Saturday

The Religion WAR (01-05)

Reading between the lines, and thinking outside the box . . .
 
 
 
    The archbishop of Washington, DC, is expecting Benedict XVI's arrival to the US to remind Catholics there that they are part of the universal Church.
 
    The Canadian Press has published an outline of historic Catholic locations in New York City and Washington, DC to provide background for Pope Benedict XVI's visit.
 
    When Pope Benedict XVI makes his first tour of the US as leader of the Roman Catholic Church this month, he'll greet a branch of the church that's in transition. The longtime image of American Catholics as Northeastern-based, predominantly white parishioners is changing.
 
Americans warm to Benedict—but they won't like everything he says
     Will Americans find the pope more cuddly than his fellow Europeans do? By some indicators, he certainly ought to be able to count on a better reception in the US than he gets in his home continent, where his declared aim of shoring up Europe's "Christian heritage" raises hackles in liberal and secularist circles.
    Benedict is a defender of a Catholic social doctrine, and an economic world-view, that in American terms sound quite socialist. And he will surely use his UN address to affirm his support for the world body, and more generally for multilateral diplomacy. "It's a stretch for the neoconservatives to recruit the pope as the leader of the war on terror, and it's also a stretch to associate him with the uncritical acceptance of capitalism."
 
    During his visit to the US, Pope Benedict XVI will visit a New York synagogue. He will make a 20 minute stop on April 18 at East Park Synagogue, a modern Orthodox congregation founded in 1888. The Pope has also scheduled a meeting in Washington with Jewish leaders and representatives of other faiths.
 
    The chief rabbi of Rome has explained his call for a pause in Catholic-Jewish dialogue by saying that the question of conversion-- raised anew by the revised version of the Good Friday prayer in the traditional liturgy-- is an issue that Jews cannot discuss.
    "The moment we recognized Jesus Christ, we would no longer be Jews. There is no room for discussion of these subjects, because inevitably this would end in essential futility, at least in our view."
 
    Here is the address given by the international president of the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family at the presentation of Carl Anderson's book. Anderson is the supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus.
 
    Some of the mystery surrounding the devil and exorcism is being unveiled in a television and Internet report series, detailing the work of the exorcist of the Diocese of Rome. Society of St. Paul Father Gabriele Amorth, Rome's exorcist for the past 21 years and a specialist in the figure of Mary, explained in the first edition of the series how he performs exorcisms.
 
 
 
    The Sicilian Vespers is a phrase which refers to a bloody incident which took place on Easter Monday, 1282 -- and with it there died any possibility of a universal Papacy dominating Christendom. The story is about a single incident that fundamentally altered the whole course of European history.
 
    Mysterious lights above the Penza region (of Russia) have been interpreted by sectarians as an omen for the imminent apocalypse. The quaint message appeared in the night sky above the cave where some anchorets still stayed with their leader Vasily Prokofiyevich.
    For a while some bright luminous object was moving at random in the sky making Penza police gape in astonishment and slightly shocking reporters and villagers. "It's Peter's soul," concluded authoritative sectarian Anna who left the prayer hall to enjoy the unusual sight. "His soul is suffering and tossing about. The prophecy from the Scripture is coming true; the apocalypse is in the offing …"
 
 
 
    Armageddon was a brief stopover a few days ago for a contingent of Christians led by the Texas televangelist Pastor John Hagee, who believes that doomsday is nigh.
 
    Iran's Foreign Ministry vows to continue its protest against the production of the anti-Islamic and provocative film, "Fitna" by a Dutch MP.
 
    The recent film "Fitna" by the controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders was seen by many as an attack on Islam. Now a Saudi blogger has created a film featuring violent texts from the Bible, with the intention of showing that stereotyping can go both ways.
 
 
 
He brings needed political experience to the global interfaith dialogue
    Rarely have faith issues intruded as forcefully into Britain's largely secular society, or religious extremism been as critical to fanning and prolonging conflicts around the world.
 
    The most persistent rumblings about Washington as the devil's workshop seem bound up in history about the city's design and the role of Freemasons in building it. It's a connection explored in the 3-hour DVD "Riddles in Stone: The Secret Architecture of Washington, DC."
    In the 2007 New York Times bestseller "The Book of Fate," a central character named Nico Hadrian advances the demonic pentagram theory of Washington's street layout and describes the White House as the doorway to Hell itself.
    Other satanic hot spots cited by believers include the US Capitol and the Washington Monument. The latter was described as a filthy, phallic and satanic homage to the god Baal.
    [WAR: Yes, the WM is exactly what this person describes. This obelisk/Asherah-pole should, and eventually will, be destroyed.]
 
    In Texas, a polygamous religious sect is the subject of a massive child abuse investigation. The sect broke away from the Mormon Church after it disavowed polygamy a century ago. Other sects also practice polygamy, in violation of Mormon Church teachings. We spoke with 2 female members of a community in Arizona.
 
    To really understand the politics of the Christian Right, we need to look not only to public activity, but to private matters.
 
    The state of New Mexico has ordered a family owned photography company to pay more than $6,600 for declining a demand to take pictures at a same-sex ceremony, and a lawyer who is working on an appeal says it is an example of how "non-discrimination" or "hate" laws can be weapons in the hands of homosexual activists.
    The Christian couple was ordered to pay $6,637.94. The ADF, however, said the case will be appealed because of the significance of the constitutional issue at stake.
 
Good!...
    Variety reports that NBC is producing a 4-hour mini-series based on the novel, The Last Templar. -- which works as a thought-provoking exploration of religion in today's world, and of historic fact versus faith, particularly regarding the origins of the Catholic Church.
 
    Since 1947, Thomas Jefferson's phrase has been used to limit religion, but was this his intent? He was baptized, married and buried in the Church of England, or "Anglican Church."
    He lived in Virginia, which had an "establishment" of the Anglican Church from 1606 to 1786. Establishment meant mandatory membership, mandatory taxes to support it, and one could not hold public office unless a member.
    Over time, "dissenting" religious groups entered Virginia: Presbyterians and Quakers, followed by German Lutherans, Mennonites and Moravian Brethren, then finally Baptists.
    But in 1774 Jefferson dined with Baptist Pastor Andrew Tribble at Monticello, where Jefferson commented that Baptist church government "was the only form of pure democracy that exists in the world. ... It would be the best plan of government for the American colonies."
    During the Revolution, Anglican ministers sided with King George, who was head of the Anglican Church. Patriotic parishioners migrated from the "established" church into "dissenting" churches.
    On Jan. 1, 1802, Jefferson wrote: "Gentlemen ... Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with solemn reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church and State."
    Jefferson viewed the "wall" as limiting the federal government from "intermeddling" in church government, as explained in his letter to Samuel Miller, Jan. 23, 1808: "I consider the government of the United States as interdicted [prohibited] by the Constitution from intermeddling with religious institutions, their doctrines, discipline, or exercises. This results not only from the provision that no law shall be made respecting the establishment or free exercise of religion, but from that also which reserves to the states the powers not delegated to the United States [10th Amendment]."
 
   Can you think of one other Hollywood actor, no matter how famous or talented, who could have so perfectly personified the Moses of the Bible? Only one actor, one bigger-than-life man, could ever have been believable in that role. The man was Charlton Heston.
    Just today, I read again, in Deuteronomy 34,"There has never been another prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face." And there's never been a man who could have portrayed Moses ... like Charlton Heston.
    [WAR: After Moses died, Israel/Jacob started to enter the Promised Land. Could the death of the person that personified Moses for us indicate that Israel is about to enter the promised Jacob's Trouble?...]
 
 
 
Paranoid Protestant Pot calling the kettle black...
    This latest attack on the Gospel seems to be coming from within the church itself. I refer to a rapidly growing movement known as "The Emergent Church."
    It is very popular, especially among young people raised in the evangelical church who are looking for a fresh expression of their faith. There is certainly nothing wrong with that! They want to "be real," "authentic" and "honest," just as my generation did.
    That's fine, but in the final analysis, "being real" is not the most important thing. Being right with God is. Quite frankly, you can be "real" wrong! And there are some pied pipers out there who are leading many young people down the wrong road.
    [WAR: What this Paranoid Protestant "Pied Piper" doesn't realized is that Xianity (ALL of it, not just "so-called" or "the world's") itself is "real wrong and a dangerous counterfeit -- leading billions of people down the wrong road!]
 
    When we raised this question a few weeks back -- the spiritual dimension of animals -- it generated quite a bit of mail. Most believed that the answer is that such a dimension or at least sensibility exists.
 
    A baby girl born with 2 faces in a north Indian village is being worshipped as the reincarnation a Hindu god. To the largely illiterate villagers from the agricultural community the little girl is a reincarnation of Lord Ganesh, the half person and half elephant, and one of the most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon.
    [WAR: How can someone look at this ... child? ... and really believe that "we are each individually created by "God" (And I've never heard anyone specify whether it's the Father or Son that does this "creating").
    This "child" is a freak-of-nature and in no way can be considered a beautiful "creation of God" -- and is doomed to a horrible life of suffering, if it even survives. This "child" is just one of many multiple thousands of examples that we are randomly BORN according to nature's laws 'n flaws, and not "created by God." Only Adam and Eve were individually created.
    But by saying this, I don't rule out special divine intervention to bring about certain births at certain times to fulfill the Father's and Son's will. And between now and when we're BORN again, the Father is actively involved in our individual lives in order to bring about this new birth.]
 
    The Torah: A Women's Commentary re-evaluates the Torah's feminine side and offers the first comprehensive analysis of text from a female point of view.
 
    Can there be any doubt that God wants to be sought after? The first and greatest of all commands is to love him (Mark 12:29–30; Matt. 22:36–38). He wants us to love him. To seek him with all our heart.
    A woman longs to be sought after, too, with the whole heart of her pursuer. God longs to be desired. Just as a woman longs to be desired. This is not some weakness or insecurity on the part of a woman, that deep yearning to be desired. God feels the same way.
    Eve—God's message to the world in feminine form—invites us to romance. Through her, God makes romance a priority of the universe. So God endows Woman with certain qualities that are essential to relationship, qualities that speak of God.
    She is inviting. She is vulnerable. She is tender. She embodies mercy. She is also fierce and fiercely devoted. As the old saying goes, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."
    That's just how God acts when he isn't chosen. "I, YAHWEH your ELOWAH, am a jealous ELOWAH who will not share your affection with any other god!" (Ex. 20:5).
    A woman's righteous jealousy speaks of the jealousy of God for us. Tender and inviting, intimate and alluring, fiercely devoted. Oh yes, our God has a passionate, romantic heart. Just look at Eve. (Captivating, p.29-30)
 
    Beauty draws us to God. All these things are true for any experience of Beauty. But they are especially true when we experience the beauty of a woman— her eyes, her form, her voice, her heart, her spirit, her life.
    She speaks all of this far more profoundly than anything else in all creation, because she is incarnate; she is personal. It flows to us from an immortal being. She is Beauty through and through.
    Beauty is, without question, the most essential and the most misunderstood of all God's qualities—of all feminine qualities, too. A woman knows, down in her soul, that she longs to bring beauty to the world.
    She might be mistaken on how (something every woman struggles with), but she longs for a beauty to unveil. This is not just culture, or the need to "get a man." This is in her heart, part of her design.
(Captivating, p.40-41)
 
 

posted by The Daily Warrior | 12:20 PM