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In his Christmas Urbi et Orbi (To the City and the World) Message, Pope Benedict XVI said:
"Dear brothers and sisters listening to me here in Rome and throughout the world, I joyfully proclaim the message of Christmas: God became man; he came to dwell among us. God is not distant: he is 'Emmanuel, God-with-us. He is no stranger: he has a face, the face of Jesus. This message is ever new, ever surprising, for it surpasses even our most daring hope.
First of all, because it is not merely a proclamation: it is an event, a happening, which credible witnesses saw, heard and touched in the person of Jesus of Nazareth! Being in his presence, observing his works and hearing his words, they recognised in Jesus the Messiah; and seeing him risen, after his crucifixion, they were certain that he was true man and true God, the only-begotten Son come from the Father, full of grace and truth (cf. Jn 1:14).
'The Word became flesh'. Before this revelation we once more wonder: how can this be? The Word and the flesh are mutually opposed realities; how can the eternal and almighty Word become a frail and mortal man? There is only one answer: Love. Those who love desire to share with the beloved, they want to be one with the beloved, and Sacred Scripture shows us the great love story of God for his people which culminated in Jesus Christ.
God in fact does not change: he is faithful to himself. He who created the world is the same one who called Abraham and revealed his name to Moses: 'I am who I am'... the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob... a God merciful and gracious, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness (cf. Ex 3:14-15; 34:6). God does not change; he is Love, ever and always. In himself he is communion, unity in Trinity, and all his words and works are directed to communion. The Incarnation is the culmination of creation. When Jesus, the Son of God incarnate, was formed in the womb of Mary by the will of the Father and the working of the Holy Spirit, creation reached its high point. The ordering principle of the universe, the Logos, began to exist in the world, in a certain time and space...this truth is revealed to those who receive it in faith, for it is a mystery of love. ONLY THOSE WHO ARE OPEN TO LOVE ARE ENVELOPED IN THE LIGHT OF CHRISTMAS. So it was on that night in Bethlehem, and so it is today. The Incarnation of the Son of God is an event which occurred within history, while at the same time transcending history. In the night of the world a new light was kindled, one which lets itself be seen by the simple eyes of faith, by the meek and humble hearts of those who await the Saviour. If the truth were a mere mathematical formula, in some sense it would impose itself by its own power. But if Truth is Love, it calls for faith, for the "yes" of our hearts.
And what do our hearts, in effect, seek, if not a Truth which is also Love? Children seek it with their questions, so disarming and stimulating; young people seek it in their eagerness to discover the deepest meaning of their life; adults seek it in order to guide and sustain their commitments in the family and the workplace; the elderly seek it in order to grant completion to their earthly existence.
'The Word became flesh'. The proclamation of Christmas is also a light for all peoples, for the collective journey of humanity. "Emmanuel", God-with-us, has come as King of justice and peace. We know that his Kingdom is not of this world, and yet it is more important than all the kingdoms of this world. It is like the leaven of humanity: were it lacking, the energy to work for true development would flag: the impulse to work together for the common good, in the disinterested service of our neighbour, in the peaceful struggle for justice. Belief in the God who desired to share in our history constantly encourages us in our own commitment to that history, for all its contradictions. IT IS A SOURCE OF HOPE FOR EVERYONE WHOSE DIGNITY IS OFFENDED AND VIOLATED, SINCE THE ONE BORN IN BETHLEHEM CAME TO SET EVERY MAN AND WOMAN FREE FROM THE SOURCE OF ALL ENSLAVEMENT.
May the light of Christmas shine forth anew in the Land where Jesus was born, and inspire Israelis and Palestinians to strive for a just and peaceful coexistence. May the comforting message of the coming of Emmanuel ease the pain and bring consolation amid their trials to the beloved Christian communities in Iraq and throughout the Middle East; may it bring them comfort and hope for the future and bring the leaders of nations to show them effective solidarity. May it also be so for those in Haiti who still suffer in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and the recent cholera epidemic. May the same hold true not only for those in Colombia and Venezuela, but also in Guatemala and Costa Rica, who recently suffered natural disasters.
May the birth of the Saviour open horizons of lasting peace and authentic progress for the peoples of Somalia, Darfur and C^ote d'Ivoire; may it promote political and social stability in Madagascar; may it bring security and respect for human rights in Afghanistan and in Pakistan; may it encourage dialogue between Nicaragua and Costa Rica; and may it advance reconciliation on the Korean peninsula.
May the birth of the Saviour strengthen the spirit of faith, patience and courage of the faithful of the Church in mainland China, that they may not lose heart through the limitations imposed on their freedom of religion and conscience but, persevering in fidelity to Christ and his Church, may keep alive the flame of hope. May the love of 'God-with-us' grant perseverance to all those Christian communities enduring discrimination and persecution, and inspire political and religious leaders to be committed to full respect for the religious freedom of all.
Dear brothers and sisters, 'the Word became flesh'; he came to dwell among us; he is Emmanuel, the God who became close to us. Together let us contemplate this great mystery of love; let our hearts be filled with the light which shines in the stable of Bethlehem! To everyone, a Merry Christmas!"
What struck me the most in our Holy Father's Christmas message were these words: "Only those who are open to love are enveloped in the light of Christmas." Last night, I attended a Christmas Eve Mass at Our Lady Immaculate Parish in Athol, Massachusetts. I was in a cheerful mood (as always) and prayerfully preparing for Mass when I was approached by one of the parish's deacons who began to lecture me about making room for "elderly people" who were in need of a seat. When I calmly informed him that no one had approached us (I was with family) to ask us if we could slide down the pew, he answered with dripping sarcasm, "Consider yourself approached."
Was the deacon's attitude Christ-like? Is it evidence of a person who is "open to love"? Or does it not betray a lack of charity? The homily at Mass, delivered by Father Richard Jakubauskas, was largely about the need to embrace love and kindness toward one another. But words are cheap when they are not backed up with concrete action.
Jesus condemned the Pharisees because they were all show. Their actions did not correspond to their preaching. Is that not the case here? Lumen Gentium of the Second Vatican Council tells us that, "Ministers of the lesser rank are also sharers in the mission and grace of the supreme priest. In the first place among these ministers are deacons, who inasmuch as they are dispensers of Christ's mysteries and servants of the Church, should keep themselves free from every vice and stand before men as personifications of goodness and friends of God (cf. 1 Tm 3: 8-10, 12-13). Clerics, who are called by the Lord and are set aside as his portion in order to prepare themselves for the various ministerial offices under the watchful eye of spiritual shepherds, are bound to bring their hearts and minds into accord with this special election (which is theirs). They will accomplish this by their constancy in prayer, "BY THEIR BURNING LOVE", and by their unremitting recollection of whatever is true, just and of good repute.." (No. 41).
Only those who are open to love are enveloped in the light of Christmas. There is a deacon in Athol who should meditate very carefully on those words. Although this unhappy soul attempted to distract me from prayer and to squash my joyous spirit, he failed. Emmanuel: God with us...even if others be against us!
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I started a conversation with the question: Does God care about Justice? There are a number of reaons why I'm doing this, but perhaps most importantly this conversation raises the question as to what our calling is as God's people in the world. Am I called to acts of compassion only, or am I called to seek to change the social realities that marginalize people and work to destroy the world in which we live? To me, justice has to do with (to quote the Disciples mission statement) seeking to bring wholeness to a fragmented world. Regarding the first - I see the kinds of responses that church folk offer to the people of Joplin or Japan. Regarding the latter (justice) I see working to change systems that dehumanize folks. Both are important and even essential, and belong together. In that regard, Bruce Epperly offers some thoughts about justice from the perspective of Process Theology as part of his series on that topic. I invite you to read and respond.
BRUCE G. EPPERLY
Alfred North Whitehead once stated that the aim of the universe is toward the production of beauty. For process theologians, beauty of experience is an ethical as well as aesthetic value. Beauty implies a dynamic relationship of diversity and unity, novelty and order, and contrast and intensity. While these terms seem abstract, they imply an ethical vision appropriate to individual and corporate behavior, grounded in relational and social justice. Just actions and social structures enhance beauty of experience, while unjust actions and social structures deface beauty of experience and limit personal possibilities. Accordingly, we can assert that God is on the side of beauty and justice and seeks relationships and institutions that promote creative, intense, meaningful, and beautiful experiences. A society is judged by its ability to support positive and healthy experiences among its most vulnerable as well as its most elite members.
In the spirit of the prophets and Jesus, process theology recognizes that social institutions - governments, corporations, businesses, educational institutions, are ultimately moral entities. If houses are indiscriminately foreclosed, profits prized over personal and communal well being, children educated in substandard schools, and persons ostracized because of their gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and age, then governments are failing in the quest for beauty of experience. Process theologians affirm the quest for "life, liberty, and the quest for happiness," provided that happiness is seen as communal as well as individual. Individual creativity and success - and the ideal of rugged individualism - at the expense of the social order and the well being of persons is inherently unjust.
Process theology recognizes that all achievement involves the interplay of the environment, family of origin, and personal decision-making. Even in the most difficult situations, for example, poverty, abusive family relationships, and racism, we have the freedom to choose our attitude and take our first steps toward freedom. Even in positive social settings, people may still make harmful decisions. Nevertheless, unhealthy environments place serious limits on our ability to make healthy and responsible decisions. Accordingly, we have a responsibility to foster healthy environments as well as value-based education that enables people to make life-supporting decisions. Healthy and caring environments provide a tipping point toward personal achievement and well being. Here, I define achievement in terms of fulfilling one's particular vocation.
Process theology's quest for health and beauty-supporting environments requires equality of opportunity and sufficient social resources for all people. For example, process theology's concept of justice implies that all persons should have accessible health care, both in terms of prevention and response to illness. Further, while school districts may differ in terms of resources, these differences should be as minimal as possible. Schools in poor counties should be given resources approximate to affluent municipalities. While some will sacrifice as a result of beauty-producing social policy, affirmative action based on a combination of economics and ethnicity is essential in the quest for justice and beauty. But, opportunity and economic background as well as race must be a criterion for advancement in education and the work place.
A healthy society supports peoples' ability to experience more than mere survival. It must encourage creativity, artistic expression, philosophical adventure, scientific exploration, spiritual discovery, and intellectual curiosity. These are values that contribute to breadth of experience and the ability to transcend one's own experience in a world of many peoples and nations. When difficult decisions must be made, such as those involving the arts, health care, education, those with the fewest resources should make the fewest sacrifices. A good society helps its members, in the words of Whitehead, not only "to live, but to live well, and live better." Justice in personal and corporate relationships supports peoples' quests for abundant life, involving creativity and beauty of experience, rather than consumerism and hedonism. According, just structures must take into consideration beauty and abundance for non-humans as well as future generations on this good earth.
"Bruce Epperly is a theologian, spiritual guide, healing companion, retreat leader and lecturer, and author of nineteen books, including" Holy Adventure: 41 Days of Audacious Living; God's Touch: Faith, Wholeness, and the Healing Miracles of Jesus; "and "Tending to the Holy: The Practice of the Presence of God in Ministry. "He has taught at Georgetown University, Wesley Theological Seminary, Claremont School of Theology, and Lancaster Theological Seminary. He is currently theologian in residence at St. Peter's United Church of Christ in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. His most recent book is" Process Theology: A Guide for the Perplexed. "He can be reached for lectures, seminars, and retreats at bruceepperly@gmail.com. Note: Bruce will be offering the 2nd Perry Gresham Lecture at Central Woodward Christian Church in September, so keep watching for details. "
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"Know thyself." Socrates. (Inscribed over the entrance to the oracle at Delphi)In our search for the sacred, there is a common tendency to want blissful experiences, full of light and love, and to turn away from the mundane, the nasty, or what we judge as darkness or evil. This applies to what we see as the darkness in ourselves as well as in the rest of the world.
It is relatively easy to look at the wider world with all it's shadows and pain; much more difficult to turn the moving eye toward and see what dark shadows may lurk within ourselves. However, if we are to enter right relationship with others and the wider world, we must also embark upon that voyage of self-discovery to enter into right relationship with ourselves which includes both the light and the shadows.
Sometimes, what the ancients called "the dark night of the soul" may be a spiritual emergency that precipitates a deeper spiritual search. Many paths to source can potentially lead us into a recognition of our own darkness. We may be inclined to prefer the sweeter experiences, but when we see the darkness, it is important to remember that it, too, has teachings for us.
When the shadow is embraced and integrated, we become whole, healed and, paradoxically, more energy, not less, is available to us.Throughout the ages, in many spiritual teachings, from the Upanishads to the Bible, from the Sufi and Christian mystics of the middle ages to the modern-day Buddhist teachers such as Thich Nhat Nanh, the same message is conveyed that the light and dark exist in all things, both are part of the One/the Creator/God, and the union of the two forces through acceptance and compassion is a universal goal.
In becoming individuated, that same goal for each human being presents itself-to work not only with the light within ourselves, but also our shadow side.As joy and light are part of life, so are darkness and suffering. The struggle with the darker part of ourselves is well illustrated in countless mystical texts and other writings about the inner journey.
It forms part fo the typical hero's journey in popular culture both ancient and modern, from Persephone's journey into the underworld of Greek mythology to Luke Skywalker's struggle within himself in the Star Wars series. Such archetypes inform us of the nature of the endless human endevor to balance the light and drak in each of us.
This is beautifully illustrated not just in the stories of adult experiences, but by the daily trials of children as they come to terms with right and wrong, desires, guilt, ingratitude, lust, envy, anger, and so on. All the everyday tussles with the nine deadly sins and more, begin in our earliest awakenings in childhood.
At an early age, children exhibit a capacity to perceive the choices between "good" and "bad" that face them. Adults are often surprised and touched by the compassion of children (sometimes dismissed by the worldly wise as naive or unrealistic) and their ability to see the world and it's wrongs, and possible solutions, in uncluttered and obvious ways.
Ram Doss, in his many teachings, often tells the tale of his reflections and meditations upon the different, including the darker, parts of himself. As he observed each of them as seperate entities standing before him-the parts of him that were the friend, the professor, the son; the parts that showed lust, anger, despair, possessiveness, and so on- he suddenly became aware that, if they were all out there looking at him, then "who's minding the store?
" In other words, these elements of ourselves, our ego, our personalities, are not us. Something else, deeper and more mysteriously aware, is both involved with and stands apart from who we think we are.As we come to witness all those parts of us that we have created and that have been created for us down the years, we can begin to enter a new relationship with the world.
When we realise that we are not who we thought we were, we can come to understand the real "I" that exists beneath all those constructs and ties to the personality. When we can relate to the real "I" then the power of who we thought we were is diminished. We emerge chicken-like from an eggshell into a new perspective of who we really are.
All the darker parts of the self are but grist for the mill, teachers, things to work with as we follow the road that leads to deeper understanding of the self. However, so often we seek to bury our nastier side, attempting to hide it in the belief that if ignored it will go away, or at least lose it's influence over us.
The opposite seems to be the case. To do spiritual work, to discover the sacred within ourselves, we cannot bypass the emotional work. All the great spiritual teachers down through the ages sought not to bury their darker sides, but to work with them, suffer with them, and bring them into the light.
However, for most participants in the search, the darkness in ourselves, in the sense of what we see as as bad or undesireable, and in the sense of the unknown realm of the unconscious, has become something to avoid. I have attended many gatherings, meetings, and "New Age" events where everyone appears to be happy, shiney, and smiley.
However, the darkness could be sensed underneath all of it. The light is but a front, placed like a mask over the face. David Steindl-Ross writes of the New Age searchers for whom "The shadow has been in conspicuous by it's absence. Seekers are often led to believe that with the right teacher or the right practice, they can transcend to higher levels of awareness without dealing with the more petty vices or ugly emotional attachements.
" He cites on Colorado journalist Marc Barash, who says "Spirituality, as repackaged for the new age, is confection of love and light, purified of pilgramige and penance, of defeat and descent, oh harrowing and humility."This does not mean that we have to deliberately plunge ourselves into a pit of danger and dispair if we are to pursue our understanding of our spirituality.
Nevertheless, the path should be approached with care and caution. The Cloud of the Unknowing, believed to be a late midevil text on the spiritual journey by an unknown author, reminds us that we should "be careful in this matter, and do not overstrain yourself emotionally or beyond your own strength.
Work with eager enjoyment rather than brute force. The more eager you work, the more humble and spiritual it becomes." Jesus, in the Gospel of St. Thomas, urged "Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds. When he finds, he will become troubled. When he becomes troubled, he will be astonished, and he will rule over all.
"Making the "trouble" a source of learning seems to be the object lesson in confronting the shadow in ourselves. Thus we have become alchemists of the soul, transforming the lead into gold. In the shadow, there is hope and possibility.
paranormal state, psychic kids
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Into The Darkness
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THE EVIL SPIRIT WHO ATTACKS WOMENIN 1981 THE MOVIE "THE ENTITY" WHICH WAS STARRED BY BARBARA HERSHEY AND BASED ON A TRUE STORY, DEPICTED THE STORY OF CARLOTTA MORAN A WOMAN WHO IS PERMANENTLY ATTACKED BY AN UNSEEN PRESENCE TO THE POINT OF BEING PHYSICALLY AND SEXUALLY ABUSED. RESEARCHERS OF PARANORMAL PHENOMENA HAVE DOCUMENTED THIS CASE VERY WELL AND THEY HAVE SOME THEORIES ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR PHENOMENON. NEVERTHELESS, THEY DO NOT KNOW EXACTLY THE SOURCE OF THIS PHENOMENON AND THE SOLUTION TO THIS CASE.
SESSION 11/APR/03"MEDIUM": JORGE RAUL OLGUIN
"ENTITY THAT CAME TO DIALOGUE": MASTER RUANEL.INTERLOCUTOR: WHO WILL SPEAK TODAY?RUANEL: I AM RUANEL. HOW ARE YOU?INTERLOCUTOR: I'M GOOD, MASTER, AND WITH MANY QUESTIONS. WILL YOU GIVE SOME MESSAGE OR SHOULD WE START WITH THE QUESTIONS?RUANEL: NO, NOT A MESSAGE, I WILL SIMPLY MAKE A SMALL COMMENT. THE PHYSICAL PLANE IS AN ENORMOUS GRAVITATIONAL WELL; I HAVE ALREADY SAID IT MANY TIMES. ALL THAT IS PHYSICAL, ALL THAT BELONGS TO THE PLANE 1, OBVIOUSLY HAS GRAVITY. BUT IT IS ALSO GRAVITATIONAL AT A CONCEPTUAL LEVEL.HOW THE PHYSICAL PLANE ATTRACTS TO THE SPIRITUAL WORLD! FEELING THE EMOTIONS. NOTICE THAT WHEN ALL THE SPIRITUAL BEINGS EMBODY, THEY REASON WITH CERTAIN PHILOSOPHIES OF LIFE, SAYING THAT THE PHYSICAL PLANE IS A PLANE OF SUFFERING, WHERE THERE IS PAIN, DISAPPEARANCES, ETC., MORE IN THE PLANET EARTH WHERE THERE ARE MANY WARS. HOWEVER, THE SPIRITS AS A USUAL EXPRESSION SAYS IN THE PHYSICAL PLANE: "THEY STAND IN THE QUEUE TO EMBODY AGAIN"INTERLOCUTOR: THE SENTENCE MIGHT BE OLD BUT IT IS VERY ILLUSTRATIVE.RUANEL: THE PHYSICAL PLANE HAS SOMETHING THAT ATTRACTS SO MUCH, THE FEELING OF THE FIVE SENSES, TO BE ABLE TO SMELL A SCENT, TO TOUCH. NOTICE HOW THE SEX ATTRACTS IN THE PHYSICAL PLANE THAT THERE ARE BEINGS OF THE PLANES OF ERROR 2 AND 3 WHO DISEMBODIED WITH CERTAIN ENGRAMS AT SEXUAL LEVEL, AND ALTHOUGH THE SPIRITS HAVE NO SEX, MANY OF THEM HAVE THE FEELING OF SEXUAL DESIRE. AND FOR THAT REASON THEY MAKE FOCUS ONTO CERTAIN WOMEN.INTERLOCUTOR: ARE WE SPEAKING OF PREDISPOSED WOMEN?RUANEL: CORRECT. IF THESE WOMEN WERE NOT SO PREDISPOSED SOMEHOW THAT BEHAVIOR OF THESE SPIRITS OF ERROR WOULD NOT TAKE PLACE, BECAUSE THE LAW OF FREE WILL WOULD PROTECT THESE WOMEN. IF A WOMAN IS UNSATISFIED FOR SOME REASON, SHE GIVES SPACE TO THOSE SPIRITS AND SHE ATTRACTS THEM. OBVIOUSLY THAT SPIRIT BELIEVES, IN HIS SELF-CENTERED DECEIT THINKS THAT HE IS COPULATING PHYSICALLY WITH THIS WOMAN, BUT SINCE THE SPIRIT HAVE NO ORGASM BECAUSE IT'S A SPIRIT, IT DOESN'T REACH THE CLIMAX AND THEREFORE HE IS ALWAYS WITH THE UNSATISFIED DESIRE, AND THAT BRINGS HIM MORE ENGRAMS. THESE ARE ENGRAMS THAT ARE RESTIMULATED PERMANENTLY.INTERLOCUTOR: AND HOW DOES THAT SPIRIT COME OUT FROM THAT SITUATION?RUANEL: IT IS VERY, BUT VERY DIFFICULT TO GET OUT FROM THAT SITUATION. I WANTED TO MAKE THIS COMMENT BECAUSE IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU KNOW IT.INTERLOCUTOR: MANY WOMEN HAVE TOLD US THEY HAD THIS KIND OF EXPERIENCES.RUANEL: AND THEY WOULD BE MANY MORE IF THEY WEREN'T ASHAMED TO TELL THOSE EXPERIENCES, BECAUSE THAT WOMAN WOULD HAVE TO ADMIT, LIKE SOME OF THEM HAVE ALREADY SAID IT THAT THEY HAVE SEXUAL NEEDS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN FULFILLED BY A MAN. THE MOVIE CALLED "THE ENTITY" IS IN FACT BASED ON REAL FACTS, SOMETHING THAT YOU ALREADY KNOW.INTERLOCUTOR: YES, WE KNOW THAT ALREADY.
THE WISER THING BEFORE THESE NEGATIVE ENTITIES WOULD BE SENDING LIGHT TO NEUTRALIZE THEM. AND IN A CASE LIKE THIS, THEY SHOULD TRY TO WRAP THEMSELVES MENTALLY WITH CHRISTIC GOLDEN LIGHT SO THAT NO HARMFUL VIBRATION REACHES THEM... IN THAT WAY THEY WILL RECOVER THEIR ENERGY. IN MANY CASES I HAVE CONFIRMED THAT AN ENERGETIC GOLDEN COVER STOPS ALL KIND OF DAMAGE... IF THESE SPIRITS ARE TOO ANNOYING, YOU CAN ALSO CONTACT TO PROF. JORGE OLGUIN.
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This opinion piece, appearing in the Jewish Press several days ago, is of interest. The author is Sinem Tezyapar, She is an executive producer at A9 TV, broadcasting from Turkey, Istanbul. She is a political and religious commentator and a peace activist. She is also a Muslim. She wrote a lengthy piece in The Jewish Press proposing that the Temple at Jerusalem, which is currently closed to Jews for prayer while open to Muslims, is a spot where both faiths could share. The piece is titled: A NEW MUSLIM VISION: REBUILDING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE TOGETHER
Here is an excerpt of her piece:
"As a devout Muslim, I take pleasure when Jews pray to Almighty God, and their praying anywhere in the world, including at the Temple Mount, would be a glad tiding for me as well.
As a devout Muslim, it would be a joy for me to see Prophet Solomon's Temple rebuilt as well. No, you did not hear me wrong. Prophet Solomon's Temple being rebuilt in all its magnificence and glory would be a great delight for me, as it would be to any Muslim. Under different circumstances, in an atmosphere of trust, love and brotherhood, Muslims would welcome this with enthusiasm. The Temple of Solomon is also a historically important place, and rebuilding it would be a wonderful occasion for all believers to contemplate. Every Muslim, every believer, will want to experience the spirit of those days again, and strive to bring the beauty of those days back to life. Actually, it is everyone's aspiration for that city to be adorned, to be beautified, and to regain the magnificent glory it had in the days of the Prophet Solomon.
Solomon's Temple being rebuilt does not entail any harm to these shrines."
This piece is only one opinion after all, so why do I take especial note of it? Because here is what the bible says the Temple will be like during the Tribulation:
Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, "Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.(Revelation 11:1
There are three different areas of this holiest of sites that are mentioned in the verse.
-The temple building itself. This includes holy place, the holy of holies, the altar and the people who gather there to worship
-the outer court, the open area that surrounds the temple. In the verse John is told not to bother with that
-the holy city, the city of Jerusalem.
The temple will have been rebuilt by the time the Tribulation comes along. We know this because the antichrist stands in it and stops the sacrifices (Dan 9:27) Verses in Matthew 24:15 and 2 Thessalonians 2:4 also refer to the temple during the Tribulation. For there to be sacrifices, there must be a holy place. For the antichrist to stop the sacrifices, they must have started.
We also know that the Temple Mount organization has spent much time developing all the items necessary to resume sacrifices. They have trained Levitical priests, practiced sacrificing, woven the priestly garments, and built an altar. All this they did according to Old Testament Law. They have even gotten the cornerstone and blessed it. It is like a pre-fab building, parts are ready and all they need is the go-ahead to build. It won't take long, perhaps a month, I've read. Later today when I come home from work I'll put up the links to all these so you can see how far along they are.
The only problem, aside from the political one and the religious one, lol, is the spot to build it on. Many people have said that there IS room at the Temple Mount to build a third temple, and not have to touch the Muslim Al Aqsa mosque which squats there like a buzzard. And according to the verse in Revelation 11, there does seem to be a picture of the two existing side-by-side at the same time.
End time students already know that the third temple will be rebuilt, the discussion has always been, where. Some have proposed that the last days wars of Psalm 83, or Ezekiel 38-39 would mean that the Muslim mosque is razed during the fighting. Others have said that a spot at Shiloh for the third temple is likelier, because Shiloh was the original place of the tabernacle for 400 years. Still others deny that any temple at all is built, but we see from the verses in Daniel and Revelation, among others, that this is the least likely scenario.
The most plausible one is that the two religions co-exist and the temple is re-built on the exact spot we all think it will be: atop the temple mount in the holy city of Jerusalem. There has always been room for a temple at the holy spot, despite the Muslim occupation at their mosque. And the Revelation verse proves it. What we could not imagine was the climate of the day allowing such a thing as side-by-side religious activity.
Today's evil spirit is of an ecumenical bent. We see too sadly, Evangelical Christianity co-existing with Catholicism, Buddhism's mystical side permeating fundamental Christianity, Chrislam, etc. Judaism and Islam "will "co-exist as revelation shows, exactly as the Muslim opinion writer proposes. The Lord will see His plan come to pass. Changing minds and hearts to see that it happens is the very power of God. Praise Him in all His ways!
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From what appears in the foregoing pages the fact has doubtless been perceived that the worship of a Virgin and Child does not, as is usually supposed, belong exclusively to the Romish Christian Church, but, on the contrary, that it constitutes the most remote idea of a Creator extant. As has been hinted, there is little doubt that the earliest worship of the woman and child was much simpler than was that which came to prevail in later ages, at a time when every religious conception was closely veiled beneath a mixture of astrology and mythology. After the planets came to be regarded as active agencies in reproduction, and powerful in directing all mundane affairs, the Virgin of the Sphere while she represented Nature was also the constellation which appeared above the horizon at the winter solstice, or at the time when the sun had reached its lowest point and had begun to return. At this time, the 25th of December, and just as the days began to lengthen, this Virgin gave birth to the Sun-God. It is said that he issued forth from her side, hence the legend that Gotama Buddha was produced from the side of Maya, and also the story believed by the Gnostics and other Christian sects that Jesus was taken from the side of Mary.[31]
Within the churches and in the streets of many cities of Germany are to be observed figures of this traditional Virgin. She is standing, one foot upon a crescent and the other on a serpent's head, in the mouth of which is the sprig of an apple tree on which is an apple. The tail of the serpent is wound about a globe which is partially enveloped in clouds. On one arm of the Virgin is the Child, and in the hand of the other arm she carries the sacred lotus. Her head is encircled with a halo of light similar to the rays of the sun.
One is frequently disposed to query: Do the initiated in the Romish Church regard these images as legitimate representations of Mary, the wife of Joseph and Mother of Christ, or are they aware of their true significance? Certainly the various accessories attached to this figure betray its ancient origin and reveal its identity with the Egyptian, Chaldean, and the Phoenician Virgin of the Sphere.
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BY BERIT KJOS - FEBRUARY 21, 2012
Background: The Habitat II Agenda: The UN Plan for Human Settlements and Warren's P.E.A.C.E. Plan and UN Goals
"The new generation...[has] a deeper SENSE OF SOLIDARITY as people of the planet than any generation before them... On that rests our hope for our GLOBAL NEIGHBORHOOD." Report of The United Nations' Commission on Global Governance."Welfare depends on the intellectual and moral SOLIDARITY of mankind." Federico Mayor, then Director General of UNESCO"CHANGE YOUR WHOLE WAY OF THINKING, because THE NEW ORDER OF THE SPIRIT is confronting and challenging you...The only way we will achieve human SOLIDARITY in dealing with it is to have a completely new way of thinking."..."...ALWAYS BE READY to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed." 1 Peter 3:15-16"
"Religion for Everyone!" The message in this strange article (featured last weekend's "Wall Street Journal") fits right into the UN vision of global solidarity. The author, Alain de Botton, presents a radical plan for social unity that meets the demands of the global agenda. By blending useful practices from the world's religious traditions, it would mold minds, transform communities and establish new rules and rituals for all. There would be no room for Biblical Christianity.
THE HABITAT II MODEL for worldwide Human Settlements:Notice the COMMUNITY CENTER
surrounded by condominium-like housing with high-rise apartments in the back.
For two weeks back in 1996, I observed the formation of that agenda. Attending the UN Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) in Turkey as a registered reporter, I spent one day exploring two massive warehouses near Istanbul's piers. Each displayed models of planned communities. There were no churches to be seen, but each model "community" featured a large central gathering place for fellowship and collective enlightenment. (See picture) Ponder these quotes from the above article, "Religion for Everyone," then compare them to the UN agenda:"One of the losses that modern society feels most keenly is the loss of a sense of community. We tend to imagine that there once existed a degree of neighborliness that has been replaced by ruthless anonymity...
"In attempting to understand what has eroded our sense of community, historians have assigned an important role to the privatization of religious belief that occurred in Europe and the U.S. in the 19th century. They have suggested that we began to disregard our neighbors at around the same time that we CEASED TO HONOR OUR GODS AS A COMMUNITY.
"...can secular society ever recover that spirit without returning to the theological principles that were entwined with it? I, for one, believe that it is possible to reclaim our sense of community... WITHOUT having to build upon A RELIGIOUS FOUNDATION...
"It should inspire visitors to suspend their customary frightened egoism in favor of a JOYFUL IMMERSION IN A COLLECTIVE SPIRIT-an unlikely scenario in the majority of modern so-called 'community centers...
"To foster a sense of COMMUNAL INTIMACY and to ensure that profound and dignified personal bonds can be forged, A TIGHTLY CHOREOGRAPHED AGENDA OF ACTIVITIES MAY BE MORE EFFECTIVE than simply leaving a group to mingle aimlessly on its own...
"In a world beset by fundamentalists of both the believing and the secular variety, it must be possible to BALANCE a REJECTION OF RELIGIOUS FAITH with a SELECTIVE REVERENCE for religious rituals and concepts...
"...religious communities...use specific types of food and drink to represent abstract concepts, telling Christians, for example, that bread stands for the sacred body of Christ...and teaching ZEN BUDDHISTS that their cups of slowly brewing tea are tokens of the transitory nature of happiness in a floating world...
"Taking their seats at an Agape Restaurant, guests would find in front of them guide Together with other globalist dignitaries, they would explore the missing factor in the old Soviet version of dialectical materialism: a spiritual foundation for an evolving global ethic for the envisioned community."To speak of solidarity is to speak of things of the spirit," began Habitat Secretary-General Wally N'Dow. "For we are well aware that the future of our human settlements... is not just a matter of bricks and mortar but equally a question of attitudes and determination to work for the COMMON GOOD... This spiritual dimension is THE ONLY INGREDIENT THAT CAN BIND SOCIETIES TOGETHER."N'Dow had chosen an American moderator who would add credibility to the discussion: Robert McNeil (of the news team McNeil-Lehrer), "one of the gurus, the spiritual lights of the media industry today." Moments later, McNeil introduced the panel of dignitaries ready to shape the new vision of oneness.
"What's needed is an INTERFAITH CENTER IN EVERY CITY OF THE GLOBE," said James Morton, former dean of the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine. "The new interfaith centers will honor the rituals of every... faith tradition: Islam, Hinduism, Jain, Christian... and provide opportunity for sacred expression needed to BIND THE PEOPLE OF THE PLANET INTO A VIABLE, MEANINGFUL, AND SUSTAINABLE SOLIDARITY."Dean Morton's version of "Christianity" is actually a UNIVERSALIZED DISTORTION OF TRUTH that matches the new religious union. Anything less would be dismissed as fundamentalist extremism.MILLARD FULLER, PRESIDENT OF HABITAT FOR HUMANITY, fit right into this interfaith dialogue. Like other emerging leaders in the neo-Christian movement, he redefined Scriptures to "prove" his message:"WHEN JESUS LAUNCHED HIS MINISTRY 2000 YEARS AGO, HE SAID, 'WE MUST REPENT FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND.' IN ENGLISH, THAT SORT OF CONNOTES FEELING SORRY FOR GETTING CAUGHT... CHANGE YOUR WHOLE WAY OF THINKING, because THE NEW ORDER OF THE SPIRIT is confronting and challenging you... The only way we will achieve human solidarity in dealing with it is to have a completely new way of thinking."This "NEW WAY OF THINKING" has already permeated every segment of society: education, business, government, and the church growth movement, including Purpose-Driven churches. Pushing transformation in all these sectors are the leadership training programs that pursue the vision of management gurus such as Peter Drucker, Peter Senge, and Ken Blanchard. The core of their teaching is "general systems theory" or "systems thinking." In short, everything is interconnected, therefore all is One and all divisions and boundaries must be eliminated in order to establish the "Global Neighborhood," i.e. New World Order. Emerging Church leaders like Brian McLaren call it "The Kingdom of God."God makes us "one" in Christ when we respond to His gospel with faith and genuine repentance (acknowledging our sin and humbly turning to God). Millard's "new way of thinking" points people to the world's corrupt system, not to God and His ways.Let's not forget that familiar words with strategic new meanings are likely to mislead the masses. For example, in Webster's Dictionary (1989) the familiar meaning of solidarity sounds perfectly safe: "common interest and active loyalty within a group." But contemporary change agents have infused that word with a far more revolutionary meaning. Let's take a closer look.THE NEW SOCIAL CONTRACT During a break, I asked moderator ROBERT MCNEIL to define solidarity for me. In his answer, he acknowledged that solidarity is strengthened by a common enemy as well as a "common good":"IT MEANS PEOPLE WITH SHARED VALUES OR RESPONSIBILITIES COOPERATING OR WORKING TOGETHER. IN OUR CULTURE, IT WAS PROBABLY EXEMPLIFIED MOST OFTEN BY THE UNION MOVEMENt. Industrial unions often used the phrase solidarity- 'solidarity forever.' And in the socialist movement, of course, solidarity was a very strong word - the SOLIDARITY of the workers AGAINST the employers, their OPPRESSOR, CAPITALISTS... whatever it was..."
"Solidarity is like a social contract, like people agreeing that this is the way it should be. Whether I am poorer or richer than you are, we somehow agree that the way it is set up works best for all of us."What if we don't agree? Then we are vilified as divisive resisters - excluded from the feel-good solidarity. Pastor Brian McLaren, an acknowledged leader in the Emerging Church movement, summarized it well: "...TO BE TRULY INCLUSIVE, THE [EARTHLY] KINGDOM MUST EXCLUDE EXCLUSIVE PEOPLE, to be truly reconciling, the kingdom must not reconcile with those who refuse reconciliation.'"Social contracts hold people accountable to the new standard. It pushes people toward the planned conformity, whether the society is a church, a school, or the "global neighborhood." So I wasn't surprised when UNESCO's Federico Mayor made the same point: "The 21st Century city will be a city of social solidarity," he said. "We have to redefine the words... [and write a new] social contract."This evolving "social contract" has been written into every UN treaty and declaration. And former President Clinton's Executive Order 13107 helped turn that UN "contract" into US policy. It is being implemented through government policies as well as laws whether the treaties were ratified by Congress or not. [See Trading U.S. Rights for UN Rules]This "SOCIAL CONTRACT" GUARANTEES "FREEDOM FROM want," from fear, from hunger, and from OFFENSE by those who might voice contrary values. It also promises "freedom of thought and expression" - but only to those who share the UN vision. Remember, Article 29 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that "..".these rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations." Reflecting the same communitarian constraint, ISMAIL SERAGELDIN, then VICE PRESIDENT of the WORLD BANK, said:"WE SHOULD STOP BEMOANING THE GROWTH OF CITIES. IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AND IT'S A GOOD THING, BECAUSE CITIES ARE THE VECTORS OF SOCIAL CHANGE AND TRANSFORMATION. LET'S JUST MAKE SURE THAT SOCIAL CHANGE AND TRANSFORMATION ARE GOING IN THE "RIGHT DIRECTION"... The MEDIA must act as part of the education process that counters individualism."
BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION ~ Vital to Transformation A cooperative media is essential to change in the public consciousness. As in totalitarian regimes, "voluntary" social transformation relies on effective propaganda. The public must be persuaded to give its consent. In fact, the people must be trained to feel so uncomfortable with dissent and discord that contrary voices would be silenced.Of course, the masses must never notice that this manipulative process is changing their minds and actions. Since few people do notice, Professor Raymond Houghton's triumphant promise in a 1970 NEA publication is becoming an alarming reality:"...ABSOLUTE BEHAVIOR CONTROL IS IMMINENT... The critical point of behavior control, in effect, is SNEAKING UP ON MANKIND WITHOUT HIS SELF-CONSCIOUS REALIZATION THAT A CRISIS IS AT HAND. Man will never self-consciously know that it has happened." To succeed, every level of this hierarchical management system must continually assess CHANGE, monitor COMPLIANCE, remediate the non-compliant, and punish conscious resisters. (See Brainwashing in America ">The most offensive foe to the global establishment is Biblical Christianity. So we shouldn't be surprised at today's spreading persecution. After all, it serves the UN agenda well. Just a few days ago, I read this heart-breaking message:"THE ARMED ISLAMIST OPPOSITION IN SYRIA HAS MURDERED MORE THAN 200 CHRISTIANS in the city of Homs, including entire families with young children. These Islamic gangs kidnapped Christians and demanded high ransoms. In two cases, after the ransoms were paid, the men's bodies were found.
"Christians are being forced to flee the city to the safety of government controlled areas. Muslim rebel fighters and their families are taking over their homes. We need your prayers and we need them urgently."[10]We shouldn't be surprised. God warned us long ago that Christians could expect persecution. Today we see how the world's corrupt ambitions lead to hatred and tyranny, not peace and love. All the more, we need to stand together and encourage each other with His wonderful Word. And please pray for the tormented Christians in embattled Syria and elsewhere! Remember,"IF THEY PERSECUTED ME THEY WILL PERSECUTE YOU... FOR THEY DO NOT KNOW THE ONE WHO SENT ME." JOHN 15:20-21"WHO SHALL SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST? SHALL TRIBULATION, OR DISTRESS, OR PERSECUTION, OR FAMINE, OR NAKEDNESS, OR PERIL, OR SWORD?...IN ALL THESE THINGS WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:35-39"
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Read the rest of this article here: Marching toward Global Solidarity To understand how PROGRESS TOWARD SOLIDARITY IS ASSESSED on the international level, see Measuring the Value of Human Capital and Workforce Development means life-long indoctrination
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ENDNOTES:1. "Our Global Neighborhood, UN Report of The Commission on Global Governance" (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995); 357.2. Habitat Press Release, www.un.org/Conferences/habitat/unchs/press/humanize.htm3. "Reinventing the World 1, Part 1: A New Way of Thinking" at http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/Reinvent1.htm4. Alain de Botton, Religion for Everyone, Wall Street Journal," February 18, 2012. http://online.wsj.com/article email/SB10001424052970204883304577221603720817864-lMyQjAxMTAyMDEwODExNDgyWj.html?mod=wsj share email These are excerpts from his book titled " Religion for Atheists: A Non-Believers Guide to the Uses of Religion."5. I taped and transcribed this part of the "Dialogue" at the UN Conference on Human Settlements in Istanbul, 1996.6. Brian McLaren, "The Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth that could change everything" (Nashville: Thomas Nelson's W Publishing Group, 1006), pp. 169-170. 7. "Trading U.S. Rights for UN Rule at www.crossroad.to/text/articles/turfur12-98.html8. Raymond Houghton, "To Nurture Humaneness: Commitment for the '70's" (The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development of the NEA, 1970). 9. See "Brainwashing in America" at www.crossroad.to/articles2/brainwashing.html ">www.crossroad.to/text/articles/HumanResources.html10. Stoyan Zaimov, "Christian Families in Syria in Urgent Need of Help, Trapped in Crossfire", "The Christian Post", February 16, 2012,
Tags: inspirational words of wisdom feathers meaning white magic black magic lyric the new world orders ethics vs moral new york times sunday crossword answer house resolution would permit
By Monk Moses the Athonite
In one of its hymns, our Church calls the unbelief of Thomas "good". Understandably one would wonder - is there good and bad unbelief? There seems to be, because humans are not purely good or evil. In one who has a clean conscience, good heart and humble thought, everything is clear. In one infected with the virus of unbelief, all is dark and troubled. If only we had the good unbelief of the Apostle Thomas!
We would say that doubt, hesitation and little faith, it is normal to a man who seeks God with the mind.
The Apostles of Christ begged Him to add faith to their existing faith. Unbelief, however, is a serious spiritual illness. Faith is beyond reason and unbelief is unreasonable. Unbelief is often dense, comes from frivolity and shallowness of thought, and from a volatile life and confused consciousness.
The case of Thomas, who was absent at the onset of the appearance of the Risen Christ to His disciples, is typical. It is a fact that Thomas doubted, and did not disbelieve, but asked for evidence to confirm his faith.
Well known for his enthusiasm in other moments, Thomas is not a skeptic who is isolated and disadvantaged. He dares, he searches, he investigates, he inquires. He asks for the truth, to have direct contact with it. Christ did not have problem offering it to him. He came back to meet him. He comes back to everyone of us.
The faith of many Christians sometimes is lukewarm, colder than unbelief. We have faith as an armor and good outfit to beat others with, but not to take the beating; to be appreciated, admired and be watched. We do not dare to look ever deeper into the beliefs of our faith, we do not in any way want to challenge it, and perhaps expose it. Strong faith gives spiritual health, balance, sturdiness, empowerment, hope and trust in God. Sometimes, let's not be afraid to admit it, our faith has much evidence of secret ego-pathologies and morbid sentimentality. It reaches even to the point of a mistaken belief in an antisocial skepticism, which offers a pretty bad example to others. Seeking God while being this way, is to backtrack.
Thomas surely was not of bad faith, nor did he believe easily. He was careful, outspoken, genuine, solid, honest and true. It was who he was. His good unbelief made Christ come to him. Christ offered Himself to him for his sincerity. He did not rebuke him, who asked to see Him, to touch Him. But eventually He blessed those who will not see and yet believe.
Unbelief is of course a free choice of each of us. Unbelief says that they base themselves only on what they see and grasp and understand with logic. This is coercion and tiresome easiness. Faith, we would say, comes with difficulty, hazard, risk and daring. This is why He blessed those who believe without tangible evidence. The strongest evidence is the confirmation of our hearts. The hard-to-believe Thomas is our brother, he is weak, but definitely sympathetic.
On Mount Athos this day we all have an all-night vigil, because on such a day we were liberated from the Turkish yoke. As we have learned, the world during the Paschal holidays was more than ever in the churches. This means that faith is not extinguished. But it can become deeper and warmer. Thomas is not for the unbelievers, but for the skeptical, for those with little faith, and finally for the faithful. May his good unbelief trouble us to fertilize us.
Source: http://translated by john sanidopoulos
"This is part three of a three part article on New Age Cargo Cults and the use of Critical Thinking. Part 3 deals exclusively with critical thinking skills that can help occultists keep their rational balance dealing with an irrational process."
USE OF CRITICAL EXAMINATION
The first consideration is that all premises and assumptions should be carefully examined in an objective and careful manner. Does the claim make sense, and does it seem rational and readily accessible to the seeker? Are the tenets verifiable by independent experimentation or actual spiritual experiences? Are there requirements that force the adherents to suspend judgment or accept doctrines and practices purely on faith? Does the organization seem more interested in getting their fees and donations up front than allowing their beliefs and practices to be tested in an objective manner, thereby determining their authenticity?
There are also some important tests and considerations that the student can apply to any occult or spiritual belief system. I have found that the best mechanism for determining the truthfulness of spiritual claims is to apply some of the skeptical tests that have been promoted by the philosophic movement of atheism. The author Michael Shermer has written a book "Why People Believe Weird Things," and also published a website called "How Thinking Goes Wrong - Twenty-five Fallacies That Lead Us to Believe Weird Things." You can find the website here.
While I am not an advocate of atheism by any stretch of the imagination (as Michael Shermer has abundantly declared himself to be), ironically, some of his written arguments are actually quite important for the measuring of objective truth and authenticating spiritual beliefs. I feel that we can examine some of them here to help us define a methodology for examining spiritual claims in an objective fashion, and so allow us to make judgments about the veracity of any given spiritual system. Therefore, I have included twelve of the most pertinent ones below.
The first thing that we need to keep in mind is that all spiritual experiences are necessarily subjective, but this fact should not in any way discount them as being invalid or merely the products of the imagination. The way in which subjective spiritual experiences are validated is through the process of peer review and experimental corroboration. While it may at times be difficult to corroborate a person or group's spiritual claims, we can also use some rational tests as well, and this is where Michael Shermer's writings come in handy. We should also keep in mind that occultists and spiritual teachers often use the "what if" metaphorical approach to creating concepts and building explanations for experiences that are, by definition, inexplicable. When I use the word "inexplicable," what I mean is that certain concepts can't be reduced to rational thought.
The second thing that we need to consider is that the spiritual realm of consciousness cannot be apprehended by the senses alone, nor can it be encapsulated by the mind as rational theories or models. Spiritual consciousness and its associated subtle phenomena can only be apprehended and realized when an individual is within the proper altered state of consciousness. Spiritual truths must always be determined by the methods that were used to establish the associated state of consciousness Not to do this is to take a spiritual truth or perspective out of its spiritual context. We can then say with a certain degree of confidence that spiritual claims which are able to be measured by the senses or by rational examination can be determined to be true or false. Other claims or experiences have to corroborated by performing the corresponding technique or practice. If a shaman claims to be able to physically transform himself into a wolf, then he would be subjected to same rigorous requirement of proof that any scientist would undergo making the same claim. Where problems arise in spiritual discourse and the testimony of spiritual experiences is where metaphors become confused for literal things or are taken out of their spiritual context.
We should also be aware that when occult tenets or beliefs bracket both the spiritual and physical worlds, then at least the aspect or part that affects the physical world should be able to be proven in an empirical manner. If a group believes in physical reincarnation, then the physical aspect of being reborn should have physical evidence that can be examined, tested and either verified or refuted. In such a situation, merely examining something as being logical or rational is not sufficient to verify it as truth, since what is being proposed should be able to be proven as a fact using the traditional scientific method.
Shermer's document begins with an examination of "Hume's Maxim," which I am also quoting here for our examination. David Hume was a Scottish philosopher who lived during the middle of the 17th century. He states in his writings:
"That no testimony is sufficient to establish a miracle, unless the testimony be of such a kind, that its falsehood would be more miraculous than the fact which it endeavors to establish."
What Hume means by this statement is that a testimony or subjective experience should be able to be examined in the light of natural phenomena or judged as unsubstantiated fancy, and that the greater miracle should be rejected for the lesser, more rational, explanation. Of course, this logical analysis would be used to examine any spiritual claim that involved some kind of physical phenomenon. Yet it could also be used indirectly to determine truth in regards to spiritual tenets or doctrines as well. The important consideration is that any claim should have within it the means or mechanism through which it can be examined and potentially corroborated or refuted. Unsubstantiated claims must always be treated with a certain degree of skepticism. If the entire set of doctrines or tenets of a spiritual tradition are unsubstantiated, then the seeker should be extremely cautious of that tradition.
The following twelve points should help anyone critically analyze claims made within a spiritual community, group or promoted within some New Age or occult tradition. It is important to understand that metaphors which describe spiritual experiences are not to be confused as claims for objective truth; just as poetry or fictional stories are to be enjoyed for their own sake, and one need not take them literally.
1. Anecdotes are not scientific: The recounting of experiences, although interesting and perhaps even insightful, does not make them a fact. All statements and claims must be supported by corroborative evidence, usually from other independent sources, in order for anecdotal evidence to be accepted as truth. Just because someone says it's so doesn't necessarily mean that it must be so.
2. Using scientific language does not make something scientific: The use of jargon or the clothing of claims in scientific language does not make those claims scientific. What makes something scientific is the precise manner that the premise is stated and thoroughly tested by evidence. One example that comes to mind is Creationism, which appears to be scientific because it is written using scientific terminology. However, Creationism has not presented any corroborative evidence that would make it in fact a scientific theory and not a theological premise dressed up in scientific clothing.
3. Using bold statements to make a claim does not make that claim true: Someone can claim to have discovered the greatest new idea since the discovery of fire or the wheel, but that does not make it so. Rather, all claims need to be backed up by supporting evidence instead of emotionally charged exclamations.
4. Heretical claims are not a sign of truth: A claim that is ridiculed or violently opposed does not mean that the claim is necessarily valid. Many scientific theories have been proposed without any ridicule or opposition, but they have been verified or falsified based on the supporting evidence. Often heretical thoughts or claims are a sign of poor science or political grandstanding rather than radical or revolutionary thought.
5. The burden of proof is on the one making the claim: Those who are making the claim must supply the evidence to support that claim, not those to whom the claim represents a contradiction of established fact. For instance, those who claim that the holocaust did not occur must supply the proof for their claim. It is not up to those historians who have already presented the mountain of evidence that the holocaust did indeed occur to disprove the claim that it didn't. Similarly, the proponents of the theory of evolution do not need to prove that the theory of Creationism is false. It is the task of the proponents of Creationism to validate their counter-theory using corroborative evidence and prove that evolution is false.
6. Rumors do not equate reality: If we hear a claim reported from unsubstantiated sources, then it must be considered an unsubstantiated rumor and not a fact. This is how urban myths are created and spread by gossip and opinion. All claims must be properly substantiated or they remain untrustworthy sources of information, and can even be disguised misinformation. The internet has seen to it that urban myths not only continue to tenaciously exist; but that they spawn other spurious beliefs and seem to have an independent life and volition.
7. The unexplained is not inexplicable: Just because something occurs that can't be explained due to insufficient data or lacking objective proof does not mean that it is an unresolvable mystery, evidence of paranormal activity or proof of the supernatural. It is important to accept some things as unexplainable phenomena, perhaps requiring further experimentation and more data to ultimately explain it. This is so, despite the fact that human nature dislikes not having a neat and useful explanation for everything. We also need to be careful when labeling something as paranormal or supernatural. Operationally, all things that occur in the higher strata of consciousness have this quality of being paranormal, but they often do not produce physical phenomena that could be measured or recorded except as anecdotal subjective accounts or narratives. Occultists also use the word "mystery" or "inexplicable" to represent the fact that spiritual experiences can't be communicated in a rational and objective fashion.
8. The failure to prove a claim is rationalized or ignored: Often this represents an excuse for why the claim can't be proven or shown to be true under all circumstances and situations. A psychic or prophet might complain that he or she is unable to envision or profess because the time of day isn't right, it's the wrong phase of the moon, there are bad vibes, or the setting isn't auspicious. Also, failures may be altered through data tampering or even entirely omitted, ensuring that the claim is always shown to be true. In science, negative results are considered as important as positive ones, since it indicates that either the claim is wrong or that
9. After-the-fact reasoning is used to explain nearly everything: This is a fancy term for superstition. A bowler has a victorious night bowling, and attributes it to his lucky bowling shoes. A gambler can have a lucky key ring, and a baseball player, a lucky mitt. This also produces such beliefs as the wearing of lucky charms, keeping a rabbit's foot in one's pocket, wearing a St. Christopher medal, avoiding the number 13, avoiding black cats, the evil eye, not stepping on a crack on the sidewalk or walking under a ladder, etc. We can look at such beliefs and easily see their foolishness, but it's human nature to ascribe the cause of an event or situation after it has already occurred. Ask someone to determine the cause of an event before it happens, and they will seldom predict such an outcome better than chance.
10. Coincidence is happenstance: Often times what seems like a miraculous coincidence is actually within the realm of probability. We color these relationships as meaningful to us when they are just happenstance. We seek meaningful relationships between events even when none exist. Synchronicity is an often ill used term, invented by C. G. Jung to describe the quality of meaningfulness and connectivity that one feels when two un For instance, a man meets a woman friend at a concert in an arena, and amongst several thousand attendees her seat ends up being right next to his, even though the occurrence was accidental and unplanned. They might consider such an occurrence auspicious, perhaps indicating that they should get to know each other or to become lovers, since this "sign" has indicated a connection between them. Actually, the event is within the realm of probability, even though it seems singularly auspicious and meaningful to them.
11. Contrasting representativeness determines the difference between typical or unusual occurrences: We must always understand the context in which an unusual event or claim occurs. We should analyze it for the representativeness of its class of phenomena, and establish a comparative baseline for usual or explainable phenomena. If the unusual occurrence fits with the usual or explainable phenomenon that acts as a baseline, then that unusual event is actually part of the class of explainable phenomena.
A good example is a reputed haunted house, which seems to abound in strange sounds and paranormal events. These seem less remarkable when compared to the base line of usual sounds that an old house might make, such as the groaning of out of square joints, the knocking or rattling of old plumbing, the scratching sounds of mice burrowing in the walls, the settling of old foundations, etc.
12. Miscellaneous Points: Other mistakes that can skew or cause us to make false judgments or claims are listed as the following points below. A lack of evidence does not prove or disprove a claim; it makes it unverifiable or unknown. A case in point is the proof that God exists because there is no evidence to prove that he does not exist, or, that God does not exist because there is no evidence to prove that he does exist.
Hasty generalizations: usually scientists err on the degree of caution before making a generalization about a given claim or phenomena; but the average individual seems to have no problem in making judgments even on the slimmest of evidence. This is also called prejudice. For instance, a few Muslims are found to be terrorists; therefore, all Muslims must be potential terrorists.
An over reliance on authorities: If someone has a PhD next to their name, they have become an unquestioned authority even in areas beyond their specialization. Talk radio and cable news are full of so-called experts who offer their opinions as facts, even if there is no independent supporting evidence or sources. It used to be that a news item could be reasonably verified if there were at least three independent sources to corroborate it. Unfortunately, this is no longer true, since getting the scoop is now more important in the internet age than producing news that has a certain degree of factual integrity.
Circular reasoning or tautology: This is where a conclusion or claim is merely a restatement of one of the premises. For instance: God exists because the Bible proves it, and the Bible is true because it is the inspired word of God.
CONCLUSION
If we avoid the above mistakes in logic and seek to verify spiritual claims in a rational and objective fashion, then we can avoid falling for spurious teachings and being duped or coerced into believing and accepting things as fact when they are actually false, unsupported or unverifiable suppositions. Any legitimate esoteric or spiritual tradition offers the mechanism for verifying their tenets or doctrines and never requires anyone to merely believe and accept them as unqualified facts. Also, any legitimate esoteric or spiritual tradition allows for an open examination of its beliefs and practices, and uses a form of peer review to ascertain if subjective spiritual experiences are valid or not.
We would be well advised to shun any group or organization that resists an honest examination of their beliefs and doctrines. We should be wary of any organization that forces its members to accept unqualified doctrines and unsubstantiated truths in order to effortlessly acquire godlike abilities or powers for money. We should be dubious of anyone who claims to have achieved godlike powers or abilities with little or no effort, and we should be very cautious of any teacher or spiritual leader who refuses to be accountable for their actions. Through a sober consideration of all claims, creeds and tenets, we can avoid the pitfalls of cults and the interference of false prophets and teachers, and thereby not lend support to the ever burgeoning growth of various New Age or Occult cargo cults.
While we can discuss the spiritual ramifications of spiritual matters to our hearts content, when it comes to the physical world, science is more able to determine the nature and even origin of life than any form of occultism. So for this reason I have dropped any occult theory or system that attempts to explain physical reality.
I have to admit that I am biased in favor of occult beliefs because I am a practicing occultist and ritual magician. My occult studies and magickal practices are therefore confined to the domain of spirit and mind, which seems to be the most fertile area for my work. I talk about magical powers and dealing with angels, daemons, gods, goddesses, etc. However, I am referring entirely to the domain of spirit. Where things happen in the material world through the art of my magick, I would say that it was my magick that caused it; but I wouldn't attempt to prove such an hypothesis in a scientific manner. I highly recommend that other occultists follow my example.
What I do is to keep those things that are spiritual in the context of the spiritual world, and I don't attempt to make elaborate models and theories to determine what is happening. I consider these phenomena to be metaphysical occurrences. They involve spiritual revelations, but they are not something that I can empirically prove. I don't need to. Instead, I leave the ultimate judgment of my work to my peers who are qualified to work the same rituals and see what the results produce. But from a scientific point of view, my results are subjective and anecdotal, which means that they could not be used as any kind of logical or rational proof.
For this reason, I prefer to call my magickal practice an art and not a science. It may have rules and structures, but it can't stand up to an empirical analysis, so it should not be confused with other things that can be proven in this manner. I have so much respect for science and what it has discovered that I am unwilling to dispute it. I will allow scientists to find out the truth about the physical world, but I will work on what I consider to be spiritual truths that are within the provenance of my understanding.
Frater Barrabbas
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"Mt 24:42-51 The Lord As A Thief(Click here for readings)"Jesus said to his disciples: Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."While meditating on today's Gospel, I discovered something that I had never noticed before. The Lord compares himself to a thief: "If the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake.
" Why a thief? Why not a King? That is: "if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the King was coming, he would have stayed awake and prepared a meal, a bed for his guest. There are four ways to pass a test: You can (1) study hard and not question it; (2) cheat; or (3) hope the professor changes the grades; (4) or hope the passing grade is significantly lowered.
Likewise, there are four ways to live life with God: You can (1) strive for it; (2) try to slide into it; (3) hope and pray that the Lord changes the rules; (4) hope and pray that the Lord significantly widens the gates of heaven. Wake up Americans! Get up my fellow Christians!The Lord is a thief! He is!
Little by little, He takes away the most important things in our life. Most of the time, He follows a certain pattern. When we are young, He takes away our grandparents, then our parents, and then, slowly but surely, He begins to work on us. Little by little, the Lord slides the carpet out from under us.
He takes from us our wealth and our health. And then, when we are at our weakest moment, He takes our spouse away from us. "Only in death do we part."Why is He a thief? Well, how else will I come to realize that He, and only He, is at the end of the tunnel; that He is the beginning and the end; the only thing that matters?
What I may not realize is that the Lord is actually blessing me. He is actually helping me, helping me to live up to the prayers I say to Him. For years, I have prayed the Creed. "Do I believe in Him?" He will help me to find out. Or maybe I have never prayed the Creed. "Do I believe just in myself?
" He will help me to find out! Every day I proclaim to the world that I love the Lord and that I believe in Him. "Now do I trust in Him? Am I ready to place my life in His Hands? "Life is all about realizing one's prayers of holiness. Like John the Baptist, will I not be truly blessed when I can unconditionally, unequivocally, accept God's divine Will and live up to my own prayer: "He must increase, I must decrease"?
" John prayed that his "little light" would be blown out. Did he really mean it? Would he go through with it? The Lord answered his prayer for holiness, and the Baptist lived up to it and was blessed. Now, it is time for us to do the same."There are plenty who try to cheat their way in life and into heaven.
They are similar to those who spend beyond their means, or try to show that a sinner's life is really the best life "E-V-E-R!" Like all those who have gone before them, they will write in their autobiography how they wish they could do it all over again, but without the sinning part.Today's extremists either insist on a wide open gate ["All are welcomed!
], "or on a very narrow gate that excludes everyone including themselves. They attack, without mercy, His Word; His teachers; His followers; His commandments; His laws. They attack, without mercy, Christ and His Church. But God's love and mercy does not discourage "follow me" and "carry your cross".
Can't it all be all of the above? After all, doesn't it all come from above?"Stay awake in the hour of the night!" means "discover God in the darkness of the world". "Stay awake" means open your eyes, change your mentality, stop seeking external and visible signs to reinforce your own perception of God's Will for you.
"We will know God to the extent that we are set free from ourselves. (Pope Benedict XVI)
Credit: http://esoteric-soup.blogspot.com
Martin Marty celebrates the centennial of the Jesuit produced magazine - America. I'm not a reader, necessarily of the journal, but in Marty's post we get a sense of how the times have changed in Protestant/Catholic relations over the past century.
Sightings 4/20/09
One Hundred Years of "America"
- Martin E. Marty
It is not hard to sight what I am sighting for "Sightings" this week, since its shiny gold "100 Years" cover is almost blinding. I am speaking of the centennial issue of "America", one of the magazines on which many of us depend for comment on both Catholicism and a wider world. Fattened up by advertisements placed by religious orders and firms which appeal to Catholic interests- remember them?-and many letters of greetings from presidents and pope, this April13th issue boasts ninety-two pages. Since this column is not in the business of peddling, I'll move on quickly from complimenting the general appearance, to an attempt to locate this weekly among religious information sources in American religious history.
One could write "America's" history as Book I, 1908-1958 and Book II, 1959-2009, since there is such a breach in content and intentions around 1958. The centennial issue highlights the best of the new paradigm. First off, two of the seven features are by women. Let me stress: Women were not foreign to the old America, but their appearances were very exceptional. Now they are exceptional in a different set of ways, as is clear to anyone who reads, first, the famed Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J., trading on her "Dead Man Walking", with its prison interest, as she describes how she got her call to service. The other is by Sister Elizabeth Johnson, also C.S.J., a theologian who is radical in the best senses of the term and, in reach and scope, cosmic. I use that word not for hyperbole, but to describe her expansive view of Christian faith, which she spells out "An Earthy Christology," and which ought to cause us earthbound drudges to gasp. Catholic poets might have written in such language in 1908, but theologians, less likely.
Charles R. Morris provides a history of the first fifty years. You might think you would have to have been there, but, no, he puts you there, without condescension, in the midst of that much more provincial church. Protestants would have called it "sectarian" (big sect!). Morris shows how alert to their surroundings these Jesuit editors were. Timothy Radcliffe is assigned to look at the church to come, which he sees as inheritor of the mixed blessings of the Enlightenment. This at a time when one can select out of the Enlightenment mix what might renew and refresh the church. Some of his envisionings strike me as too hopeful, but every one hundred years editors ought to be allowed to breed hope
The editors also lighten the issue with a humbling "Oops!" admissions article by James T. Keane. He acknowledges gross missteps, like the editors' long-term support of Franco's Spain. That was more than an "Oops." Jim McDermott presides over a set of reminiscences by editors and staff. My non-staff reminiscences would point to the drastically different world at the magazine's mid-point, the beginning of the pontificate of John XXIII. As a bottom-rung editor at" The Christian Century" I often got invited to join my seniors at conferences attended and led also by those mysterious (and, we'd been taught, evil) Jesuits. Before that time our Protestant magazine could blithely haul out linguistic artillery and fire the word "Jesuitical!" whenever we wanted to scare the Sunday School kids. "Jesuitical" meant the conniving, beguiling, malicious agency of "the papal minions." I don't think we knew then and I don't know now what a minion is.
However, as we learned to know each other, our hopes and fears, our common enemies and new friendships, across the divided lines of Catholic/Protestant, Christian/Jew, and all the rest, we got to experience change, and to see "America" as an agent ther. Congratulations are in order and come with enthusiasm-and hope.
"Reference":
The centennial issue of America is online at
In conjunction with the upcoming conference, "Culturing Theologies, Theologizing Cultures: Exploring the Worlds of Religion," April 22 and 23 at the Divinity School, this month's Religion and Culture Web Forum features conference participant Alain Epp Weaver's exploration of "how the arboreal imagination animates Israeli and Palestinian mappings of space and landscapes of return." Trees are at once contested political and religious symbols and concrete means of claiming the land. Via a close reading of Palestinian theologian Elias Chacour's writings, Weaver examines the rhetorical role and weight of trees in Israeli and Palestinian thought. "Is the arboreal imagination necessarily bound up with exclusivist mappings of erasure only, mappings which encode given spaces as either Palestinian or Israeli Jewish?" Weaver asks, or, "might the arboreal imagination animating the imagined landscapes of Palestinian refugees also produce cartographies of mutuality which accept, even embrace, the complex character of shared space?"
Visit the Religion and Culture Web Forum:
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