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Over the last few days the universe has been providing me with little reminders about the ways in which we can train our brains, or perhaps a better word is 'consciousness' to help us find wholeness, self understanding and empowerment.
The idea of 'brain training' has become popularised through the latest generation of techno-gadgets which, helpfully, remind us that buying more computer games is actually educational and therefore good for you I have to admit that jumping about with the Wii and playing Trivial Pursuit with the family on New Year's Eve was actually quite fun - but in moderation! Brain training works on the assumption that the brain is like any other organ in the body: it can be damaged through abuse and strengthened through a good work out. All of us who are seeking to develop and transform our lives and our environments for the better know that physical addictions damage the brain and moderation is key to a balanced and healthy mind and body. On the 'mental' level the theory goes that the more we challenge our brains to use different types of thought process, the stronger and smarter our brains become.
When I was at university I was a member of the 'Thinking Society' and we used to do tests looking at our individual strengths and weaknesses in lateral thinking, analytical thinking, creative thinking etc. There were about five of us and the tests we were doing were largely photocopied out of old Psychology manuals. Today 'brain training' is big business with any number of self-help guides, on-line tests, brain training gurus and games; there is huge competition in the technology industry for the brain training pound.
The way we think about the brain has changed massively over the last ten to fifteen years and today it is recognised that physical, emotional and spiritual activity are just as important to brain training as performing great intellectual and analytical feats. A quick search on brain training brought me to My super-charged life which identifies meditation, sex, nutrition, singing from memory, and walking around blind-folded as just some of the '20 ways to train your brain'. In our super adult, super charged, super fast world we are being reminded that play is the single most effective method of keeping ourselves smart, effective and happy. Apart from the sex of course, the adventures of the Secret Seven, Famous Five and the Swallows and Amazons are perhaps the nearest I could get to 'brain training camp'. Get some good tuck, run about a lot, play games, use your keen observational skills, do a bit of problem solving, help each other out of scrapes, have a good old group bonding session and then home for a well earned rest. The problem is that, to most of us, the activities of the Secret Seven would leave us knackered for days: we simply don't have the resources to solve crime before supper. The Western world seems designed specifically to drain us of our mental and physical resources; we no longer recognise our overall being as a self sustaining organism that is meant to be in balance. For me 'brain training' does not go far enough, we need to recognise that we are more than a brain, indeed, we are more than just a body.
As adults we tend to see play as something which is usurped by responsibility. Anything that is worthwhile will require seriousness, effort, self-discipline, hard work, time, and probably money (all the stuff that drains our physical and mental resources). Play is relegated to the luxury of 'leisure time' which, at most, gets a couple of hours a week lip-service if we're lucky. Of course, our brains and bodies still crave play, which is why alcohol, television, watching other people playing sport, and web-surfing all eat away at our lives: they are sanctioned, sterile and largely inactive past times which con our brains into thinking they are training when really they are being filled with crap.
From a shamanic perspective the brain is simply one part of our consciousness, indeed, the entire body is really one part of our overall 'self'. For me there is really no limit to the self. We are not self contained little beings wandering round with a body and perhaps some form of spirit or energy body attached to it like a balloon. We are part of a web of being which includes the physical world that manifests us, the mental world that stimulates us to growth, and the spiritual/ imaginative/ dream world that "is "us. All of these different bits of us consume and produce 'energy' which I'll describe for now as 'movement that effects change'. Energy changes form all the time: food turns into fuel that turns into physical movement or mental process. Anyone who works with energy healing or magic will also tell you that, after a session they are famished; after all, they've been working hard channelling energy. A person who has received an energy healing may feel full of energy, or perhaps lighter if stagnant energy has been shifted to allow new energy to flow once more.
Shamanic practice is about working with energy. All shamanic practitioners work on themselves and some will also work on others. The most commonly recognised shamanic practice is called 'journeying' where the consciousness of the practitioner is either said to leave their body and travel elsewhere or to expand outwards so that they are able to access other realms; in any case, the purpose of journeying is to seek wisdom and to retrieve power, soul essence, or energy that has been lost. In a world that drains us this is obviously a key skill to learn and develop and, luckily, the majority of us now seem to be born with an innate ability to journey once we are shown how. Perhaps this gift comes from the universe seeking to restore balance, or perhaps the sheer power we now have to change our world is opening our eyes and minds to the consequences.
Some people are just naturally able to journey, but most of us need some guidance to get us started. However, just because you can journey doesn't mean you have the clarity to see truth when it's in front of you, or the wisdom to act on that truth. I doubt that any shamanic practitioner out there can say with hand on heart that they have always immediately understood messages from spirit and acted upon them. This is where brain training comes in: learn to still your mind and find clarity; learn to support your process through self care; learn to differentiate between 'I should' and 'I am'; learn that obstacles are largely illusions; learn that play is work and work is play.
Sadly, a spiritual experience, even the most intense, is seldom enough to do more than give us the initial impotus for change. Our ability to then bring change into our lives is determined by the overall state of our consciousness. How much energy is available to you? What perspective do you have on your ability to make change? What support networks have you created for yourself? Does the thought of changing your life make you feel knackered already or are you bursting to grab some tuck, track down the baddies, save the day and be home in time for supper? If the answer is 'knackered' then perhaps some brain training is in order before you start to tackle any serious life change and so deplete your already exhausted resources.
You can book a mentoring session with me in-person or via Skype to develop a personalised programme using techniques that promote clarity, boost your energy levels, identify blockages and get you on track. Mindfullness, meditation, stress management techniques and journeying form some of the methods we can work on together and your journey can also be supported by in-person or distance energy and shamanic healing.
Actualmente la Religi'on Wicca no dispone de un Gran Templo Central donde celebrar los ritos y las celebraciones sagradas.
Cuando los Paganos sentimos necesidad de conectarnos con el Dios, la Diosa o el Gran Esp'iritu, acudimos a la Naturaleza, pues es all'i donde podemos sentir la vibraci'on real de la existencia.
En este sentido los gentiles no tenemos Iglesias, ni Mezquitas, ni centros sociales que nos permitan expresar nuestra creencia. Cuando nuestro coraz'on nos pide conectar de verdad con el Esp'iritu, acudimos a la Naturaleza.
Entender esta ense~nanza puede resultarnos dif'icil de aceptar si estamos acostumbrados a rezar en los templos. Sin embargo esto era lo que pensaban los gentiles de la antig"uedad.
Para los sabios del mundo antiguo toda la Naturaleza era sagrada y cualquier lugar era bueno para alcanzar la trascendencia.
Las religiones basadas en la Gran Madre siempre han entendido esta verdad, y manten'ian la Omnipresencia del Esp'iritu. Con el paso de los siglos las cosas han cambiando y hemos llegamos a pensar que la Divinidad s'olo se encuentra en los Templos.
Si yo le digo a un Sacerdote Patriarcal que voy a rezar en la Naturaleza se va a extra~nar. Si le cuento a una monja que me conecto m'as con Dios en el monte que en la Iglesia, le va a sorprender. Aunque vea bien mi forma de trascender, siempre me va a dejar caer que acuda a la Iglesia de vez en cuando, porque no comprenden que la Divinidad est'a en todo.
Para los Wiccanos todo el Universo es sagrado, pues fue creado por la ordenaci'on divina. Las monta~nas, los valles, los r'ios, las cataratas, los 'arboles, las piedras y las plantas son divinas porque llevan el "sello" de la Divinidad. Llevan impresas la marca del Esp'iritu Creador, del Dios y de la Diosa, por eso decimos que el mejor Templo es la Naturaleza.
En este sentido los Wiccanos que viven cerca del campo tienen m'as suerte, pues a medio paso se pueden encontrar "rastros" de la Divinidad. Para los que vivimos en las ciudades nos resulta m'as dif'icil conectar, aunque siempre podemos encontrar un parque lleno de 'arboles o un jard'in bot'anico para visitar de vez en cuando.
Acudir a la Naturaleza es lo mejor que podemos hacer para sentir al Esp'iritu. Adem'as de ayudarnos a mantener el cuerpo el'astico y la mente fresca, nos sirve para recordar que no estamos s'olos en la tierra y que existen otras formas de vida adem'as de las nuestras.
Cuando un aspirante a Wiccano desea empezar a conectar con el Esp'iritu, yo le digo; ?porqu'e no te animas y empiezas a conectar con la Naturaleza....?. Puedes empezar por las zonas verdes de tu pueblo, por los campos m'as cercanos y conocidos y tratar de sentir al Esp'iritu de la Naturaleza. Esto puede parecer poco "poderoso", pero en realidad es lo mejor para sentir la Magia de los Dioses.
Aunque la gente prefiere hacer rituales y ceremonias con mucha liturgia, lo cierto es que visitar la Naturaleza con "ojos Wicca" es lo mejor que podemos hacer para empezar a potenciar nuestro interior (f'ijate que he dicho "para empezar").
Recordar que la Tierra es Templo Santo nos hace ver el Planeta con otros ojos. Si te animas a frecuentarla pensando que todo lo que existe est'a cargado con la energ'ia del Esp'iritu, tal vez sientas su presencia y la verdad de su poder.
?Porqu'e no lo intentas?. Un paseo de bruja va fenomenal..., y lo 'unico que tienes que hacer es "abrir" tu percepci'on a lo divino. Eso lo puede hacer cualquier, y los beneficios son extraordinarios.
Sabioy Bendito seas.
Origin: spellscasting.blogspot.com
Dreams:
All night long I dreamt of Addie. To some extent I relived the experiences of the past with her. I find that I have no compassion for her-I have no positive feelings for her, this rather frightens me. As a rule, I can find a part of myself that can try and understand where the other person is coming from. But right now, there is no part of me that can understand, truly understand her except intellectually. I saw the goddess's who "overshadow" her-she is Hera and Diana. I do not understand Hera -it is hard to see that in my psyche. The message to me is to try and write this out so I can understand her. Which is what I am doing.
Spell for a friend:
With a sapphire ring (reference Silver Ravenwolf again)-I used an old sapphire ring because sapphires are "my stone".
Moon shine for me
Gem do your work
Find a kindred friend who is not a jerk
No one is perfect this I know
Help us both to learn and grow
With love, joy and dignity
As I will, so mote it be.
Daily Corresponding event:
1) Read an article on happiness, happiness includes forgiveness and in my dream I can't seem to forgive. I did a spell for success. Apparently, you need to be happy BEFORE you can succeed. And I am having trouble with forgiveness which is part of happiness. I think happiness has to do with faith.
2) Tim and I are arguing, an unresolved related issue.
3) Am new in towne AGAIN, so I decided to try a spell for a kindred friend (above spell).
4) One thing I am "jealous" of Addie. To me, jealousy is a challenge in regards to what you wish for yourself. For example, if you are jealous of someone's beauty, then you need to look at why you don't feel beautiful and change what needs to be changed. Jealousy is a challenge and could be why I can't forgive her or understand her.
5) Addie is a "fighter"(the Diana in her psyche), my way of dealing with someone I do not like in my reality is to simply "cut them out" as much as possible-rid them from my life. Indeed, she "gets off" on fighting people. Addie is also very Machiavellian-she will do whatever it takes, no matter what the cost. I can fight, "the good fight", but my way is very different. Addie is "not going away". She is very present force in my life. The first thing I must do in my "fight", is to rid her from my life in my mind's eye. Forgive her, try to understand her, get over my jealousy, lessen her hold on me. Jealousy, anger etc give the other person too much power over me. The less emotion I feel about her, the less her power and the smarter my decisions and reactions in regards to her.
Philosophy:
One thing about spells is that they many times "counter attack". Whatever is happening in your life that is preventing you from having what you cast the spell for, "comes out to play with you". Suddenly, my trouble with forgiveness is in my dreams-all night long. And an unresolved issue with my significant other as well. Forgiveness is for you and not the other person. If you forgive them, then they lessen their power on your life. So, if you cast a spell for happiness, you are going to find out what is making you "unhappy", and face that down within your own psyche. Forgiving does not mean that you associate with the person again-although it can. Forgiving means that your anger or rage is gone towards them.
Philosophy on "overshadowing":
Based on the book, "Goddess's in Every Woman" by Jean Bolen, the idea is that we are essentially X amount of women in our society. This idea is based upon the Jungian idea of archetypes. For example, a woman who has a lot of Aphrodite in her, will date a lot of men, she is the personification of love and sex. Hera, the wife-but a betrayed wife, is a "woman scorned". Every God and Goddess has both "good sides" and "challenges" to overcome. Hera is the woman scorned challenge, the wife of Zues-he cheats on her all the time. There are Greek, Roman, Irish etc. god and goddess archetypes, most women (and men) are two. These are called pantheons. Our sense of fashion is part of that. What we were is reflective of which "goddess" we chose. For me this is one "crucial" part of a being wiccan, the different gods and goddess's that overshadow us. Wicca takes this into account, and most other religions do not. It is a useful way to try and understand someone and where they are coming from.
By Brock Thompson
When two Pisceans join together in a love match, there is a union of two sensitive and emotional people. They share honest, efficient communication, a rich emotional bond and a deep spiritual connection. They both feel that their precious relationship is the most wonderful thing in the world, and it couldn't get any better. They share a love of beauty and peace unparalleled in the Zodiac, and both are equally committed to maintaining this ideal relationship.The passive Pisces nature affords this couple peaceful times. However, Pisces can be too easygoing, sometimes gullible, and is extremely sensitive to negative energy. Two Pisces together can become lethargic, lazy or bring out the best and worst in one another. They are often unable to set limits for themselves or others, and can wander off too far in a spiritual direction. Pisces tend to elude any conflicts with a disappearing act, either with unrealistic optimism or by hiding out in a life of fantasy.
It is this everyday Pisces versatility which makes each simple to speak to, adaptable to any situation and stellar close friends as well as lovers.Pisces is ruled by the Planets Jupiter and Neptune. Pisces give a stellar feeling of ethics and values and dwell life with a philosophical view as reflected by the Planet Jupiter. Neptune is in cost of Pisces's romantic relationship with pop culture, summary believed, imagination and secret. Pisces is a Signal of service.
Every spouse showers the various with affection and entirely adores any they receive in turn. The providing of lavish gifts, breakfast every day in bed and weekend getaways are typical occurrences in a Pisces-Pisces romantic relationship. Pisces is a Water Sign. Both partners are solely too satisfied to bend to the could and must of their loved ones. Pisces are well known for their adaptability, conforming their pursuits and desire to the circumstances at hand.
That can be risky for The Fish, even so, as their sense of self applied may slide off into the background. The astrological symbol of The Combine of Fishes symbolizes Pisces's dual nature, each swimming in a different advice simultaneously.Pisces have to genuinely focus and dedicate themselves to implementing personal goals. It is for the profit of the partnership that every single spouse need to do their finest to promote one another to succeed.
Pisces is a Mutable Indicator. Indirect and aloof, Pisces achieves well once motivated by a sturdy initiating force. It couple could commonly exist with puny or no conflict, and could tremendously benefit from placing their hearts and brains together. Fights are few and far between. Both are often there to improve one another by means of attempting times or to lend a side every time necessary.
Their laid-back dynamics is a welcome aspect for both partners, and it newlyweds feels a fantastic mental attraction to and deep admiration of one another. What's the ideal element of the Pisces-Pisces relationship? It's incredible alleviate with that they get together with one another. These folks are the envy of the Zodiac once it comes to a peaceful, straightforward partnership. They are very loyal, loving and chill and can always be there once their partner should them most. Together, their bond can exist unbreakable.
About the Author:
Pisces And Pisces Love Match And Compatibility? Hot Or Not? - pisces and pisces and pisces and pisces
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The group of spells known as fortune spells can do two things. First they can perceive a future, and thus act as fortune telling tools. Secondly they can change and manipulate fortunes and futures.
The power of fortunes lays in the power of the magical forces which control all magic. The more powerful this magic force is within the caster the easier it is for the caster to manipulate fortunes and the more detailed fortuntelling can become.
CHARGE A PACK OF CARDS
This spell is to charge a pack of cards with the power to tell what will be on your future.
Items you will need
A pack of cards(casino,spanish etc)
A wand
Your own altar with a pentagram
CASTING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ' CHARGE A PACK OF CARDS'
What the cards mean:
Casino Cards:
Hearts means love
Swords means strength
Flowers means growth
Diamonds means money
Kings,Queens and Jacks means leaderness and richness
Jokers mean friends
Spanish Cards:
Gold means money
Cups means food
Swords means strength
Sticks means nature
Fools means jobs
Kings means leaderness
Examples:
Casino cards: if the queen of hearts is pick up that means love and leaderness, richness
Spanish cards: if the kings of sticks is pick up that means nature and leaderness
Spell Casting:
Put the pack of cards on the pentagram in the altar and point the pack of cards with your wand and say:
'Pack of cards, I need you to say my future and help me on my path of my life.So mote it be'
ELEMENTAL LUCK SPELL
(Kudo's to Rabbitt). Based on Rabbitt's Luck spell.
Items you will need
Pentagram and candles if you need them.
CASTING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ' ELEMENTAL LUCK SPELL'
hant the Following outside or near a open window:
Oh Elements that be: By winds that cool and airs that cleanse, By earth that sustains us and brings good fortune, By fire that protects and warms our souls, By water that gives us drink and life, Elemental powers, open the doors of luck for: 'full name' Bring to me that which I need, by the power of the Four elements! i ask by wind, by earth, by fire and by water! so mote it be.
X4 Repeat, feel free to modify as needed. Thanks again Rabbitt
LUCK TO LOVE
This spell is intended to take someone else's luck away for a certain period of time, and convert it to love for you. NOTE: I do not reccomend using this spell in cases of selfishness or revenge. It will backfire. If you decide to use this spell, be sure that you have a good reason.
Items you will need
concentration
strong voice
clear conscience
good-natured heart
two people
CASTING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ' LUCK TO LOVE'
Close your eyes, standing back-to-back with the person you're casting this spell with, and focus on the person you intend to cast this spell at. Invision their face and the color of their personality and intensions. Chant this spell in sync with the other person:
Luck from one,
Multiply,
Onto two,
Then divide.
Don't take offense,
It's already done.
It won't last long,
Though it's just begun.
Soon yours will lessen,
And ours will rise,
But in the end,
It will compromise.
Turn luck to love,
Until he/she learns.
As a selfless being,
His/her luck shall return.
By the power of the(whatever element you favor most), let it be so!
In a couple of days, the spell should take action. WARNING: If your intensions were selfish, mean, hateful, or to avenge, the spell WILL backfire and instead both luck and love will fail you for a short time.
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PROSPERITY WICCAN SPELL RING MONEY WEALTH LUCK FORTUNE AMBITION GENEROSITY
US 19.51
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Magic love spellsLove SpellsVoodoo DollsMarriage SpellsJealousy SpellsLOVE AND FRIENDSHIP SPELLS
Reference: my-spiritual-path.blogspot.com
When is a "natural talent" a spiritual gift? That isn't an easy question to answer. If you limit yourself to the Pauline lists, you quickly realize that you can't offer an either/or answer to the question. Could they be natural talents with a supernatural add? Could they be transformed natural talents, where once they were natural but if they are used for sacred purposes we should consider them to be spiritual gifts? It is probably best not to make a sharp distinction between gifts and talents and recognize the mystery of the Spirit's engagement with our lives. In the mystery of creation, we can recognize that what we call talents are in reality divine gifts of grace. We can use them for our own purposes, or in gratitude to the creator use them in the work of God's kingdom. A gift's usefulness to the community faith is rooted in our appreciation of the one who is the true source of all talents and abilities, the Creator.
The biblical discussions of creation witness to the mystery of human life. There is a strong sense that humanity is created for a relationship with God and gifted with abilities that relate to that calling. Hear the implications of the Psalmist's affirmation of God's attention to the details of our formation as individuals.
For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb.I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps. 139:13-14).We do not have to take this passage in a deterministic or literalist manner to appreciate our calling by God to stand before God as people who are "fearfully and wonderfully made." This passage helps us affirm that each of us, no matter our backgrounds, skills, intelligence, social class, have something to offer to the world. Who we are and what we do does make a difference. No one else can do what I do like I do it and no one can do what you do quite like you do it. It's not just a matter of talent; it's also a matter of personality and temperament. Who we are is somewhat of a mystery, but the call to use our talents and abilities to create a community of faith that will witness to the love of our God, that is not a mystery.
Excerpted from "Gifts of Love" (unpublished mss.)
"By DagoodS"
(Title by Voltaire)
Claiming that a person does not believe in God because of their Pride is a rotten argument. Do not be surprised if it fails to even nudge the skeptic.
It is often said, in the debate of why a person believes or not, that the non-believer failed to be humble, or thought too much of themselves, or was arrogant, and thus dismissed the concept of God. Since it is not true, the statement fails to compel.
If you are guilty of using this claim in a debate, you can save your breath and your fingers.
You see, in order to be persuasive, we must talk in concepts and ideas that the OTHER person can relate to, not simply push out some platitude and assume that it is effective. I may find it extremely persuasive that a Chevrolet Corvette can go from 0-60 mph in less than 5 seconds. That may be the impetus by which I am persuaded to purchase the vehicle. Can you imagine my using this selling feature to a mother with three children? While she may be thrilled to hear how fast she can escape reality, upon looking at the two-seater, and the luggage space only large enough for a briefcase, she would be less than impressed with my sales technique. She wants space, not speed.
The people that are the most persuasive are the ones that first determine what motivates their target. If money, the salesman puts it in terms of economics. If power, in terms of might. If love, in terms of romance.
As pride had nothing to do with my transformation of beliefs, a person telling me that "It is because you were too proud" is amazingly ineffective. Place the shoe on the other foot. If I told you that the only reason you believe in a God, is because you have been brainwashed, does this impel you to question why you believe? Of course not! You are very aware you were not brainwashed, so my stating such does not motivate you, and it actually harms my argument, since you know my initial premise is incorrect.
"You have been brainwashed to believe in a God. If you would only stop being brainwashed, you would see that there is no God."
Not very convincing, is it? Then why use the same, unconvincing tactic on others?
Have you ever thought about how many people you are throwing into this label of "pride"? Billions and Billions. There are only a few million (if that) persons that believe in your particular God. I am not talking about Jesus to the Christian, or Allah to the Muslim or YHWH to the Jew, I am talking about your specific God, with all of its nuances, flavors, and idiosyncrasies. If you are a protestant, that particular "God" did not appear before the 16th Century. A Calvinist, not until Calvin. If you reject some Holy book and writings, but accept others, how many other persons have you met that fully aligned with every word and phrase that you do?
Very few believe exactly as you do regarding infants, baptism, salvation, marriage, election, etc. But even then, that will always leave Billions of persons both before, now and later, that do not believe in your particular God. Are every single one of them too proud to buy into your particular god?
As we go through life, our views of our God can change. Is it true that every time this view changed, and we no longer believed our former God, the change came about from pride? If a Christian converted a Jew, would that change of belief be from Pride? What about a Jew that converts a Christian? Is that Pride? How can we be so arrogant to state that when a person modifies their belief to our belief, it is proper, but when they modify their belief to something that is not, it is pride?
When I was growing up, God didn't like Movie Theaters. They were places of sin, iniquity, evil and bad popcorn. My parents didn't go to Movies, my siblings did not go to Movies, my friends did not, my church mates did not, my school mates did not. I knew no one that was upright, moral, or pure that would ever even THINK of going to a movie.
My brother and I snuck into "Cannonball Run "and thought we had gotten away with murder! Then came the Video Cassette Recorder......
Between 1980 and 1984, our community saw a transformation. All of a sudden, God liked Movies! Was this change in belief in what God liked/dis-liked have anything to do with pride? Did it have to do with intellectual change? Nope, it was a cultural change. When movies became so readily available, to prohibit them appeared ridiculous.
Now that we know Billions of people are suffering from similar bouts of pride in their refusal to believe a particular god, the next step, beyond stating it, is to proof it out.
At first blush, "you have pride, therefore do not believe in my god" appears to be poisoning the well. You know, when you taint the water so bad, no one dares drink it to be made a fool. If I protest and say, "It is not pride" the first response is, "Sad. Too proud to see his pride." If I fail to protest, it confirms the statement.
At second blush, the statement, "you have pride and therefore do not believe in my god" is preaching to the choir. The only ones buying it are the ones that agree with that particular God.
On occasion, I heard preachers talk about how good it is people sacrifice their Sunday to attend their church that morning. Think about it. The ONLY persons hearing that are....People attending church! "You guys are great for doing what you are doing. Those guys (who aren't here and can't hear me) are bad for not being here." Makes the audience so happy (dare I say "proud"?) to pat themselves on the back for being so holy. And no harm, because the unholy ones didn't even hear it.
The only people that agree we non-believers are too proud to believe in your God, are the select few that believe with you. No body else. You are selling to an audience that has already bought the product. Is that the intention of this statement?
Simply stating it is not enough. You must proof out the assertion; prove that people are deliberately refusing to acquiesce to your God because of pride.
Yes, I know. You have the proof; because God told you. Are you forgetting those Billions of other people? Billions of OTHER gods told Billions of OTHER people that YOU have too much pride to buy into their individual belief. I am being told by conflicting God-beliefs that I have too much pride to believe in their God. No matter how we turn, you and I are doomed. There is some God-belief out there that we are both being too proud to believe.
Yes, I know. But your God-belief is the correct one. After which I immediately hear Billions of voices shouting, "No, MY belief is the correct one." We have to do better than merely assertion. We have to do better than merely, "God says so."
A question that always pops in my head is, "Proud of what? My thinking? My humanity?" We hear the phrase, "Atheists think they know more than God," or "You worship your mind," or "You have faith in your brain," none of which is accurate.
Am I proud of my thinking? I am well-aware that in some areas I think better than some people, and worse than others. In other areas, I think worse them some and better than others. Even a super-genius can be wrong, and a 2-year-old can be right.
Thinking is on a scale. Some of us are numbers people, some are visual, some artistic, and some can write poetry to beat the band. For every reason I have to be proud of my ability to think, I have just as many, if not more, to be humble. I can process out arguments. I cannot paint much better than stick figures. I can problem-resolve quite well. I cannot do two things at once.
Most atheists that I converse with are humanitarians. I do not run across "I think better than you, so I AM better than you" any more than I do with theists. Or any other -ists. We all seem to be pretty equal on the playing field in this regard.
Are there proud atheists? Sure. Are there proud theists? Just as much. I see neither group having a corner on the market on pride OR thinking. We all have some pride and some humility.
Do I think I know more than God? This is laughable. Simply because I am an atheist, doesn't mean I have no clue about the concept of God. I understand very well, that part of being a God, and certainly part of being a creator, would necessitate that God would have to be smarter than I am. He would know more. To even remotely think that I could be smarter than an entity that has the ability to make a star is ludicrous.
The problem is not thinking I am smarter, it is the lack of ability to compare. Sure, IF there is a God, it would be smarter. Just like IF there were leprechauns, they would have more gold than I do. I am not "proud" that I have more gold than leprechauns. I simply have no basis by which to compare. If someone could present one, it wouldn't take much to beat me in the gold-comparison.
Do I require God, in some way, to show me that He is smarter? Again, no. Since I, a less intelligent creature, can see the numerous conflicting gods, all of which claim that not believing in them is due to pride, certainly the more intelligent creature can see that as well. As I cannot, with my limited thinking ability, determine which God is correct, than even God can see that He must do something if he wants to correct the situation.
I know. He already has. Hear those Billions of voices behind you, disagreeing with your particular dispensation of God? Since I am not smarter than God, I cannot tell which voice could possibly be correct, since they all conflict with each other.
Am I proud of my humanity? I see a miscommunication here. Often theists (and I was certainly taught this way) believe there is a scale of some sort. That the most important entity in the universe is God. The second most important are humans, because they can have a relationship with God. The Third are animals, the fourth the earth, the fifth the rest of the universe we cannot explore. While this scale is not laid out so explicitly, it certainly is effectively demonstrated. Even within each level, there can be varying degrees. Sadly, some theism teaches Man is more important than Woman. Saved are more important than unsaved. Sinner of 100 sins is more important than Sinner of 1000 sins.
I wonder if the theist that claims I am using Pride to usurp God is using this scale. You see, if there WAS such a scale, by eliminating God, guess who becomes number one? Most metaphysical naturalists (as near as I can tell) and certainly one atheist (that I can confirm) do not see the world this way.
There is no scale. A human just happens to be the current state of this evolved being. I'll let you in on a secret. If you hear the claim "The human is the greatest evolved creature" it is most likely from a creationist. Not an evolutionist. In "some" areas we have evolved more advanced than other species. But I would prefer the eyes of a cat, frankly. And certainly the lifespan of tortoises.
Can humans process thought better than most creatures? It would appear so. Doesn't make us "better." We are not even adequate at swimming and stink at flying. We cannot predict weather, nor can communicate over long distances. We are just one of many creatures that live on earth. In another million years or so, the next evolved creatures will wonder how we made it at all.
Further, I realize how insignificant I am in the vast universe. My flavor of theism taught that God cared about the very hairs on my head, and whether I stubbed my toe. My flavor of atheism says the universe doesn't give a damn if I live, die or explode. I can assure you which flavor is more humbling.
There is no pride in eliminating one's "grand significance."
So why is "pride" a reason to not believe in God? What is the person proud of? What act of humility is required that God will demonstrate himself to that person? Is asking once enough? A thousand times? Never at all?
Finally, on a personal note, I was happy as a Christian. I liked God, and I figured God would (hopefully) understand I was doing the best I could with the abilities I had. Sure, I screwed up, but that was inherent in the nature of humanity, and I did my best to screw up as little as possible.
I came across some intriguing questions about God, and figured I could do some research, learn some, quash those questions, and then go merrily on my way. Instead I became embroiled in the fight of my life, attempting to learn enough about God to make those questions abate. I thought, and studied, and read and prayed and agonized over the complexities presented. I did not have time to be proud, because I was too immersed in study.
When I realized that I was losing my belief in God, I became despondent and depressed. I tried everything any human could ever do to hold onto that belief. And yes, I "let go and let God." Unfortunately, your god chose to not wipe those pounding questions from my brain. It is difficult for me to state the cost of the inevitable change of belief in my relationships and within my family.
Pride? With a wry smile, I shake my head at that argument. You would be better served arguing that I deliberately dis-believe in God because I like Ham sandwiches. It is more compelling with more depth of thought.
Credit: alchemy-and-alchemists.blogspot.com
Get The Best Yoga Guidelines At Yoga Divinity
The nation of Tibet were convinced by a tradition of shamanism, magic and fortune-telling. Buddhism showed up in Tibet from India in the 7th century and became the record faith of the narrative. The native traditions were dejected, but became referred to as Bn. Every one religions began to sketch some commonalities in their valued texts and practices. They each suffer strategies to turn over greater picture, along with the practice of dream yoga.
The Bon Practice
The traditional nation of Tibet were beached in animistic and shamanistic practices that revered a well hovering difference together with the human race and smooth. They revered the elements, appears, spirits and gods. They looked for acquit from devils and industrious in initiation resources that included divine psychosis and sanctuary stylish the desert. Commonly viewed as an sovereign virtuous beliefs by outsiders, by the 10th century the custom was respected as Bn, a ancestry tree simultaneous to Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche.
Buddhism In Tibet
Buddha Shakyamuni transferred trainings in Tibet that formed the Nyingma, Kagyu, Dzogchen and Gelug schools. Specialists of each group use impress, chanting and dullness to find unadorned picture. Essential to Tibetan Buddhism is esteem for Padmasambhava, the Buddha of softness. In the overdue 20th century, the 14th Dalai Lama, spiritual move of the Tibetan nation, in conclusion respected Bn as the 5th school of Tibetan Buddhism.
Suppose Yoga
Buddha Shakyamuni told his disciples to regard all ambiance as dreams. The perfect world comes up and dissolves ardor a nightmare. Tibetan Bn tradition advises us not to run through the dear time we have an account undeveloped and dreaming for example we've the would-be to agreement with our restrictions. This is the living being of the spiritual path. Suppose yoga is a set of practices that step our undeveloped hours to bring waking picture stylish undeveloped picture.
Earn Dreaming
Bn shamans use dreams as a type of divination. They encouragement to guardians and union answers. Earn dreaming facilitate a precise as picture establishes trendy the dream feel. There's a crush to frontage concerns and step a horrid image stylish a improving one- a thick pet chasing you can be pictured as a agreeable Buddha. Earn dreaming enables us to lay self that aid us advance through a spiritual path.
The Accomplished Completness
Dzogchen Buddhism embodies the living being of the Bn tradition. '"Mindnature"' is every one the starting tapering off and the entity of practice. Mindnature is always commit in all beings regardless of '"samsara,"' the epoch of ineptness and delight naked in spoken life. The practice of Suppose Yoga helps us to make this knowledge ardently surplus to all humans.
Mesh Clever
Thoughts aren't translated and assessed. To a certain extent, we sketch to stop dream messages to an feel of comprehensiveness and first-class light.' Tibetan Bn and Buddhism practices open the mind to '"rigpa,"' a approve of unadorned picture, likewise described as first-class light. The MotherTantra is the vital of wisdom who reminds us that picture and just leisure pursuit in life allow us to roost commit direct the temporary absent administrate.
Correspondence Of Bn Vs. Buddhism Suppose Yoga
"All photographs in this article were taken by Ragnhildur J'onsd'ottir, who also provided the captions. She has kindly allowed me to use them on The Norse Mythology Blog."
Sunrise seen from inside the elf church
Last December 22, the Associated Press posted a story titled "Iceland's Hidden Elves Delay Road Project." It discussed how protests in Iceland had temporarily halted construction of a road through the G'algahraun lava field on the 'Alftanes peninsula - an area that was declared officially protected in 2009 - until the country's supreme court could rule on the case. The story downplayed the fact that environmentalists had been publicly battling the project since its inception. Instead, it focused almost exclusively on the idea that "elf advocates" was leading the protests because the construction was invading an area inhabited by elves and containing an elf church.
The Associated Press item was picked up and reposted by news agencies around the world, with unfortunate results. Here in Chicago, WGN-TV News used images of the cartoon Keebler Elves to illustrate their giggly coverage of the story. National Public Radio's website repackaged the AP article as "Highway In Iceland May Be Sidetracked By Elves" (it seems that we're now capitalizing prepositions) and illustrated it with an image of Liv Tyler as Arwen from "The Lord of the Rings". Apparently, they're following the lead of Public Radio International, who used a photo of someone dressed up as Marvel's movie version of Thor to illustrate a story on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs finally allowing Thor's hammer as a religious symbol on government grave markers.
For news agencies the world over, the AP item was just too cute to pass up. Who wouldn't want to tell the story of a simple island folk and their quaint belief in invisible beings? It's much easier than doing nasty time-consuming things like researching and interviewing sources. It's also much easier than the bothersome chore of learning about minority faith traditions and treating them with the same respect as popular religions.
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Altar of the holy place of the elves
Icelandic media immediately challenged the reporting of Jenna Gottlieb, the author of the Associated Press news item. The Reykjav'ik Grapevine" ran a story declaring "Environmentalists Not Elf Lobby," pointing out that they and other Icelandic news outlets had been covering the environmental protests for months - and that Ms. Gottlieb had created an article by "cobbling together quotes from notable figures." Colleagues of mine in Iceland told me that, for instance, Gottlieb's quotes from University of Iceland's Prof. Terry Gunnell were "old and taken out of context." In the United States, "The Wire" ran a story summarizing the response: "Iceland's 'Elf Lobby' Isn't Real, According to Icelanders."
The AP story quoted two sentences about elves from Iceland's Ragnhildur J'onsd'ottir and referred to her as "a self-proclaimed 'seer.'" This was pounced on by writers who struck out against Gottlieb's article. "Icelandic Review Online" called Ragnhildur her a "self-confessed elf believer" in an article asking "How Stupid are the Icelandic People? The Wire" singled her out for ridicule in their coverage without bothering to mention her name; they simply and nastily wrote of "loony elf 'seers' trying to stop construction of a road being built."
All of this is a bit strange. The fundamental premise of the original AP story is that "elf advocates have joined forces with environmentalists to urge the Icelandic Road and Coastal Commission and local authorities to abandon a highway project building a direct route from the Alftanes peninsula." However, Gottlieb does not quote any "elf advocate" involved in the protest - except for the two sentences from Ragnhildur.
In its response, "Icelandic Review Online" simply states, "The story is false" - but didn't seem to have bothered contacting Ragnhildur for her input. "The Wire", while criticizing Gottlieb's journalistic methods, shows no sign that it conducted a single interview of its own; the piece was written by "cobbling together quotes" just as much as the AP story was. "The Reykjav'ik Grapevine" - the originator of the "cobbling together" accusation - likewise created its response by sticking together existing quotes (including a Facebook status update) instead of doing any original interviews.
Where are Gottlieb's interviews with others in the supposed group of "elf advocates"? Was the entire premise of the story built on a two-sentence interview with Ragnhildur? Why didn't any of the writers criticizing the AP piece bother to interview Ragnhildur for their own stories? Would the Associated Press have identified a Catholic priest involved in the protest as "a self-proclaimed 'holy man'"? Would "Icelandic Review Online" refer to a Jewish demonstrator as a "self-confessed Yahweh believer"? Would "The Wire" refer to a Muslim protestor as "loony" and put "imam" in sarcastic quotation marks?
"
A light-elf in the G'algahraun lava field
I have corresponded with Ragnhildur for several years, and I met her in at Thingvellir in Iceland after participating in the sumars'olst"odubl'ot" (summer solstice ceremony) of the 'Asatr'uarf'elagid ("AEsir Faith Fellowship") in 2010. As Iceland's leading elf specialist, she leads elf walks through 'Alfagardurinn ("elf garden") in Hafnarfj"ordur and creates original art based on her contact with the elves. I wrote about her public work when covering a 2012 "Elf Kerfuffle in Iceland" that also involved road construction and elf habitats.
Back in December, I thought that it might be a good idea if someone actually asked Raghnhildur what she thought of the coverage. I emailed her a link to the Associated Press story and congratulated her on the successful halting of the construction project. Here is her reply:
December 25, 2013
Hello and thank you, Karl Erik.
Yes, it is a wonderful story, but I am so sorry to say that it is not completely true. The Road Administration is still working on the road. They are halfway through the lava field with the road, but the elf church and their holy area is still in place.
The elves (with me as their speaker in the human world) have come to an agreement with the Road Administration and Gardabaer's mayor to move a known elf church called 'Ofeigskirkja a few meters out of the way of the road into a safe place next to a very sacred place to the elves. The humans will make sure nothing of this will be damaged and it will be marked as an elf holy area.
I know it will be too hard for the humans in charge to stop the road from being made, but they are at least willing to help the elves now as they can, to make the best of the situation as it is. I am very happy that the mayor and the Road Administration are willing to do this now; it is a good step. This project of moving the 'Ofeigskirkja is a very large project, plus making sure the whole area is safe and protected from then on. I am sure you will hear about that when it happens.
Best elf wishes to you and thank your interest. Thank you for all you are doing.
- RagnhildurI told her that I would like to post her letter, and she was gracious enough to agree. The next day, however, she wrote:
December 26, 2013 Dear Karl, I will have to ask you something. I am so sorry, but something came up, and it would be better to wait a little bit before announcing it. I need some time before I can talk about the protection of the elf church. I am really sorry. But I can say, "I have a good reason to believe the holy place of the elves will be saved and protected."Six weeks later, Ragnhildur wrote again:
February 7, 2014Hello Karl, I promised to tell you about the protection in the G'algahraun lava field. I have now met again with Magn'us from the Road Administration and some of the men working on the road. They showed me drawings with changes of the road where it goes by the side of the elf church (holy place). They are going to move one known elf church (more like a chapel) out of the way of the road. It will be placed a few meters away, right beside the main holy place that we call Elf Church. One more elf rock called Graenh'oll (Green Hill) is also being saved.
The road is going to be four meters narrower while passing this area of three rocks. It will be fenced off from the road, and pathways will be leading to the area from another direction. The road being narrower means that the road itself is the same width but the area beside the road [i.e., the shoulder] is made narrower.
Anyway, wanted to tell you this. Thank you for your interest in this, Karl.
Best wishes,
RagnhildurShe sent another update this week:
February 25, 2014
I have heard from the man Magn'us at Vegagerdi (Road Administration). They are going to move the 'Ofeigskirkja in the middle of March. This rock called 'Ofeigskirkja - a kind of an elf chapel - is in the middle of the road they are making. They will move it out of the way to a nearby, almost flat lava. It is right next to the main elf church or holy place.
That means the two holy places - high energy places - will both be saved and protected there, next to each other. There is the third rock, known as Graenh'oll; it is very close also.Finally, she was kind enough to send additional photographs of the area with detailed explanations.
February 26, 2014 Hello Karl, I am sending you two photos from the sacred place in G'algahraun lava field.
This first one shows the new road. In front to the left is 'Ofeigskirkja. It is an "elf chapel," so to speak. The elves told me humans and elves said a prayer there before or while going through the rough lava field. This big rock is in the middle of the new road, but the Road Administration and the mayor of Gardabaer are making changes. They will move this rock over the road where you see the dog. The main elf church is in the back to the right, with a flag on top.The second photo shows the main elf church or holy place. This beautiful place is so very special and has great, very high energy. The beings there tell me it has been a holy place for them for thousands of years, since long before humans arrived here - and they will protect it. 'Ofeigskirkja will be put down right next to this one. The road is narrower where it goes past this area. They will fence it off from the road and put up signs to say what it is. If the elves had done nothing, this whole area would have been destroyed.I hope this helps. Next month they will move 'Ofeigskirkja and we will probably have something in the news then, at least. I will let you know and I will post about it on Facebook. Best wishes for you and thank you for your interest.
- RagnhildurThere you have it, gentle readers. Make up your own minds about the original story, the critiques, the letters and the photographs. I simply thought that the professional journalists on both sides of the issue could use a bit of reminding about original research, speaking to sources and following up on a story as it develops "after" the initial AP report. My faith in modern journalism keeps getting lower as, for example, I repeatedly catch reporters in the mainstream media who are writing articles by literally cutting and pasting from Wikipedia articles.
I'm not sure if this is a problem that saturates all areas of journalism today, or if it's localized to religion reporting. Journalists who cover the religion beat seem particularly perplexed when confronted with any belief systems outside the Abrahamic mainstream. I would love to see (to use a tired but apt phrase) fair and balanced coverage of minority faith traditions, but it's sometimes hard to keep my hopes up - especially when we have shoddy reporting like that surrounding this particular story.
Steve Martin (the Lutheran blogger known as "Old Adam," not the actor/comedian) has been talking with a motley crew of us Catholics in the comments here about how Lutherans can know which Books are in Scripture. Steve directed me to a talk his pastor, Mark Anderson, gave on the subject.
I listened to it last night, and was pleased to say that I agree with probably 80-90% of what Anderson had to say. First off, he recognized that the importance of understanding the question of authority:
THE QUESTION OF AUTHORITY, WHICH IS REALLY "THE" QUESTION, THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS. And that's where it has been percolating since the Reformation. The question of authority has not been resolved in the Christian church. That's the question that's wide open, and that accounts for a lot of the diversity and the multiplicity of churches, and denominations, and so forth. This is the problem that has not been solved. It continues to fester, and be chronically part of our life as Christians.The question of authority isn't important so we can know who has "power" or who gets to be "boss." Instead, Pastor Anderson defines the question of authority like this: "WHERE DO WE GO FINALLY FOR RESOLUTION OF DOCTRINAL PROBLEMS? WHERE DO WE GO FINALLY FOR RESOLUTION OF THEOLOGICAL QUESTIONS? WHO DETERMINES WHAT THE MEANING OF JESUS CHRIST IS?" As Anderson noted, we see this appeal to ecclesiastical authority in the New Testament, whenever Paul opens his letters by declaring himself an Apostle (which was constantly: Romans 1:1, 1 Cor. 1:1, 2 Cor 1:1, Galatians 1:1, Ephesians 1:1, Colossians 1:1, 1 Timothy 1:1, 2 Timothy 1:1, and Titus 1:1). Paul begins by reminding everyone he's an Apostle, because it means that they have to listen to his message. They can't just say, "I don't interpret the Old Testament that way," or "when I heard Jesus say that, that's not the interpretation "I" took." Personal interpretation of Scripture and of the words of Jesus must submit to Paul's Apostolic authority.
So the question of who has valid authority today is "the" question. Before you can know whether you're living in accordance with "the Gospel," you need to know what the Gospel "is." And Christians will gives you probably thousands of different contradictory answers, from "just be a good person," to "believe in Jesus, and how you live doesn't matter" to everything in between. We're told that we need to be a part of the visible Church to be saved, or (as Harold Camping has been teaching) that membership in the visible Church is a mark of your damnation.. So those wanting to live out the Gospel need to know, "Who can I trust?" And as Pastor Anderson notes, Protestantism still can't answer that simple question, five hundred years on. We'll get to why that is in a bit.
I. HOW THE EARLY CHURCH HANDLED THE QUESTION OF AUTHORITY
Anderson noted that the early Church faced this problem as well. Here's how he described the fourth-century Church, and its similarity to Protestantism today:
The Church Fathers sat down and said: 'We've got to do something about this. We've got "orthodoxies" which are heretics all over the map. Nobody knows how to talk about Jesus. Nobody knows exactly what the Gospel is.' And it's hard for us maybe to appreciate that completely, but all we have to do is look to the current state of affairs in the Christian Church, the multiplicity of congregations and denominations, points of view, to realize it is up for grab. And it doesn't help to just stand up and assert more loudly what you believe to be the Truth. I mean, hollering - the proclamation of the Gospel is not a shouting match. The loudest voice isn't necessary the one that's gonna win - or should.And Pastor Anderson even conceded that this problem was solved by the very episcopacy which he rejects, saying:
I DON'T THINK THERE'S BEEN ANYONE WHO'S BEEN MORE CRITICAL OF THE MOVE TOWARDS EPISCOPACY THAN I HAVE. BUT ANYONE WOULD BE A FOOL TO LOOK OVER TWO THOUSAND YEARS OF CHRISTIAN HISTORY, AND NOT RECOGNIZE THAT MANY OF THE BISHOPS OF THE ANCIENT CHURCH PLAYED A PIVOTAL ROLE IN SEEING TO IT THAT THE DOCTRINE OF THE WORD OF GOD WAS ADEQUATELY PROTECTED, AND FAITHFULLY PROCLAIMED. IN FACT, IT WAS LARGELY DUE TO MANY OF THEIR MINISTRIES THAT WE HAVE WHAT WE HAVE TODAY IN TERMS OF CHRISTIAN ORTHODOXY AND SCRIPTURE.SO THE EARLY CHURCH WAS FACED WITH THIS PROBLEM, BUT HAD A SOLUTION. THE CHURCH AUTHORITIES (THE EPISCOPACY) SETTLED THE DISPUTE. ANDERSON EVEN GOES FURTHER, ACKNOWLEDGING THAT "THE PAPAL SEE BECOMES A LOGICAL EXTENSION OF APOSTOLIC AUTHORITY TAKEN ABOUT AS GRAND OF HEIGHTS AS YOU CAN GET." NOW, I'D DISPUTE THIS CHARACTERIZATION SOMEWHAT (THE POPE'S AUTHORITY IS ACTUALLY FAR" LESS" THAN THAT OF THE APOSTLES, AND LESS THAN WHAT MORMONISM'S LEADERSHIP CLAIMS FOR ITSELF), BUT HIS CORE POINT, THAT APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION WAS VIEWED IN THE EARLY CHURCH AS CONTINUING THROUGH ALL THE BISHOPS, BUT PARTICULARLY THE POPE, IS ABSOLUTELY TRUE. AND THIS SOLVED THE QUESTION OF AUTHORITY, AND THIS PRESERVED THE GOSPEL INTACT. AND YET PROTESTANTS TODAY, INCLUDING ANDERSON HIMSELF, REFUSE TO ACCEPT THIS SOLUTION. SO INSTEAD, THEY'RE LEFT WITH NO ANSWER, AND NO AGREEMENT ON WHAT THE GOSPEL EVEN "IS".
This becomes remarkably clear with the canon of Scripture. Pastor Anderson praises the early bishops for settling the canon: BUT HE REJECTS THEIR CANON. You wouldn't know this from his talk -- he talks about them settling "the New Testament canon" -- but the Church didn't settle "the New Testament canon," it settled the ENTIRE canon of Scripture, period. Old "and "New. In fact, the early Church was quite adamantly opposed to the heretics who dreamed that there was one God of the Old Testament and one of the New, and were fervently insistent that there was one God, and one Deposit of Faith.
So with the New Testament, as Pastor Anderson notes, we have the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, but there were other contenders as well: Anderson lists: the "'Gospel' of Peter, we have the 'Gospel' of Thomas, what's called the Protoevangelium (the 'first Gospel') there are other 'Gospels': the 'Gospel' of Barnabas, the 'Gospel' of James, that were not included in the New Testament." It's upon the authority of these Catholic bishops, at the Council of Carthage, that we trust that which Books are Biblical, and which are not.
Yet look at what the Council actually decided. You can find Canon 24 of the Council of Carthage RIGHT HERE (that's Calvin College's version). In the same breath, it establishes the Old and New Testament. They're not even separate canons. You can't say, "I think the Book of Hebrews is Scripture because Canon 24 of the Council of Carthage says so," but then say, "I don't care what Canon 24 of the Council of Carthage says, I don't think 1 Maccabees is Scripture." (Luther was at least consistent, and felt comfortable rejecting both 1 Maccabees "and" Hebrews, James, Revelation, etc.). So if you care about believing what the early Church believes, then start using a Catholic Bible. Start giving the episcopacy and particularly the papacy which the early Church gave. Conversely, if you "don't" care about believing what the early Church believes, or think you know more about the Gospel then they do, then don't pretend otherwise.
So what Pastor Anderson is "saying" is mostly all true: we "should" look to the early Church, we should let the Church authorities settle theological disputes, etc. But where he goes wrong is that he doesn't practice what he preaches, or he'd be Catholic. To understand how he goes wrong, look to Luther.
II. THE ROLE OF LUTHER
Pastor Anderson's description of Martin Luther is remarkably revealing. There were three comments he made which are worth drawing out. First:
[Luther] never assumed that the Roman Catholic Church wasn't Christian. That's what you hear today. That's what you get from radical Protestants, the non-denominational sectarians who just wipe everybody out with one swoop. Luther was part of the tradition: it's the tradition that nurtured him, he was baptized as a Roman Catholic, he was brought up in the traditions of the church, it was in that Church that he heard the Gospel, that he wanted to be a follower of Christ, that he wanted to give his life in service, in the monastic life.So Luther doesn't begin by saying that the Church is the "Whore of Babylon" or "Synagogue of Satan." That craziness all comes later. At the start, the Reformation was genuinely intended to be a Reform, not a Revolt. Luther started out trying to help the Church as best he knew, out of a genuine love for the Catholic Church. On this point, we agree 100%. But then what happens? Pastor Anderson says:
AS THE GAP WIDENS [BETWEEN LUTHER AND THE CHURCH], AS LUTHER FINDS THAT THE PAPAL SEE IS NOT VERY RESPONSIVE, DOES NOT WANT TO BE RESPONSIVE TO HIM, THEY'RE MORE INTERESTED IN, AS HE SAID, "FLEECING THE HIDE OF THE GERMAN SHEEP" THAN THEY ARE IN DEALING WITH THESE IMPORTANT THEOLOGICAL MATTERS, LUTHER MOVES AWAY, MORE AND MORE, FROM TRADITION, HE MOVES TOWARDS SCRIPTURE. HE FINDS HIMSELF HAVING TO DEFEND HIMSELF, MORE AND MORE, NOT SO MUCH BASED UPON CHURCH FATHERS, BUT UPON SCRIPTURE ALONE, AND HE DISCOVERS THAT - THAT WORKS. THERE'S PLENTY OF AMMUNITION WITHOUT HAVING TO GO ANYWHERE ELSE. AND THIS IS WHERE THE VARIOUS PROTESTANT GROUPS WITHIN THE REFORMATION BEGIN TO CATCH FIRE.SO DESPITE A WELL-MEANING START, LUTHER'S HIT TWO BUMPS IN THE ROAD. FIRST, THE REFORMS HE SUGGESTS AREN'T IMMEDIATELY ACCEPTED, AND HIS OWN IDEAS DON'T SEEM AS BRILLIANT TO THE POPE AS THEY DO TO HIM, AND LUTHER GETS IMPATIENT, AND THEN EMBITTERED (HENCE THE HURLING OF INSULTS ABOUT FLEECING THE GERMAN SHEEP, AND MANY MORE FAR WORSE). EVENTUALLY, OF COURSE, THE CHURCH MULLS OVER MANY OF LUTHER'S PROPOSED REFORMS, AND ACCEPTS A NUMBER OF THEM. BUT SOME OF THEM "WERE" LEGITIMATELY BAD IDEAS, AND SOME WERE UNFAITHFUL TO THE GOSPEL THAT THIS VERY CATHOLIC CHURCH was pledged to protect. This second point is a bigger bump: Catholics begin telling him that many of his ideas are contrary to clear Church teachings, commemorated in specific Councils.
So what's Luther's response? Besides hurling insults, it's too look for what Anderson calls "ammunition." When he finds that while he can't defend some of his ideas from Christian Tradition, he can use certain verses of the Bible to make it sound like he's right. And "ammunition" is the perfect word here, because Luther used Bible verses "as weapons", as do the various other Reformers and Radical Reformers championing a thousand contradictory views (until they eventually picked up actual weapons). So Luther turned to "sola Scriptura" not because Scripture says so (It doesn't), but because it means he doesn't have to concede he's wrong, when he doesn't "feel" like he's wrong.
But despite his growing animosity towards Catholicism, Pastor Anderson reminds us that Luther still wanted to come to peace, but on his own terms. He describes Luther's position as this:
"The authority of the papal see is not sufficient because popes have erred, Councils have erred in the past. Let's all agree, we can have a pope, we can have bishops, but let's all sit under the authority of Scripture, so that we're not taking the opinions of men, and making them binding on the consciences of people."That seems pretty accurate to me. But here's the problem: the pope didn't (and doesn't) view himself as "above "Scripture. He simply understood the Gospel to mean something different than Luther did. And if Luther disagrees with the bishops, and with the pope, on the meaning of Scripture, you "have" to side with the episcopacy/papacy if Church authority means anything. If the Church is only in charge if you happen to agree, She's completely powerless. If a shepherd only gets to decide where the sheep go if the sheep happen to agree, the shepherd is worthless.
So if Church authority means "anything", faithful Christians have to side with the Church's view of the Bible over Luther's. If they don't, then they can't complain when Rob Bell comes along as the newest Luther, proposing a view of the Gospel rejected by the Church.
But subjecting the Church to the Bible is even more troubling from a Lutheran perspective. Anderson said of the Lutheran view of Scripture:
LUTHERANS, AS I SAY, HAVE ELEVATED SCRIPTURE, AND WE SAY IT IS TO THE POINT OF SAYING, "IT IS THE FINAL WORD IN ALL MATTERS OF FAITH AND LIFE. IT IS THE FINAL AUTHORITY IN ALL MATTERS OF FAITH AND LIFE."BUT IT'S PRECISELY "BECAUSE "LUTHER REJECTS THE AUTHORITY OF THE POPES AND COUNCILS THAT THERE'S NO BASIS ON WHICH TO SAY WHAT THE PROPER CANON OF SCRIPTURE IS. If you can't agree on which Books are in the Bible, how can the Bible be your rule of faith? So instead of solidifying the basis of Scripture, Luther ironically undermines Scripture completely.
III. THE SITUATION TODAY
Pastor Anderson notes that the result of the Reformation and the advent of sola Scriptura is perpetual schism, with each person becoming their own pope, saying that the Bible means x, and being accountable to no one:
BUT WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS RADICAL PROTESTANTISM OF THE REFORMATION? THE FLESHLY POPE WAS REPLACED WITH A PAPER POPE. WHY? BECAUSE THEY UNDERSTOOD THAT "IF WE'RE GONNA DUMP THE WHOLE SYSTEM OF ECCLESIASTICAL STRUCTURE, THEN WHAT DO WE USE TO ORDER OUR LIFE? WE USE THE BIBLE." OKAY, THAT WAS A MISUNDERSTANDING OF LUTHER. HAS IT BEEN TRIED? OH YEAH, LOOK AROUND. WE ARE AT THE POINT IN THE SPLINTERING OF PROTESTANTISM, PARTICULARLY RADICAL PROTESTANTISM, WHERE VIRTUALLY EVERY CONGREGATION, AND EVERY PREACHER up front with his Bible, or her Bible, BECOMES AN AUTHORITY ON THE WORD OF GOD UNTO ITSELF. It is radical congregationalism, splintered congregationalism. There is no helpful witness there, in terms of the great scope of the Church's life and thought across the generations.I agree, except that rather than a misunderstanding of Luther, it's the unavoidable result of his thought. We see this in every Protestant denomination that's taken "sola Scriptura "as its mantra: "every single one". At some point, it's like those defenders of Communism who kept just imagining that it was being implemented wrong: the problem isn't the implementation, the problem is the idea itself. Even Pastor Anderson's own local church is evidence of this, as Steve informs me that they're thinking about splitting away from the ELCA. Constant schism and a drive towards congregationalism is the end result of Protestantism wherever it's tried.
Now, Pastor Anderson is rightly disgusted with those preachers who take a posture of:
"Don't you dare question what's being taught today, because it's coming right out of the Bible. You might have a question, but don't bring it up, because after all, I'm teaching the Bible, this is no theology, there's no doctrine being taught here, I'm just teaching straight out of the Bible. You've got a problem, you've got a problem of God."He actually goes much, "much" further than I would, and declares this "Christofascism," and compares these Christians to bin Laden and the Taliban. But again, while I agree with him, I don't see how he can pretend that Lutherans are immune from this. The comment that began the dialogue with Steve Martin was his claim in the comments here that Lutheranism "proclaims the [G]ospel in its purity," and that now "that I am free from all the spiritual navel gazing and Christian progressivism, I don't think I could ever return to Rome or go to an Evangelical church where there theology is basically the same as Rome's (a lot of God and a little of me)." And so it's gone: he's resisted any distinction between "the Gospel" and "Lutheran theology." In this way, Luther himself "becomes an authority on the word of God unto" himself.
So while I think Anderson correctly diagnosed the problem, he doesn't see the depth of it. He still imagines this can be cured if only people became Lutheran, or understood Luther's message better. There were two heartening things which Anderson said towards the end of his talk, in talking about his encounter going to a the Catholic Cathedral in Milan:
* He went in dripping with anti-Catholic prejudice.
* He was surprised to discover that the beautiful artwork was Biblical scenes, and that it was possible that these peasants were actually expressing a faith in Jesus Christ. He concluded, "I could see how this arena of worship could be a powerful statement of Biblical faith."
One of the major things that we have to get over in this debate is the unseen anti-Catholicism. The particular form it generally takes is an assumption by non-Catholics (and ex-Catholics) that they knew what the Catholic Church "really" teaches, either based upon a parish they used to attend, or some books they've read "about" (not "by") Catholics. Acknowledging this bias, and then allowing one's self to be open to having it corrected is beautiful, and should inspire us with hope.
CONCLUSION
Let me leave you with what I think are two of Pastor Anderson's stronger points. First, that Scripture should never "be read apart from the common life of the Church." That's a simple argument for Tradition. Second, he said, "How dare we write off 1500 years of Christian witness, because it does not suit our narrow interpretation of the word of God? And that is what is dividing the Christian Church as we speak."
Of course, as I've said before, anyone taking seriously what Pastor Anderson (or, for that matter, Luther) says about the dependence of Scriptural interpretation upon the Church will find that they'll have a very hard time defending such common Protestant doctrines as:
* BAPTISM IS JUST SYMBOLIC (that is, it's not regenerative, and the Holy Spirit doesn't actually cleanse us through it);
* THE EUCHARIST IS JUST SYMBOLIC (it's not actually the Body and Blood of Christ);
* JUSTIFICATION IS JUST FORENSIC (we're "declared "righteous by God, but we're not actually made righteous through the Holy Spirit); and
* THE BIBLE IS COMPOSED OF THE 66-BOOK PROTESTANT CANON.
So the hurdle isn't that Anderson doesn't understand the problem, or even that he can't speak to what Christianity ought to be doing. The problem is simply that he's just "NOT DOING IT".
Gosh and greetings, my proud and precious KitKats... one of those strange lightning storms last night... a few of the white-hot bright flashes were so close to the ground around the house, it was scary freaky... and then, there are the vortexes that appear and seem to form the bursting sheet of lightning... not to mention those thunder sounds which really remind this Big Cat of machines... there wasn't that much actual rain, and the storm lasted for about an hour or so... afterwards, around four in the morning, the sky was so bright it looked like there should be two full moons... of course, the moon is past the last quarter and could not even be seen in that part of the sky... so, really, what is going on?
Wing and a prayer, baby... the Kougaress saw this phrase on the Just Another Paranormal Monday chat loop ~ groups.yahoo.com/group/ParanormalMonday ~ and was struck by how 'absolutely, positively, perfectly' it describes her life, and most likely the lives of many of us during these times.
In her morning hello to all of us, extraordinary author and poet, K.A. M'Lady ~ kamlady.net ~ wrote: "Wing and a prayer, baby - sometimes that's all we've got."
Ain't that the truth?
Big Cat by-the-numbers ~
2:12 am... 11:11 am... 3:33 pm... 4:44 pm... 11:11 pm...
Weekly Angelic Forecast from Volcano
Straight from the Carnal Cherub himself...
Angelic Forecast ~ #147
This week will be one that lives in the history books as a marker for the year 2012. Both for GOOD and for BAD.
From this point forward a return to the divine feminine and, thus, the divine masculine will become apparent to those who are attuned to the universal energies. This is the time to look at your relationship with gender, and to discover more of who you are.
Notice also, that 'truth' will continue rising like the phoenix -- all spectacular color and fiery brilliance. Like ash from colossal volcanic eruptions, truth now spreads across the globe and settles on everyone.
Behind the scenes, hidden to most of us, and kept hidden by the art and blackness of deception, a civil war rages. This is between those who have mastered the higher technologies and now battle each other for ultimate control. It is X-Files for real.
This hidden war will be exposed incrementally, and the plan is to keep it covered up by a world war. However, divine intervention to stop this level of war is being bolstered by the wildfire Awakening of humanity.
On the good side, those who would be the dark tyrannical kings of Earth are being thwarted at nearly every turn. In an attempt to win the endgame, these soulless ones are becoming out-in-the-open bold with their corruption and evil acts.
On a personal level, this week is perfect to look for and find what truly frees your soul. This week is also about freeing your mind to think beyond what you have been taught, beyond what you currently believe. It's a new world for those who seize it. For those who want it. For those who will treasure what this 'new way of life' offers.
Trendwise, all hell breaks loose. More and more, there will be massive resistance to the trends the establishment has coopted, and those trends they attempt to force on us. The Big Boys in this industry are losing ground, and now their power will be ripped from beneath them like a tablecloth from beneath the dinner dishes. This means that individual creativity will shine bright as the noon sun. To win in the days ahead, take your place in the sun.
Angelic blessings from Volcano color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">
MORE...Volcano's Angelic Forecast for this week ~ sirenbookstrand.blogspot.com ~
BIG CAT SEVERE WEATHER and LAND CHANGES ROUNDUP ~
Worst Floods in North Dakota History
ContributorNetwork-2 hours, 24 minutes ago
ContributorNetwork - As the Souris River in Minot, N.D., reached historically high levels Sunday, some parts of the city have been saved by emergency levees. North Dakota's fourth-largest city has seen 3,000 homes damaged and nearly 12,000 residents evacuated as heavy rains, combined with record snowmelt, have left dams stressed and over-burdened.
NOTE: It is *not* good at the nuclear power plant. Another horror scenario is developing.
Fire threatens top US research center AFP - Mon, 27 Jun 2011 10:27:04 PDT
AFP - The US government's top Los Alamos research center was closed Monday due to the threat from approaching wildfires, officials said, stressing that all nuclear and other materials were safe.
NOTE: Radiation is being released due to burn off where nuclear bombs were tested.
Also, there's a biblical plague of mice in Australia.
Authoress news and mews ~
Okay, Kittens, the Kougar has been 'officially' approved as an author at The Romance Reviews... so, now she needs to muster up enough time and energy to go create her book page. It was rather odd to be 'approved' since in this Big Cat's mind she's already an author... just one of those twisty mind moments.
Also, the Kougar esent her prize to the Summer Solstice Blog Hop winner designated for SHAPESHIFTER SEDUCTIONS. Thank you, Rebecca E. for joining in, and happy snappy reading.
Featured at SHAPESHIFTER SEDUCTIONS ~
Operation Infiltration
by Pat Cunningham
Jordy's teeth chattered the whole way up the long gravel drive to the backwoods bar. "Seriously, Ray," he said. "This has got to be your worse idea ever."
Ray cackled and slapped his brother on the arm. "Don't be such a wuss. These are she-wolves, bro! Hot as hell and ready to rumble!"
"How would you know? Have you ever, uh - "
"Okay, not personally, but you heard about Willis, right?"
"I heard he's still in the hospital."
BIG CAT SNARL AND SNARK ~
Today this Big Cat heard this term *worthless human debris* used to describe the TSA... yep, except she'd leave out the word 'human'. So sorry, but these creepazoids just can't be human, not by her definition. No human being would patdown a leukemia-ailing, 95 year old woman in a wheelchair, who is going home to die... and is wearing a Depends diaper. No human being would expect this woman not to soil herself in the circumstances. What kind of 'inhuman' monsters are these 'things' that call themselves employees of the TSA? Why are they taking these kind of unlawful orders? Haven't they ever heard of the Nuremberg trials? But hey, Hitler would be so proud of them.
The most powerful weapon is the human soul on fire. ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
~ Happy Summer-Cruisin' June ~
~ MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE ENOUGH ~
And, May you live the dreams of your heart, not in interesting times...
Wing and a prayer kisses from the Kougar...
