. The Wizard of Oz is the only movie you've seen with a real witch in it.
* Editorial Note: This is our beloved Samantha exercising her funny bone; athames are never meant to touch blood and are not used in any form of sacrifice. No Victims were harmed or sacrificed in the writing of this article. J (David)
Samantha Steven's articles have been published in many high-standing newspapers and she has published several
Tags: clash of the titans perseus mom true religion market share the sphinx speaks you from illusion to reality espiritismo en puerto the chi seventies r
"Are you sick?"
One of the attorneys at the law office where I worked when I had just graduated from college looked at me with concern and curiosity. I knew his concern was whether I would get his contracts done for a real estate deal he had going.
"No."
"But...," he searched the ceiling tiles in our small, unattractive offices for the root of his question, "But, you, you, you aren't TALKING."
Clearly, this upset him. Some people have trouble accepting changes, even if they are temporary.
I smiled.
"No," I said, and resumed my work.
"OK. You're mad at me." He leaned against the door frame and frowned. "Right?"
"Nope, I'm fine."
Now he would not let go. "Something is wrong. You aren't talking."
"Jimmy, I know this is going to surprise you, but sometimes I go for minutes, even hours at a stretch without saying a word."
Jimmy shook his head in disbelief. He was still pretty sure I had to be getting a cold or something.
That's the trouble with stereotyping, of course. You think you've got someone pegged, classified as a known quantity, and then they do something outside the usual pattern. Jimmy was right in a way of course.
I am an extravert, no, an EXTRAvert. I talk. I talk in my sleep.
Heck, I sing, laugh and run in my sleep, all without leaving the bed. I fight demons, explore locked rooms, chat with Mom in her antique shop in heaven, argue with Dad, look for my cats and dog, discover I've missed a final exam, brave tornadoes, drive cars and buy houses in my sleep. I even fly in my sleep, or at least in my dreams. And all the while I talk about it.
So quiet time in the land of Chatty Cathy seems like an odd thing to the outside observer. But sometimes, I go for hours at a stretch in silence.
I don't know how introverts do it, exactly, so I would be glad for comments by you folks who get fired up from within. See, when I'm thinking, it's usually pretty verbal even then even if my mouth isn't going. It's true that there's another set of processes that go on for me mentally. They are more visual than verbal, with puzzle pieces that may also be sounds or smells or textures or even tastes. I always wonder if it is this puzzle-world that is the realm of the introvert but I've never been brave enough to ask before today.
Do introverts have a running conversation with themselves-or others-in their heads before they speak to me? I know they are said to have worked through all their possibilities about a thing before coming to a conclusion, then stating their well-considered opinion. Extraverts, on the other hand, are considered to speak more off-the-cuff, with every statement being an experiment to be shared with others, perhaps molded by feedback, depending on the speaker's other traits. Extraverts bounce ideas off others. This is not to say that we think people are like handball courts, scuffed with marks of our previous conversations. But we are those people who will come to friends with a question, keep talking and arrive at the answer, sometimes without actually getting the friends' input.
Sorry for the rude part, there. The act of putting it into words so that you would understand it organizes it for us too, often so clearly that the answer is right there, waiting to be said and heard at the same moment. Shake your head and laugh at me. It's OK. I do have a sense of humor about it.
They say introverts are smarter. I say, perhaps. As I have mentioned before, never make the mistake of thinking that what an extravert says is the "only" thing they are thinking. It's just the thing they are thinking out loud. Depending on the person, there might be several tracks running in there.
Are we extraverts poor listeners? It would certainly seem so, especially to the trapped introvert, cornered by conversation so much that if they determined to say something, they feel certain it would be lost in the hurricane of discussion issuing from their chat-buddy. Strangely, though, some of us actually listen while we're talking, take in body language, other conversations nearby. We entertain the possibility of purchasing a pair of red shoes inspired by a momentary stranger. In our defense, the act of sharing our thoughts aloud with you is an offer to exchange toys, for so often that's what our thoughts are.
Having an introvert sigh, but never exactly get the chance to say, "That wasn't very well thought out and if you'd just clam up for a moment you would see that I'm right about that," really gets interpreted as rejection of the offer to play. We hear or see the sigh or the eyeroll and understand that we've hit the wrong note again. Sorry about that.
As much as I do talk, I really do want to know what other people think. What's it like in there, all alone? Come out and play with an idea with me. I do listen. Why, sometimes I'm strangely quiet.
Today, the power company came to perform some special maintenance on something in the neighborhood. They had sent a letter saying they might, saying the outage would last all day possibly, but not saying exactly when it would be. Today was that day. Just after 9 a.m. everything went quiet.
The lights went out. The Hubs' radio was silent. The printer squeaked and sighed and stopped. The laptops I work on dimmed and indicated they were now working from battery. The telephone lost its display. The internet hub no longer brought the hubbub of the outside world.
Only the sound of the gate next door slamming against the fence as someone walked through it, scattering the finches from the feeder and the voices of men in the street, not loud but at a working level filled the world for a moment.
Tony woke up from his cat snooze on the desk, moved over to me to sit in front of me while he looked out the window at the new reality of noise from outside only, just a few sounds. There was no white noise of the indoor world. Quincy woke up from his long doggy dreams and hopped down from his spot, wagging his tail. It must be time to go outside. I let him out.
What a lovely quiet it was! I said nothing. I pet Pixie who has only a brief tolerance for my attention, once, twice, three times. That was her limit. But being quiet, she sniffed my hand one more time, and being quiet, I let her. I had to find out how long my little silence would last, so asked the workers how long the outage would be.
Maybe two hours, came the answer. Two hours! I emailed my supervisor to let him know that I would work a little longer in the evening because of the outage. I grabbed my copy of "A Wicked Pack of Cards, the Origins of the Occult Tarot" by Decker, DePaulis and Dummett. I began to read the introduction, keeping an eye on my work Blackberry for questions I could answer off the top of my head. And I had questions, even from the introduction and noted to myself that I must follow up with my learned friends to find out. Was there ever a second book as planned?
I remembered suddenly one of my dreams last week where I met with none other than Kit Marlowe, Elizabethan poet, dramatist and spy, said to have been killed in a barroom brawl in Deptford. But was he? Kit is the Knight of Wands in Kat Black's TOUCHSTONE TAROT, sociable, talkative, varied in interests, never seated long nor staying. In my dream, he smiled a wonderful smile and embraced me and together we enjoyed the silence of dreams and played with an idea.
Best wishes.
^^^
"I have a new Lenormand deck called the OFF-CENTER LENORMAND! Created in partnership with TAROT GARDEN, it is for sale exclusively through their website. Click on the link and get your copy:
Tags: the eight sabbats of wicca candle magic books learn magic philosophical questions questions verus factual question astral projection i wicca candle magick
Michael Spencer notes that evangelical Christians are almost universally disliked. Are there good reasons?.
I don't really know why someone thought it was necessary to do a poll to see just who were the most disliked groups in society, but the results are in. While serial killers and IRS agents still rank the highest, hot on their heels are evangelical Christians. Not Christians in general. Not Roman Catholics. Not all Christians-but evangelical Christians.
If you're like me, you have three reactions to this news. First, you tend to blame the media. Almost every portrayal of an evangelical Christian on television or in movies makes us look like the worst version of every stereotype we fear. Of course, one cannot expect the mainstream media to take up the cause of rescuing the evangelical public image, and these days virtually every group has a list of complaints with various kinds of media portrayals. There is more to the public perception of Bible believers than a media vendetta.
The second reaction is what we tend to say to one another to reassure ourselves that we are really OK after all. "It's the Gospel," we say to one another. Evangelicals are identified with a message that no one wants to hear, and so they are disliked. If you don't believe it, watch what happens when an evangelical leader appears on a talk show. It's like raw meat to hungry lions, no matter if the evangelical in question is rude or wonderful. (I have seen some of the nicest evangelicals torn limb from limb in these settings, including liberals who gave away the store.)
I would never argue with the basic premise of this observation. I have seen its truth too many times. They crucified Jesus. Enough said. But as true as this is, it is too simplistic to explain the increasing level of general despising of evangelicals in our society. It explains one thing, but it does not explain many other things. It actually may tend to blind us to our own behaviors. Like the residents of Jerusalem who were convinced their city could not fall because the temple was there, evangelicals may explain this dislike as reaction to the Gospel and then be blind to those things-in addition to the Gospel-that create legitimate animosity.
The third reaction is the guilty knowledge that evangelicals really are, very often, easy to dislike for many obvious reasons. Many evangelicals know exactly what the survey is registering, because they feel the same way themselves. We've all observed, in others and in ourselves, distinctively evangelical vices, hypocrisies and failures. We hoped that our good points would make up for these problems, but that was another self-deception.
It is easy to say that people's dislike of Christians is the dislike of the Christian message, but that simply doesn't hold up in the real world. It may be true of the Christian you don't know, but the Christians you do know have it in their power to either make it easy or difficult for you to dislike them. For example, the Christian in your car pool may believe what others refuse to believe, but his life provides a powerful antidote to any prejudice against him. Thousands of missionaries have been opposed for simply being Christians. But hundreds of thousands have lived lives that adorned the Gospel with attractive, winsome and loving behavior. A past president of our school was revered by Muslims during and after six years of Peace Corps service in Iran, years where he talked about the Gospel to Muslims every day and saw many trust Christ. The fact that the Gospel has penetrated into many hostile environments is evidence of the power of the Holy Spirit, but it is also evidence that one way the Spirit works is by making Christians a display of the fruits of love, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control.
We are loathed, caricatured, avoided and disliked because we often deserve it. There. I said it and I'm glad I did.
Here's my list of why evangelicals are among the most disliked persons in America:
1. Christians endorse a high standard of conduct for others and then largely excuse themselves from a serious pursuit of such a life. Jesus is the most admired person in history, but evangelicals are far more likely to devise ways for Jesus to be like us than for us to be like Jesus.
If it hasn't struck you lately that you do the very thing you condemn others for doing (Romans 2:1), urge others to do what you don't do or excuse in yourself what you require in others, then you probably don't get this article at all.
Did it irritate you when your dad said, "Do as I say, not as I do."? Then you get the picture.
2. Evangelical Christian piety in America is mostly public. Whether it's our entertainment-saturated "worship" services, our celebrity cults or our mad obsession with worldly success, we love for others to see "what God is doing in our lives." Of course, Jesus had plenty to say about this, and the essence of it is that when your piety is public, then there is almost certainly a lack of serious, life-transforming, private obedience and discipleship.
I have lately been strongly convicted by J.C. Ryle's little book, A Call To Prayer. Ryle makes a devastating case for the obvious absence of the discipline of private prayer among Christians. What would Ryle say today? Does our public manner grow out of a true inward experience of private prayer? You see what I am talking about. If it's public, we do it well. If it's private discipleship, we probably don't do it at all.
3. Many evangelicals relate to others with an obvious-or thinly disguised-hidden agenda. In other words, those who work with us or go to school with us feel that we are always "up to" something. You mean, they know we want to convert them? Apparently. Ever been yelled at for saying, "I'll pray for you?" Maybe there was a reason.
You know that feeling you get when a telemarketer interrupts your dinner? I get that feeling sometime when my Pentecostal/Charismatic friends are trying to persuade me into their camp. It's not that I don't know they are good, decent, law-abiding people who like me. I just want them to quit treating me as a target or a project and start treating me as a person who is free to be myself and different from them.
This same feeling is prevalent among those who dislike evangelical Christians. They are annoyed and sometimes angered that we are following some divine directive to get them to abandon their life choices and take up ours. They want to be loved as they are, not for what they might become if our plan succeeds.
Evangelicals have done a lot of good work on how to present the Gospel, but much of that work has operated on initial premises that are irritating and offensive. I have taken my share of evangelism courses, and there is a great blind spot on how to be an evangelist without being annoying and pushy. We somehow think that the Holy Spirit takes care of that aspect of evangelism! Thank God for men like Francis Schaeffer and Jerram Barrs who have done much to model evangelism that majors on maintaining the utmost respect toward those we evangelize.
4. We seem consumed with establishing that we are somehow "better" than other people, when the opposite is very often true. Many evangelicals are bizarrely shallow and legalistic about minute matters. We are frequently psychologically unsound, psychiatrically tormented, filled with bitterness and anger, torn apart by conflicts and, frankly, unpleasant to have around.
I have an atheistic acquaintance who never misses an opportunity to post a news story about a morally compromised minister. Is he just being mean? No, he is pointing out the obvious mess that is the inner life and outward behavior of many evangelicals, truths we like to avoid or explain as "attacks of the enemy." Our families are broken, our marriages fail and our children are remarkably worldly and messed up. Yet, we boldly tell the world that we have the answer for all their ills! How many churches proclaim that a sojourn with them will fix that marriage and those kids? Do we really have the abundant life down at the church, ready to be dispensed in a five week class?
We are not as healthy and happy as we portray ourselves. The realities of broken marriages among the Christian celebrity set underlines the inability of evangelicals to face up to their own brokenness. Was there some reason that Sandi Patti and Amy Grant were supposed to be immune from failed marriages? Why did their divorces make them pariahs in evangelicalism? The fact is that most evangelicals are in deep denial about what depravity and sinfulness really means. The world may have similar denial problems, but I don't think they can approach us for the spiritual veneer. The crowd at the local tavern may have issues, but they frequently beat Christians by miles in the realistic humanity department. Maybe they should pity us, but the fact is that, as the situation becomes more obvious, they don't like us.
5. We talk about God in ways that are too familiar and make people uncomfortable. Evangelicals constantly talk about a "personal relationship" with God. Many evangelicals talk as if God is talking to them and leading them by the hand through life in a way only the initiated can understand. Christian testimonies may give a God-honoring window into the realities of Christian experience, or they may sound like a psychological ploy to promote self importance.
Evangelicals have yet to come to grips with their tendency to make God into a commodity. The world is far more savvy about how God is "used" to achieve personal or group ends than most evangelicals admit. Evangelicals may deny that they have made God into a political, financial, or cultural commodity, but the world knows better. How does an unbeliever hear the use of Jesus to endorse automobiles, political positions, or products?
In my ministry, I have observed how difficult it is to evangelize Buddhists. One of the reasons is that the Buddhist assumes that if you are serious about your religious experience, you will become a monk! When he sees American Christians talking about a relationship with God, yet does not see a corresponding impact upon the whole of life, he assumes that this religion is simply an expression of culture or group values. Now we may critique such a response as not understanding certain basic facts about the Gospel, but we also have to acknowledge the truth observed! Rather than being people who are deeply changed, we are people who tend to use God to change others or our world to suit ourselves.
6. Evangelicals are too slow to separate themselves from what is wrong. Because ours is a moral religion, and we frequently advertise our certainty in moral matters, it seems bizarrely hypocritical when that moral sense is applied so inconsistently.
I note that my evangelical friends are particularly resistant to this matter, but the current Trent Lott affair makes the point plainly. Lott says that he now repudiates any allegiance to segregation or the symbols of segregation. Suddenly, he sees the good sense in a number of things he has opposed. But bizarrely, Lott stands behind his evangelical Christianity as the explanation for his sudden conversion to racial sensitivity.
Watching this spectacle, there are many reactions, but what interests me is how Lott's Christianity only seems to apply now that he is being dangled over political hell. Where was all this moral sense in the 1960s? Where was it 10 years ago? Why does it appear that Lott is using his religion at his convenience? It's not my place to judge what is going on between Lott and his God, but his apparent pragmatism in these matters is familiar to many people observing evangelicals on a daily basis.
Most evangelicals are not the moral cutting edge of contemporary social issues. Despite the evangelical conscience on issues like abortion, it is clear to many that we no longer have the cutting-edge moral sense of a Martin Luther King Jr. or a William Wilberforce. Evangelicals are largely annoyed at people who tell them to do the right thing if it doesn't enhance their resumes, their wallets, their families or their emotions.
What is odd about this is that many of those who dislike evangelicals have the idea that we want to impose our morality upon an entire culture. Fear-mongering liberals often talk about the Bush administration as populated by fundamentalist Christian Taliban poised to bring about a Christian theocracy. I wonder if they have noticed that President Bush-an evangelical right down to his boots-is practicing religious tolerance over the loud objections of evangelical leaders like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell.
7. We take ourselves far too seriously, and come off as opposed to normal life. Is it such a big deal that Christians are offended at so many things others consider funny? I'll admit it is a small thing, but it is one of the reasons ordinary people don't like us.
I read an incident written by a preacher on a forum I monitor. He told about taking his youth group on an outing, when the students began singing a popular country song about a guy who leaves his wife to pursue his fishing hobby. It's a hilarious song. But this fellow's reaction was predictable. He asked them to not sing a song about a marriage that breaks up and to instead sing something that honored God. I routinely hear students ridiculing a fellow teacher who These incidents show something that evangelicals need to admit. We are frequently unable to see humor, absurdity, and the honest reasons for humans to laugh at themselves. What very normal, very healthy people find laughable, we find threatening and often tag with the ridiculous label "of the devil."
The message here isn't just that we are humorless or puritanical. The message is that being human or being real is somehow evil. This is one place I can feel exactly what the unbelievers are talking about. When I see Christians trying to rob young people of the right to be normal, ordinary, and human, it angers me. I feel threatened. It's hard to like people who seem to say that God, Jesus, and Scripture are the enemies of laughter, sex, growing up, and ordinary pleasures. Some Christians sometimes seem to say that everything pleasurable is demonic or to be avoided to show what a good Christian you are. Isn't it odd that unbelievers are so much more aware of the plain teaching of scripture than we are?
I am sure there is much more to say, but I have ridden this horse far enough. Certainly, unregenerate persons are at enmity with God by nature. And, without a doubt, Christians represent a message that is far from welcome. Christians doing the right thing risk being labeled enemies of society. Much persecution is cruel and evil. But that's not the point. Christians are disliked for many reasons that have nothing to do with the Gospel, and everything to do with the kind of people we are in the relationships God has given us. The message of salvation won't earn a standing ovation, but people who believe that message are not given a pass to rejoice when all men hate you-for any reason, including reasons that are totally our own fault.
No doubt someone will write me and say that, to the extent people like us, we have denied the Gospel. Therefore, being despised and hated is proof that you are on the right track. And there is a certain amount of truth to that observation in some situations in which Christians may find themselves. But that is an explanation for how we are treated, not directions on how to make sure we are rejected and hated by most people for reasons having nothing to do with the message of the cross. I hate to say it, but I've learned that when a preacher tells me he was fired from his church for "taking a stand for God," it usually means he was just a jerk.
The Scriptures tell us that the early Christians were both persecuted and thought well of for their good lives and good works. What was possible then is still possible now. I've seen it and I hope I see more of it-in my life.
Michael Spencer is a campus minister, teacher, pastor and writer living in Eastern Kentucky. Mirroring this article here does not imply agreement. Article offered here as food for thought alone.
What do you think?
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In the previous post when i mentioned that according to the research of some muslim scholars, it is found that Buddha may be the person mentioned in the Final Testament, Quran as Dhul Kifl... out of this, one visitor of my blog exclaimed, how can a Buddhist be considered as messenger of God. It triggered a thought in me which i would love to elaborate here.
It is said in the Final Testament "TO EVERY PEOPLE (WAS SENT) A MESSENGER "(Quran 010:047). Now sometime we narrow down the meaning of religion and messenger. All spiritual leaders or messengers were social reformer than anything else. Their work is what we namel religion. We often forget that view point.
If one read the life of all the great messengers, inspirational teachers one can see that they didn't start to preach a religion. THEY STARTED WITH ADDRESSING SOME SOCIAL PROBLEM. THEY ALL WERE GREAT SOCIAL REFORMER ABOVE ALL OTHER IDENTITY.
Moses did that for the oppressed people of Israel. He wanted justice and freedom for his enslaved people in Egypt. Jesus protested against the corrupted Jewish priests who were destroying social justice and for this Jesus ultimately paid the price in the hand of the corrupted powerful. Muhammad protested the corrupted arab society and its injustices.
The time of Buddha was one such time of crisis in Indian society and civilization. People forgot morality, no philosophy concerning God was helping out. At that time he started meditation and thinking on the problem (JUST AS MUHAMMAD STARTED HIS RETREAT IN MOUNT HERA FOR MEDITATION ON THE SOCIAL PROBLEM OF ARABIA).
So from SECULAR POINT OF VIEW, THESE GREAT TEACHERS DIDN'T STARTED ANY RELIGION. The appreciator or companions or followers of the teachers actually formed the religion. Neither Buddha, nor Moses nor Muhammad started with religion. Religion was the name of the result of their work perhaps. Perhaps the concept of God (INCASE OF BIBLICAL PROPHETS AND MUHAMMAD) or our own Life (IN CASE BUDDHA) was the best motivation for them, thats why their social reformation always resulted in some religion.[+] Please visit MysticSaint.Info For full multimedia experience and enjoy special music.
BLESSINGS,
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And elves, maybe? Even Leprechauns and pixies...->-> I realize that these aren't the most ancient, but they are a fascinating-> study.Quite on topic, however. :)-> To get this into at least *some* sort of discussion, does *anyone* have-> *any* idea where the mythological "little people" came from?-
>-> Or was all buried in some bottle of good Irish Whiskey?If you consider back in Greek mythology there were always some form of "littlepeople" in the stories. Even the gods were little people compared to thetitans. There have been fairies, goblins, Lilliputians, etc.. I would guessthese stem from children's tales initially, as well as a need for some"supernatural" being that is able to do things without people spotting them(and a fairy would certainly be difficult to see!). I'll bet that some goodold bottles of Irish Whiskey helped out though. James.
On Dec 26 04:02 95, Tom Huber of 1:115/477 wrote:TH> To get this into at least *some* sort of discussion, does *anyone* haveTH> *any* idea where the mythological "little people" came from?I am NOT an expert on this at all! But, I do know that there were inhabitants in the Celtic Lands who were driven out into the hills when the Saxons(?) invaded. These people were known as the Picts, I think. After a while, their existance was turned into myths of "Pixies".RxKhephera
Yeah I like her. She seems like the kind of fairy-magical-princess type of queen. I have a poster up in my room of the "Unicorn Princess" It's reallr pretty. I like it a lot. And Alustriel's castle is so cool with all the rooms, and she is so nice to everyone. ANd that assisstant ( what's his name?) is a sweetheatr too. Wouldn't ti be cool to have a friend like Guen? Later, JEN-
On (26 Dec 95) Tom Huber wrote to James Nerlinger...
TH> Now, to mythology.
TH> And elves, maybe? Even Leprechauns and pixies...
TH> I realize that these aren't the most ancient, but they are a fascinating
TH> study.
They are fascinating. Although the denominations are often used
interchangeably, they are in fact of different origins.
TH> To get this into at least *some* sort of discussion, does *anyone* have
TH> *any* idea where the mythological "little people" came from?
-=> Fairy Folk some
kindly, some malevolent. There are gentle damsels of lakes and streams, called *Gwragedd Annwn*, and ferocious mountain fairies known as the
*Gwyllion*. There are household sprites called *Bwbachod*, like the Scottish and English brownies; the *Coblynau* or gnomes of the mines (known in Cornwall as the "knockers"); and the *Ellyllon*, or elves, of whom the pwccas are a branch. The Welsh *bwbach* is described as brown and hairy, the coblynau as black or copper-faced.
Credit: http://thelema-and-faith.blogspot.com
By Al Perhacs
Life itself is mysterious. Humans try their very best to unleash the wonders that envelop life and the existence of a myriad of phenomena. However, the explanations cannot be granted by the human mind alone or by science itself.
This endeavor further asks for a more profound way of dissecting through an investigatory procedure. Hence, the term MetaScience is introduced which utilizes the human aura to guide both metaphysics and science in forming a new relationship to explain some mysteries of life. Among the other techniques which have been recently integrated into the area of scientific investigation are precognition, telepathy, auras, and ESP. At any rate, psychic energy has amazed geniuses of both the ancient and the modern times but it takes the combined wisdom of humans to unearth the series of secrets that it keeps.
Connecting the Past and the Present
Back in the ancient times, the medical practitioners were the seers and shamans. One needed to be clairvoyant to qualify to study the primordial wisdom teachings. In these modern times, the human energy is explained to us by the magnetic resonance imaging systems and other technologically created tools. Aura is by and large examined through the use of a photography biofeedback monitor and the so-called Kirlian energy transfer printing.
There is no doubt that the ancient explanation of what constitutes the human energy will continually be revised and revolutionized based on the primeval concepts. With the ongoing research on auras, it requires that scientists become open-minded so that they may find the connection between the ancient wisdom and that of advance technology to discover what lies within the human psychic energy.
Conventionally, the word psychic is greatly associated to those individuals who are able to convey energy or any type of information without the use of any sort of physical process. The energy that is derived from them can either be self-induced or a natural gift. In the recent years, meditation, dreaming, and hypnosis have been unearthed as ways that allow a person to transmit the said energy. But then again, there are some tricky individuals who use this energy to take advantage of others which should never be the case.
Integrating Positivity into One's Life
A positive energy is needed to make your life better. It is only likely to happen when you keep a positive outlook with regards to yourself, the situation that you are in, and the relationships that you have. Reality is said to be the manifestation of our actions, thoughts, and beliefs. If you incorporate a positive feeling and action in your day to day activities, there is a high chance of eliminating the negative vibrations.
Life caters to a domino effect. If you think black, you will get black. Yet if you think the other way around, you will reap what constitutes your thoughts. Better understand it this way. The more positive psychic energy you incorporate into your life, the more optimistic rewards you will be endowed with. Such is only possible as you dwell into a deeper form of meditation. Henceforth, believe in the power of energy.
A. Thomas Perhacs, is an Expert Author on Covert Persuasion & Hypnotic Influence. He has just released (2) two new
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So what have we learned about the characteristics of a typical psychic hard seller; a charlatan or plastic psychic for want of a better name?
They are distinctly unethical in their morals. They may write about being all 'love and light' in their leaflets, on web sites, and on social media... and they may fool a number of hapless and vulnerable souls with their glossy and fake book cover. In truth they are anything but that in their 'real lives'... when the 'cameras are off them' they are nothing more than business women (Or men) who see the psychic industry as an exploitation racket.
They have the expensive clothes, the gift of the gab with viper tongue and clever selling techniques to hand. They are clever marketers with bulk e-mails and circulatory e-mails touting their wares. They have hastily acquired 'qualifications' as long as their arm on their web sites... 'invitations to treat' to deceive the unwary.
They are quick thinking, always with an answer or an explanation to cover up their apparent lack of experience in the industry. They are quick to judge and defamate the genuine articles who can expose the charlatan hard sellers...
They care not about their 'followers' but crave the adoration that being followed brings. They discard anyone who opposes them or refuses to adhere to their 'moral standing'. They are callous and cruel in their judgements of others. They will basically do anything and everything to get to the top. They care not about destroying the reputations of those who stand in their way. They exhibit strong pathological and sociopath tendencies... are apparently devoid of guilt or conscience. Often playing the victim having set off people in their psycho dramas.
Sadly... they may be in towns or cities near you. You may even have met one recently. They come across as charming and apparently spiritual. But it is only in appearance. You may have visited one of their web sites or social media pages recently... and their page will be filled with wondrous quotes and phrases. They make out they are super popular and busy in their trade... even when they are not. If you suspect you know one of these charlatans... spend some time looking behind their facade. Cracks will be there...I can guarantee it.
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Pe 14 noiembrie, sunt pomeniti Sfantul Apostol Filip, Sfantul Grigorie Palama, si Sfanta Veneranda.
"Sarbatori, traditii si obiceiuri crestin - ortodoxe pe 14 noiembrie"
SFANTUL APOSTOL FILIP
Sfantul Apostol Filip, originar din Betsaida Galileei, a fost un harnic ucenic al legilor Vechiului Testament si al proorocilor. Atunci cand l-a intalnit pe Hristos, l-a urmat fara a mai sta pe ganduri si i-a spus lui Natanail :"L-am gasit pe El, despre care a pomenit Moise in poruncile sale si despre care au scris profetii". Dupa Inaltarea lui Hristos, Sfantul Filip a fost ales sa propavaduiasca Evanghelia in Asia. A calatorit impreuna cu Sfantul Vartolomeu si sora acestuia, Mariamni, fiind fericiti cu totii sa treaca prin mari suferinte si persecutii pentru Domnul. In Hierapolis din Frigia, au vindecat-o pe sotia guvernatorului de o boala a ochilor, iar aceasta a ajuns astfel sa creada in Domnul.
Guvernatorul a fost atat de manios fata de convertirea nevestei sale, incat a poruncit ca Sfantul Filip sa fie rastignit pe cruce cu picioarele in sus. In clipa cand Apostolul Filip si-a dat sufletul Domnului, pamantul s-a deschis, inghitind in dansul atat pe guvernator, cat si pe multi preoti pagani. Numerosi pagani ce au supravietuit acestui cataclism s-au inspaimantat si au ajuns sa creada in Hristos, fiind botezati de catre Vartolomeu. Sfantul Vartolomeu a continuat sa propavaduiasca Evanghelia in multe alte locuri, iar Sfanta Mariamni a calatorit la raul Iordanului, unde s-a savarsit in pace.
SFANTUL GRIGORIE PALAMA
Invataturile Sfantului Grigorie Palama au fost atat de influente in ortodoxie incat el este sarbatorit nu numai pe 14 noiembrie, ci si in vremea postului mare, in Duminica a doua, numita si Duminica Sfantului Grigorie Palama.
Fiu al unor nobili parinti, Sfantul Grigorie Palama s-a nascut (in 1926) si a crescut in Constantinopol. Familia sa l-a insotit mereu la liturghie, doi dintre fratii lui au mers cu el la Muntele Sfant, iar mama sa vaduva, alaturi de doua din surorile sale si multe servitoare din casa sa, a intrat in viata monastica. Sfantul Grigorie Palama a petrecut 20 de ani ca pustnic, vreme in care a trait cinci zile pe saptamana in singuratate, venind alaturi de fratii sai calugari numai samabta si duminica pentru sfanta liturghie si slujbele insotitoare acesteia.
In anul 1335, a fost chemat catre viata publica pentru a apara credinta si spiritualitatea credintei. Un grec traitor in Italia, Varlaam Calabrianul, a lansat un atac dur impotriva iesiahismului bisericii. De fapt, el a negat ca omul ar putea sa aiba o adevarata viziune a Domnului sau ca ar putea sa se unesca cu El in decursul vietii pamantesti. Sfantul Grigorie Palama a considerat ca acest atac se indrepta chiar impotriva credintei crestine si s-a vazut dator sa dea o replica. A parasit Muntele Sfant si a venit la Constantinopol, pentru a-si demonstra punctul de vedere. La Sinodul din Constantinopol din 1341, opinia Sfantului Grigorie a fost acreditata, iar Varlaam a fost condamnat pentru erezie.
Desi Varlaam s-a intors in Italia, unii dintre ucenicii sai au continuat sa ii propage ideile, fiind intrunite, din aceasta cauza, inca doua sinoduri, in anii 1347 si 1351, in care a fost aprobata pozitia iesiahastica.
In 1347, Sfantul Grigorie Palama a devenit episcop de Tesalonic, servind in aceasta demnitate pana la moartea sa. Imediat dupa ce s-a dus la Domnul, in anul 1359, venerarea lui s-a raspandit, ajungand pana la Constantinopol si Muntele Athos. In anul 1368, la numai 19 ani de la decesul sau, a fost recunoscut de biserica drept sfant.
"Sarbatori, traditii si obiceiuri crestin - ortodoxe rit / stil vechi pe 14 noiembrie"
Sfintii Cosma si Damian, Doctori fara de arginti, si mama lor Teodota; Sfintele Mucenite Chiriena si Iuliana; Sfintii Mucenici Alexandru si Teodor; Sfintii Mucenici Alexandru, Dimitrie, Elisabeta.
Vezi Traditii si sarbatori din 1 noiembrie
"Sarbatori, traditii si obiceiuri romano - catolice pe 14 noiembrie"
SFANTA VENERANDA
Sfanta Venerada (secolul al II-lea) a fost o fecioara si mucenica din Galia (Franta de astazi). Uneori, este identificata drept Parascheva, o sfanta comemorata in biserica ortodoxa.
"Sarbatori, traditii si obiceiuri greco - catolice pe 14 noiembrie"
SFANTUL APOSTOL FILIP
Copyright (c) diane.ro. 2012
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The word Pagan comes from Latin; it means "COUNTRY DWELLER." The term was used derogatorily during the Christian conversion period of ancient Rome to refer to the people in the countryside who still adhered to the old traditions of polytheism, said freshman Kassie Cressall, president of the USU Pagan Alliance president.
Cressall said the term today takes on a positive connotation of people connected to nature, an important source of spirituality and inspiration for Paganistic faiths.
The USU Pagan Alliance was officially recognized as a club by ASUSU this August.
"I STARTED THE GROUP BECAUSE WHEN I MOVED FROM COLORADO SPRINGS, SUDDENLY MY TRIBE, MY FAMILY, WENT AWAY, THE PEOPLE WHO THOUGHT LIKE ME," Cressall said. "It was so important to have people that were on a similar wavelength, I felt that it needed to be started here in Utah in a way that lets people have their different beliefs while still creating a fellowship so they can feel brave about what they believe in and get to know themselves."
She said there are many myths about Paganism, according to Cressall.
"THE MAIN GOAL OF THE GROUP IS TO EDUCATE PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT PAGANISM IS AND WHAT IT ISN'T WHILE THE OTHER GOAL IS TO PERFORM COMMUNITY SERVICE TO SHOW WE ARE NICE PEOPLE AND WE DO CARE," she said. "A lot of it will deal with the land, so we will be cleaning trails."
The Pagan Alliance will have a game booth at the National Coming Out Day celebration at USU partnering with the GLBTA. Also, the group will hold a Samhain Celebration, which is what America knows as Halloween. The event will take place at the Unitarian Universalist church on Halloween night from 6-10 p.m. All students and community members are welcome. There will be a 5 door charge to help pay for food and rental space.
Modern Halloween traditions such as trick-or-treating came from the tradition of going door to door asking for the spirits of the dead. Bobbing for apples was symbolic as well. Cressall said the water symbolized the underworld while the apples were the bounty of the land, meaning those who successfully bobbed an apple overcame the underworld to live another year.
"THIS HALLOWEEN DATE FOR NUMEROUS TRADITIONS HAS BEEN, FOR MANY, MANY YEARS, WHEN YOU RECOGNIZE YOUR DEAD AND HONOR THEM AS WELL AS THE CHANGE OF THE YEAR. WE WILL HOLD A RITUAL THAT HONORS THE DEAD AND FORCES OF NATURE, AN 'OLD WOMAN WINTER"' PERSONIFICATION," Cressall said.
Pagans celebrate and follow the cycle of the seasons, or equinoxes.
"THERE IS A WHEEL OF THE YEAR THAT MOST PAGANS RECOGNIZE IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER, THOUGH THE NAME MAY BE DIFFERENT, BUT THEY HAVE THE SAME CHANGES OF THE SEASONS," Cressall said.
Paganism may seem ancient and foreign, but many Christians in the Western world celebrate Pagan holidays like Christmas, Halloween and the New Year. These holidays can be traced to Pagan traditions of the pre-Christian world, Cressall said.
In ancient Rome, the "COUNTRY-DWELLERS" were allowed to keep their traditions, like Yule (NOW KNOWN AS CHRISTMAS), if they converted to Christianity. Yule was a celebration of the return of the sun and son (OF THE GODDESS) and pine trees were decorated as a symbol of life because they remain green all year long, Cressall said.
Another myth about Paganism is that it is just one religion, Cressall said. Instead, it encompasses all non-Abrahamic religious traditions such as Wicca, Druidism or Celtic Reconstructionism and shamanism from cultures dating back hundreds and hundreds of years like Egyptian, Norse, Roman, American Indian and Irish.
"PEOPLE SAY I'VE BEEN PAGAN MY WHOLE LIFE, I JUST HADN'T FIGURED OUT HOW TO ARTICULATE IT RIGHT. I'VE BEEN PRACTICING PAGANISM FOR SIX YEARS NOW," Cressall said.
Cressall follows Celtic Reconstructionism, which she said takes anthropological and historical evidence to reconstruct how her Welsh and Irish ancestors worshipped and lived, while making it applicable in the modern world.
"IT DOESN'T MEAN WE GO BUILD A HUT AND GO ON CATTLE RAIDS," Cressall said.
Celtic reconstructionism is also known as Druidism, which Cressall said means "WISDOM-KEEPERS." Many modern off-shoots of Paganism are based in Celtic beliefs or traditional Western hermetic magic or ceremonial magic, Cressall said.
"WHILE I KNOW MY FAMILY IS WELSH AND IRISH, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE OR KNOW YOUR ANCESTRY TO PRACTICE, IT JUST HELPS ME CONNECT MORE, MAKING THINGS APPLICABLE TO MY LIFE," Cressall said.
"TECHNICALLY I AM NOT PAGAN, I AM AGNOSTIC MEANING I ACCEPT ALL RELIGIONS, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE IN A PARTICULAR ONE. I AM LEANING TOWARDS PAGANISM DUE TO CERTAIN EXPERIENCES I'VE HAD," said senior Tein Millsap.
During a life-or-death experience a couple of years ago, Millsap said something powerful happened.
"OUT OF THE DARKNESS CAME A WHITE TIGER AND CALLED ME AN IDIOT AND I WOKE UP. IT WASN'T UNTIL I MET ANYA (GIBBONS) and she told me about Paganism, that I realized it was a shamanistic experience, which I am still researching," Millsap said.
Anya Gibbons, a junior majoring in journalism and communication, said Shamanism deals with the power of animals, she said. The Shaman draws power from certain animal spirits, like spirit guides of the American Indians.
Cressall said, "Shamanism is known around the world, and Paganism is traced to shamanic traditions."
Gibbons said she has been Wiccan since she was 15.
"I am your official witch, but unlike Harry Potter, witches can be both male and female. Wizards and witches are different things, and we are never warlocks," Gibbons said.
Warlock is a derogatory term meaning rule-breaker, she said, and the word "WITCH" actually comes from an ancient word that means "HOLY".
"PEOPLE THINK I AM TRYING TO CONTROL PEOPLE'S WILL WITH SPELLS, BUT SPELLS ARE MORE OF JUST A PRAYER. MY PRAYERS ARE MORE FLAMBOYANT AND ACCENTUATED, INSTEAD OF KNEELING BY MY BED TO PRAY, I HAVE CANDLES AND BLOW STUFF INTO FIRES," Gibbons said.
Wicca started around 1965 in England and spread with the American hippie movement, Cressall said. However, she said, Hollywood has somewhat demonized Wiccans.
"THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS GOOD OR BAD WITCH. THAT IS LIKE ASKING IF YOU ARE A GOOD OR BAD CHRISTIAN. WE ARE JUST PEOPLE. WE DO NOT SACRIFICE ANIMALS OR EAT BABIES, BUT WE DO BELIEVE WE HAVE DIVINITY IN OURSELVES, THE GODS AREN'T ABOVE US," Gibbons said.
Gibbons said the followers believe in a god and goddess.
"I TEND TO LEAN TOWARDS THE GODDESS NOW BECAUSE I SPENT THE FIRST 15 YEARS OF MY LIFE WORSHIPPING THE GOD, SO I THINK I CAN NOW FOCUS ON JUST THE GODDESSES FOR AWHILE," Gibbons said. "However, I think for god to really be what god is you need both the male and female together."
The god and goddess can have many names. Gibbons said a lot of people adopt names from ancient Greek mythology like Demeter for the goddess and Erebus for the god.
The theme of the god and goddess is found throughout many Pagan cultures, Cressall said.
"I LOVE THE CONNECTIVITY OF EVERYTHING. THE MALE AND FEMALE DEITIES ARE PART OF EACH OTHER AND NOTHING WITHOUT EACH OTHER," Gibbons said.
Cressall said, "We need these stories, myths and cycles as humans to make us better people. It is kind of like a kick in the pants to get going."
Follow the happenings of the USU Pagan Alliance, including the soon-to-be-scheduled Pagan movie night, at their blog, usustudentpaganalliance.wordpress.com.
By STOREE POWELL (storee.powell@aggiemail.usu.edu)
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This is a strong Shabar mantra for fear in unknown places. Many a times when one visits or stays in unknown places or places which one has never visited before one feels a sense of fear. This fear might be due to the fear of the unknown or due to unknown reasons like unfriendly or negative energies circulating in the particular place.
To remove such fear the Indian science of Shabar Vidya has give certain mantras; this is one of them. This procedure of acquiring Siddhi [mastery] is not applicable to this mantra.
When you feel a sense of fear all you have to do is to chant the mantra3 times and clap loudly with your hands; it is said that this removes the harmful and negative energies from your path.
Mantra for fear in unknown places
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IN WHAT WAY DOES THE CHURCH PARTICIPATE IN THE EUCHARISTIC SACRIFICE? (PART 2 CONTINUATION)
(Comp 281 repetition) In the Eucharist the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the members of his Body. The lives of the faithful, their praise, their suffering, their prayers, their work, are united to those of Christ. In as much as it is a sacrifice, the Eucharist is likewise offered for all the faithful, living and dead, in reparation for the sins of all and to obtain spiritual and temporal benefits from God. The Church in heaven is also united to the offering of Christ."IN BRIEF" (CCC 1414) As sacrifice, the Eucharist is also offered in reparation for the sins of the living and the dead and to obtain spiritual or temporal benefits from God.
TO DEEPEN AND EXPLAIN (CCC 1371) The Eucharistic sacrifice is also offered for "the faithful departed" who "have died in Christ but are not yet wholly purified" (Council of Trent (1562): DS 1743), so that they may be able to enter into the light and peace of Christ: Put this body anywhere! Don't trouble yourselves about it! I simply ask you to remember me at the Lord's altar wherever you are (St. Monica, before her death, to her sons, St. Augustine and his brother; "Conf". 9, 11, 27: PL 32, 775). Then, we pray [in the anaphora] for the holy fathers and bishops who have fallen asleep, and in general for all who have fallen asleep before us, in the belief that it is a great benefit to the souls on whose behalf the supplication is offered, while the holy and tremendous Victim is present...
By offering to God our supplications for those who have fallen asleep, if they have sinned, we... offer Christ sacrificed for the sins of all, and so render favorable, for them and for us, the God who loves man (St. Cyril of Jerusalem, "Catech. myst". 5, 9. 10: PG 33, 1116-1117). ON REFLECTIOn (CCC 1370) To the offering of Christ are united not only the members still here on earth, but also those already "in the glory of heaven". In communion with and commemorating the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints, the Church offers the Eucharistic sacrifice.
In the Eucharist the Church is as it were at the foot of the cross with Mary, united with the offering and intercession of Christ. (CCC 1372) St. Augustine admirably summed up this doctrine that moves us to an ever more complete participation in our Redeemer's sacrifice which we celebrate in the Eucharist: This wholly redeemed city, the assembly and society of the saints, is offered to God as a universal sacrifice by the high priest who in the form of a slave went so far as to offer himself for us in his Passion, to make us the Body of so great a head...
Such is the sacrifice of Christians: "we who are many are one Body in Christ" the Church continues to reproduce this sacrifice in the sacrament of the altar so well-known to believers wherein it is evident to them that in what she offers she herself is offered (St. Augustine, "De civ. Dei", 10, 6: PL 41, 283; cf. Rom 12:5).
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