Archive for Religion

Is this hell, or what?

{ November 1, 2009 @ 10:52 am } · { Essays/Poetry/Thoughts, Religion }
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I question things often. I question reality, I question time, I question physics, I question our media. One thing I have been questioning a lot lately has been whether or not earth could be hell.

Try to take Bible-thumping out of it. You know I do not play that game…

Maybe not hell, per se, but a sort of purgatory…a waiting place where we gain experience prior to learning true serenity and love. The experiences we are learning do not seem to be offering true lessons. On a mass scale, and on personal scales, we seem to be repeating the same cycles over and over again. The good, the true, the noble, the honorable…those things do not seem to be important. A great evil has infecting this pale blue dot, an evil that has permeated our very souls. We are paying the price, in what way, I am unsure.

So, are we living in a hell? A purgatory? A place to learn our lesson? The veil has been lifting for some time now, to what goal? As I said, I am full of questions that I do not know the answers to. I do know that things and situations have drastically changed.

I know that this earth is beauty, so before you condemn me for not seeing the beauty in this world, take that thought out of your mind. That is not the case. I see that beauty, the light in an animal’s eyes, the beauty of a forest in a winter landscape with the wind ripping through my soul. I feel that and I experience that. The problem is…many do not see that. That is the issue here. Evil wishes to destroy that beauty for gain.

Perhaps, at the next stop in our galaxy, we will fully know and appreciate. Until then, we must mire through our own purgatory.

What is the Galactic Alignment?

{ August 31, 2009 @ 11:48 am } · { Predictions, Prophecy, Religion }
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It is important to define what the Galactic Alignment is in precise astronomical terms. (See the Glossary below for terms.)

The Galactic Alignment is the alignment of the December solstice sun with the Galactic equator. This alignment occurs as a result of the precession of the equinoxes.

Precession is caused by the earth wobbling very slowly on its axis and shifts the position of the equinoxes and solstices one degree every 71.5 years. Because the sun is one-half of a degree wide, it will take the December solstice sun 36 years to precess through the Galactic equator (see diagram below).

The precise alignment of the solstice point (the precise center-point of the body of the sun as viewed from earth) with the Galactic equator was calculated to occur in 1998 (Jean Meeus, Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, 1997).

Thus, the Galactic Alignment “zone” is 1998 +/- 18 years = 1980 – 2016. This is “era-2012.”

This Galactic Alignment occurs only once every 26,000 years, and was what the ancient Maya were pointing to with the 2012 end-date of their Long Count calendar.

These are the astronomical facts of the matter. From a larger perspective, we can visualize the 2012 Galactic Alignment in the following way:

Position A is where the December solstice sun was in relation to the Milky Way some 3,000 years ago. Position B is 1,500 years ago. And position C is “era-2012″, when the December solstice sun has converged, as a result of the precession of the equinoxes, with the exact center-line of the Milky Way (the Galactic equator). Notice that the place of alignment is where the ‘nuclear bulge’ of the Galactic Center is located.

A long awaiting digital portrayal of precession and galactic alignments is now available on Nick Fiorenza’s web site.

Descriptions of the process are also there, but it should be noted that Nick describes what I refer to as “the solstice-galaxy alignment” with a preference for the equinox as the measuring reference. Thus, he speaks of the “Holy Cross” of the equinox axis and the Milky Way. The point is that “solstice-galaxy alignment” and “equinox-galaxy cross” refer to the same event.

It is my hope that the these definitions will help to standardize the terminology so we can clearly discuss the rare precessional alignment that culminates in era-2012.



The ecliptic: The path followed by the sun, moon, and planets. It is the plane of our solar system. The ecliptic encircles the earth and is divided into twelve constellations, or zodiac signs.

The Milky Way: The bright band of star that our solar system belongs to. It encircles the earth and is wider in the region of Sagittarius because that is where the ‘nucelar bulge” of the Milky Way’s center is located (our Milky Way is saucer shaped).

The Galactic equator: The precise mid-line running down the Milky Way. Analogous to the earth’s equator, it divides the galaxy into two hemispheres, or lobes.

The Dark Rift in the Milky Way: A feature caused by interstellar dust that runs along the Milky Way from the Galactic Center northward past the constellation of Aquila.

The December solstice sun: The sun, on the December solstice. It is one-half of a degree wide.

The December solstice point: The precise midpoint of the sun, on the December solstice.

The Precession of the equinoxes: The earth wobbles very slowly on its axis and this causes the position of the equinox to shift backwards, or precess, through the signs of the ecliptic at the rate of one degree every 71.5 years. The full precessional wobble is complete in roughly 25,800 years.

The vernal equinox point is defined by the intersection of the ecliptic and the celestial equator.

The Celestial Equator: The earth’s equator projected into the stars. It is the plane of the earth’s rotation.

The Cross formed by the Milky Way and the ecliptic: Exactly as stated. There are two of these, one in early Sagittarius, the other in early Gemini. The former cross has the virtue of being located within the nuclear bulge of the Galactic Center.

The nuclear bulge / the Galactic Center: A bright and wide region of the Milky Way, visible to the naked eye and between Sagittarius and Scorpio. The more precise and abstract center-point of the nuclear bulge is the precise Galactic Center, located at about 6 degrees Sagittarius (sidereal) and 27 degrees in the tropical zodiac.

Additional Glossary of Mayan Calendar terms

We can have a more general discussion of galactic alignments in history if we consider that the solstice axis aligns with the galactic equator every half precession cycle. Likewise, the equinox axis aligns with the galactic equator every half precession cycle. Thus, galactic alignments, more generally speaking, occur in era 2012 (1980 – 2016) and every quarter precession cycle before and after era 2012.

In terms of Mayan astronomy and mythology, the Dark Rift feature (which the Maya called the Black Road or Xibalba be) lies along the galactic equator (the Milky Way) in the place where the December solstice sun will be in 2012. (More precisely, the December solstice sun will reach the southern terminus of the Dark Rift, where it touches the ecliptic in Sagittarius.) Thus, in terms of Mayan mythology, we can also describe the Galactic Alignment of era-2012 as the alignment of the December solstice sun and the Dark Rift. This entire region is targeted by the cross formed by the Milky Way and the ecliptic between Sagittarius and Scorpio. This Cross was also recognized by the Maya, and was called the Crossroads or Sacred Tree. This entire region is embraced by what astronomers call the ‘nuclear bulge’ of the Galactic Center—the center of our Milky Way galaxy. As any amateur astronomer or naked-eye star gazer knows, this nuclear bulge is recognizable without the aid of radio telescopes. It is wider and brighter than other parts of the Milky Way. So, in a general sense we can also say that the alignment in 2012 is an alignment between the December solstice sun and the Galactic Center. However, since the nuclear bulge is quite large, this definition is not as precise as saying “the alignment of the December solstice sun with the Galactic equator”, which occurs in the range 1980 – 2016. This is the alignment zone I refer to with the term “era-2012.”

http://alignment2012.com/whatisga.htm

Rune Reading June 27th

{ June 27, 2009 @ 11:11 am } · { Prophecy, Religion, Rune Readings }
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Berkano:

Liberation! Today will be a day for new beginnings and happiness. I do not see any negativity regarding today.

Today is regenerating power :)

Love is in the air…

Number for the day: 18

Colour: Dark Green

The Nazi UFO Enigma

{ June 26, 2009 @ 11:04 am } · { 2012, Religion }
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*I thought this was an interesting article, from awhile back!*

THE NAZI UFO ENIGMA

AN SPI PROFILE

© Brian Allan 1999

Word Count 2203

Although I have some personal reservations about the validity of certain information contained in this article, on balance, I feel that it is worth writing for the following reasons.

1) Over the years, I have heard and read fragments of information concerning a ‘great secret’ which was allegedly in the possession of Nazi Germany during and prior to the Second World War.

  1. This so called ‘great secret’ related to a crashed UFO discovered in the Black Forest during 1936. The rumours implied that this machine was back-engineered to the extent that, when combined with information channelled by an occult group known as the Vril Society, it was capable of flight
  2. These rumours have been consistent and widespread, which leads me to the conclusion that there may be an element of truth in them.

In order to explain the UFO theory, it is first necessary to know a little of specific occult beliefs prevalent in Europe, especially Germany, in the early part of this century.

THE SOCIETIES

In the late 1800’s, early 1900’s, there were a variety of secret /occult societies in Germany, the main ones being, The Bavarian Illuminati, The Freemasons, The Rosicrucians, The Thule Society and The Vril Society. Each of these five societies, although based in secrecy and mysticism, had its role and function. Of these five, two were especially noted for their occult connections, The Vril Society and its purely German offshoot The Thule Society. The chief architect of the Thule Society was Baron Rudolph von Sebottendorff, sometimes referred to as Rudolf Glauer. Sebottendorff / Glauer possessed a wide knowledge of Islamic Mysticism in all its aspects, encompassing the Dervish sects and particularly the cult of Sufism which differs markedly from mainstream Islamic teaching.

THULE

The name, Thule, refers to the capital of the legendary polar country Hyperborea. Also referred to as ‘Ultima Thule’, it was supposedly the gateway to another world. Thule was therefore recognised as a place where humans could, by whatever means, ‘leave the earth’, it also reputedly stood at the portal of the ‘Hollow Earth’. Interestingly, the major players in the 20th century, the USA and the Russian Federation have ELF – extras low frequency – transmitters sited in this area. These transmitters are supposedly used to communicate with submerged submarines, but worryingly, they broadcast these messages at brain-wave frequencies, around 18 to 20Hz.

Traditionally, the Hyperboreans were in contact with extraterrestrials or ‘alien cultures’, in some versions of this, there was interbreeding. In common with the legendary inhabitants of Atlantis, they engaged in war with neighbouring civilisations. This escalated into the use of atomic weapons, resulting in a pyrrhic victory for the Hyperboreans, who, as well as defeating their enemies, virtually destroyed themselves in the process. In common with radiation damage in recent times, the surviving Hyperboreans were soon faced with the prospect of mutated and otherwise damaged offspring. Showing remarkable resolve, those who had not sustained any apparent genetic damage, banded together and effectively removed themselves from the gene pool, a variety of self imposed quarantine. Any ‘damaged’ offspring from this group, were neutered. This early example of eugenics was practised until they were sure that any defective genes had been bred out. The other mutated group eventually died out, whether they were ‘assisted’ in this, is open to debate. This may seem like, and indeed is, a harsh, clinical line to adopt, but being faced with the extinction of their entire race, they had little other option.

The descendants of this seminal ‘Mother race’ were the Celts who, like the ripples on a pond, spread out, colonising various northern areas of the planet. Scots, Irish, Basques, Spanish, Scandinavians, Icelanders and the Portuguese, all these peoples are of Celtic origin. These disparate nationalities have one common genetic trait, a large percentage of RH-negative blood types, which, according to the beliefs of the Thule society was a characteristic of the Hyperboreans and their extraterrestrial associates. In recent times, the majority of alien abductees are reportedly from RH negative blood groups, is this a possible indication that UFO cultures are tracking their cross-bred progeny? Other races and peoples who posses a positive blood type were considered to be racially impure, as positive blood is thought to be contaminated by contact with the ape evolved strand of human DNA.

VRIL

The name ‘Vril’, is, according to which version of the story you hear, either, the Atlantean language, which, atypically, was composed of sounds and clicks, and quite unique, similar in form to the communication used by dolphins. The other explanation is that Vril describes a type of esoteric energy. The Vril society itself was founded in the city of Vienna in 1917 by a group of four people, one of whom, a medium, claimed to be channelling information, which included the ‘Magical, violet, black stone’, and the ‘Sphere of Destiny’, directly from extraterrestrials. The source of this ‘Vril’ power was the ‘Black Sun’, which is described as being ‘an invisible beam of infinite light’. The ‘Black Sun’ itself was a secret school of philosophical thought, thousands of years old and allegedly the foundation on which the occult beliefs of the Nazi Third Reich were founded. Leader of the dreaded SS, Heinrich Himmler was said to be an adept of this ancient doctrine.

HIMMLER, THE SS AND THE OCCULT

Such was the strength of belief in the occult and it’s potential power, that Himmler, a former Roman Catholic, ordered the construction of a spiritual Valhalla deep below his SS fortress at Wewelsberg in Westphalia. He purchased this former ruin in 1934 and had it rebuilt over a number of years at a cost of some 13 million marks. It was dedicated to the cult and belief system of the SS, the Teutonic Knights and other mystical /occult doctrines. Below the castle’s elaborate main banqueting hall he ordered the construction of a ‘Hall of the Dead’, supposedly to house urns containing the ashes and crests of his twelve closest ‘disciples’ when they died.

This consisted of a circular chamber with twelve low stone platforms around its walls. In the centre of the room, in a circular depression accessed by three steps, was a form of altar. This alter or dais was the focal point of the room. Another school of thought is, any attempts to invoke whatever dark, mystical powers lay within the ‘Black Sun’ would be carried out here. Twelve initiates would stand, one on each of the stone platforms against the walls facing the central dais. Each one concentrating, summoning up part of the necessary energy and focusing, channelling the power to the celebrant, the high priest, probably Himmler in person. Certain of these ceremonies required human blood sacrifice, which presented no difficulty; the concentration camps and prisons were full of them. A small group of victims was kept at the fortress for this purpose. There is no positive evidence that any dark powers were actually released during these hellish rituals, but, depending on your religious persuasion and how one views the conduct of the war, perhaps they were. One thing is certain, if they were not, it wasn’t for the lack of trying. The emblem of the ‘Black Sun’ was essentially an elaborate mandalla, like a spoked wheel surrounded by runic symbols. It is, even today, forbidden to belong to this order or even display the insignia in Germany.

THE WINGWHEELS (FLUGELRADS) ,

The information channelled by the Vril society eventually culminated in the construction of the ‘Vril Machine’. This was saucer shaped and allegedly an interdimensional time machine, the first piloted flight was reportedly in 1934, at this point, things become a little unclear. One school of thought says that a crashed UFO was discovered in The Black Forest in 1936 and back engineered. The resulting discoveries were combined with channelled information possessed by the Vril society and combined into the ‘Haunebu project’. An aircraft historian, Henry Stevens, claims that the ‘Haunebu 1’, the first large – 15 meters in diameter – saucer first took to the skies in 1939, just before the outbreak of the Second World War.

In an alternate version, a scientist, Victor Schauberger, also a Vril Society member, created a number of flying discs between 1938 and 1945 He allegedly worked at Mauthausen concentration camp, using a mixture of technically oriented prisoners and German scientists. In a letter written by Schauberger he gives further information:

“The ‘Flying Saucer’ was flight tested on the 19th of February 1945 near Prague and attained a height of 15.000 metres in 3 minutes and a horizontal speed of 2,200km/ph. It was constructed according to a Mod 11 built at Mauthausen concentration camp in collaboration with the first class engineers and stress-analysts assigned to me. It was only after the end of the war that I came to hear, through one of the workers under my direction, a Czech, that further intensive development was underway. From what I understand, the machine was destroyed on the direct orders of General Keitel. That’s the last I heard of it.

Following the end of the war, Schauberger and his son lived in the USA, where he was reported as working on a top secret UFO project in Texas for the US government. It is interesting to note that many reported UFO pilots are blond, Aryan types who speak German. The so-called Venusian Saucers, which feature in some of the abduction stories, are very similar in appearance to original German saucer designs.

The director of ‘The Hollow Earth Research Society’ claims that “After the war, the allies discovered that more than 2,000 scientists from Germany and Italy, along with almost a million people vanished to the land beyond the pole“. According to popular myth, Admiral Richard Byrd is reported to have discovered an anomalous, almost sub-tropical land when he overflew the South Pole in 1947. The actual purpose of this flight was not to conduct – as was reported – a geographical survey, but to search for the people of this exodus and ultimately destroy them. The log of this flight reports that “Flugelrads – wingwheels,- were sent to the surface to investigate the first nuclear explosions”.

Following the flight, Byrd reputedly led an expedition consisting of 100.000 armed troops, an aircraft carrier and a battleship to the South Pole. If he achieved anything, then it has not been publicised, by all accounts a came back a chastened man.

The president of the USA and the military ordered the suppression of this information. Byrd himself, on pain of dearth was ordered to forget it. It seems therefore that this is yet another example of an occult/military/government conspiracy of silence.

CONCLUSIONS

Apart from distaste at certain racist and eugenic overtones espoused by these societies, I have rather more profound doubts about the reported events. The reports reflect attitudes prevalent at the time, attitudes created by the level of technology and almost art-deco approach to visions of future science. This approach is evident in the Fritz Lang’s classic film ‘Metropolis’, where the majority of people are reduced to the level of machines. A virtual underclass of Wellsian ‘Morlocks’ created to serve a ruling elite. On a practical level, there is little actual hard evidence of to support these claims.

Other than alleged witness testimony and blurred photographs depicting flight tests of these UFO’s, all that can be stated with any degree of confidence is: A) the Thule and Vril societies did exist, B) Highly influential members of the Nazi high command were members of and believers in the esoteric teachings these societies, and C) Himmler was noted as a particularly fastidious man who had no stomach for personal contact with the grisly realities of the death and carnage created by his orders and policies. Therefore it is unlikely that he would have personally have been present at the ritual torture of human sacrifices. Finally, D) presumably, Schauberger’s letter referring to the ‘Flying Saucer’ was written after 1947 because the term was not used prior to this. It was not invented until Kenneth Arnold used it to describe the famous multiple UFO sighting at Mt. Rainier in the USA in 1947.

If these ‘Flugelrads’ did exist, why was there no sign of them in the conflict? The story of the Hollow Earth and underground UFO’s has existed for decades with not a shred of proof offered to support its reality. OK, Admiral Byrd flew over the South Pole, but what did he really see? Has there really been a colossal deliberate cover-up? Are satellite photographs faked to prevent the polar opening being discovered? Frankly, I don’t know. These reports are apocryphal; the evidence is just not there to support them. In many ways, it is similar to belief in God or other divinity. If you believe there is one, then there is and it’s not a point for debate, so it is with the UFO’s of the Third Reich. While the Nazi’s – along with Allies – did have some pretty unusual experimental aircraft, it is unlikely that a device like this ever existed, except perhaps as a project. I would like to be proved wrong, but I believe it unlikely.

http://www.fsr.org.uk/spi/nazinth.htm

Rune Reading for June 25th

{ June 25, 2009 @ 12:12 pm } · { Predictions, Prophecy, Religion, Rune Readings }
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The rune for today is Isa, which means stagnation and difficult communications. Things will not be as good today, communications will be confused and frustrating. Plans will have to be delayed and watched more carefully.

It is a good day to protect against psychic attacks, though.

It is time to cut losses and move forward.

The number for today is 11, the colour is black.

High school teacher’s anti-Creationism comment violated law

{ May 4, 2009 @ 12:49 pm } · { Religion }
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SANTA ANA – A Mission Viejo high school history teacher violated the First Amendment by disparaging Christians during a classroom lecture, a federal judge ruled today.

James Corbett, a 20-year teacher at Capistrano Valley High School, referred to Creationism as “religious, superstitious nonsense” during a 2007 classroom lecture, denigrating his former Advanced Placement European history student, Chad Farnan.

The decision is the culmination of a 16-month legal battle between Corbett and Farnan – a conflict the judge said should remind teachers of their legal “boundaries” as public school employees.

“Corbett states an unequivocal belief that Creationism is ’superstitious nonsense,’” U.S. District Court Judge James Selna said in a 37-page ruling released from his Santa Ana courtroom. “The court cannot discern a legitimate secular purpose in this statement, even when considered in context.”

In a December 2007 lawsuit, Farnan, then a sophomore, accused Corbett of repeatedly promoting hostility toward Christians in class and advocating “irreligion over religion” in violation of the First Amendment’s establishment clause.

The establishment clause prohibits the government from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion” and has been interpreted by U.S. courts to also prohibit government employees from displaying religious hostility.

“We are thrilled with the judge’s ruling and feel it sets great precedent,” said Farnan’s attorney, Jennifer Monk, who works for the Christian legal group Advocates for Faith &Freedom in Murrieta. “Hopefully, teachers in the future, including Dr. Corbett, will think about what they’re saying and attempt to ensure they’re not violating the establishment clause as Dr. Corbett has done.”

Chad Farnan and his parents did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment, but released a prepared statement through their attorney: “We are proud of Chad’s courageous stand and thrilled with the judge’s ruling. It is a vindication of his constitutional rights.”

Fees, injunction to be determined

Farnan’s original lawsuit asked for damages and attorney’s fees. These issues – plus a possible court injunction prohibiting Corbett from making hostile remarks about religion – will be considered in court at a future, undetermined date, Monk said.

Advocates for Faith &Freedom does not have an estimate yet of the legal fees the group incurred, she added.

Selna said that although Corbett was only found to have violated the establishment clause in a single instance, he could not excuse or overlook the behavior.

“To entertain an exception for conduct that might be characterized as isolated or de minimis undermines the basic right in issue: to be free of a government that directly expresses disapproval of religion,” Selna said.

Farnan’s lawsuit had cited more than 20 inflammatory statements attributed to Corbett, including “Conservatives don’t want women to avoid pregnancies – that’s interfering with God’s work” and “When you pray for divine intervention, you’re hoping that the spaghetti monster will help you get what you want.”

In an April 3 tentative ruling, however, Selna dismissed all but two of the statements as either not directly referring to religion or as being appropriate in the context of a class lecture, including the headline-grabbing “When you put on your Jesus glasses, you can’t see the truth.”

“We’re happy that the court saw 99.9 percent of the case our way, but we’re disappointed obviously with regard to finding against Dr. Corbett on that one statement,” said Corbett’s attorney, Dan Spradlin.

Corbett, who has declined all requests to be interviewed about the lawsuit, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

Lemon test applied to statements

Selna applied a three-pronged legal analysis known as the Lemon test to determine whether the establishment clause had been violated.

The Lemon test, developed during a 1971 federal court case, asks whether a statement has a secular purpose, whether it advances or inhibits religion as its principal or primary effect, and whether it fosters an “excessive government entanglement” with religion.

Corbett made his “superstitious nonsense” remark during a class discussion about a 1993 court case in which former Capistrano Valley High science teacher John Peloza sued the Capistrano Unified School District, challenging its requirement that Peloza teach evolution.

Corbett’s attorney said Corbett simply expressing his personal opinion that Peloza shouldn’t have presented religious views to students. Selna, after reviewing an audio-taped recording of the discussion, decided that wasn’t the case and that Corbett crossed a legal line.

For the other disputed statement – in which Corbett was accused of saying religion was “invented when the first con man met the first fool” – the judge ruled in Corbett’s favor, arguing Corbett may have been simply attempting to quote American author Mark Twain.

Corbett’s full statement was, “What was it Mark Twain said? ‘Religion was invented when the first con man met the first fool.’”

The Capistrano Unified School District, which paid for Corbett’s attorney, was found not liable for Corbett’s classroom conduct.

Corbett remains in his teaching position at Capistrano Valley High. Farnan, who dropped out of Corbett’s class after filing the lawsuit, is now a junior at the school.

“The court’s ruling today reflects the constitutionally permissible need for expansive discussion even if a given topic may be offensive to a particular religion or if a particular religion takes one side of a historical debate,” Selna said in his written decision.

“The decision also reflects that there are boundaries. … The ruling today protects Farnan, but also protects teachers like Corbett in carrying out their teaching duties.”

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/corbett-religion-court-2387684-farnan-selna

Vatican irked by `blasphemous’ Israel TV show

{ February 20, 2009 @ 3:06 pm } · { Religion }
{ Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , } · { Comments (6) }

*I wonder what would happen if it was the other way around?? Oh wait…we know what would happen, right??*

VATICAN CITY – The Vatican said Friday it has formally complained to the Israeli government about a private Israeli TV show that ridiculed and blasphemed Jesus and Mary.

In the program, the host farcically denied Christian traditions — that Mary was a virgin and that Jesus walked on water — saying he would do so as a “lesson” to Christians who deny the Holocaust.

It was a reference to the Vatican’s recent lifting of the excommunication of a bishop who denied 6 million Jews were killed during World War II. The rehabilitation sparked outrage among Jews.

A statement from the Vatican press office said its representative in Israel complained to the government about the show, which was broadcast recently on private Channel 10, one of Israel’s three main TV stations.

The statement said the government quickly assured the Holy See that it would intervene to interrupt the transmission and get the broadcaster to publicly apologize. But it wasn’t immediately clear how the government could do so since Channel 10 is a private station and is not subject to government censorship, except in matters of security.

Calls to Channel 10 seeking comment weren’t successful Friday. The Israeli foreign ministry had no comment.

The Vatican said that in the clip, Mary and Joseph were “ridiculed with blasphemous words and images” that amounted to a “vulgar and offensive act of intolerance toward the religious sentiments of the believers in Christ.”

In the show, hosted by well-known Israeli comedian Lior Shlein, Mary is said to have become pregnant at 15, thanks to a schoolmate. It said Jesus could never have walked on water because “he was so fat he was ashamed to leave the house, let alone go to the Sea of Galilee with a bathing suit.”

The clip was a sarcastic response to the Vatican’s rehabilitation of Bishop Richard Williamson, who said in an interview broadcast on Swedish state TV that no Jews were gassed during the Holocaust and that only 200,000 or 300,000 Jews were killed.

The Vatican’s rehabilitation of Williamson sparked outrage that only abated after Pope Benedict XVI met with Jewish leaders at the Vatican last week. During his audience, the German-born pope issued a strong denunciation of anti-Semitism and said it was unacceptable for anyone — particularly a clergyman — to deny or minimize the Holocaust.

The Vatican has demanded that Williamson, a member of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, recant before he can be admitted as a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church. On Thursday, the government of Argentina, where Williamson had been living, ordered him expelled within 10 days. It cited an immigration problem but also said his comments about the Holocaust had profoundly insulted Argentina, Jews and all of humanity.

The British-born Williamson had already been removed as director of the society’s La Reja seminary. He has apologized for causing distress to the pope but has not recanted. He has said he would only correct himself if he is satisfied after a review of the evidence, but has said that would take time.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090220/ap_on_re_eu/eu_vatican_israel_2

Subjects mom, dad to ’sincerity test’ after filing vaccination exemption

{ February 9, 2009 @ 12:08 pm } · { News, Police state, Religion }
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*Pathetic. I cannot believe this…what reality am I living in?? YOU DO NOT HAVE RIGHTS ANYMORE. Got it? Now, go out there and get mad. Go to the link and look at the video.*

A mother and father in New York were subjected by their school district’s attorney to a faith “sincerity test,” which ultimately ruled their beliefs were too questionable to qualify for a religious exemption to mandatory student immunization.

Ron and Rita Palma filed the exemption with their son’s school district in 2006 after coming to the conclusion the year before that the required vaccinations violated their conscience and sense of God’s leading for their family.

Rather than accept the standard exemption form, however, the Bayport-Blue Point Union Free School District demanded the couple meet with school attorney David Cohen. The Palmas have twice been compelled to sit down with Cohen to be interrogated about their faith and their convictions about vaccines.

“If you believe God is on your side,” Cohen asked in the most recent of the two interviews, conducted last fall, “does that mean he’s not on the side of someone who believes in immunization?”

“Do you have conversations with God? Has God told you not to immunize?” the attorney asked. “Explain it to me.”

Cohen described to the Palmas’ attorney that the purpose of the interview was two-fold: to determine whether the Palmas’ beliefs are actually religious, as opposed to philosophical or political; and to determine whether the beliefs are “sincerely and genuinely held.”

The school district’s most recent interrogation of the Palmas was videotaped, and a segment shows  the attorney, Cohen, while the Palmas and their attorney sit off-screen.

Rita Palma told WND that being compelled to defend her faith before an attorney and answer questions about her family’s lifestyle, diet, medicinal choices and personal convictions was “unbelievably invasive.”

“It’s almost beyond words what we were put through,” Palma said. “It’s such an abusive power, it’s so arrogant that ‘outrageous’ doesn’t even label it correctly. It’s something you can’t even imagine that somebody would take it upon themselves to do – to judge the sincerity of your belief.

“Particularly in a school district,” Palma said, “taking it upon themselves to judge your relationship with God? Have you ever heard of such a thing?”

Not only were the Palmas grilled, however, their attempts to file religious exemptions were also ultimately denied.

Following both interviews, the first in 2006 and the last in 2008, the school district deemed the Palmas’ beliefs were not sincerely held.

“This determination,” wrote the school in 2006, “was made based upon your meeting with the school attorney and information which we received, which significantly calls into question your stated beliefs.”

Rita Palma explained to WND that her choice not to immunize her children was a decision of conscience and of following God’s leading. In the interview with the lawyer, Palma further explained that she sees a distinction between medicine as a healing for sickness and vaccines, which she described as injecting a sickness as step toward heath. The latter, she insisted, violates her understanding of trust in God and his design for the body.

The school district’s denial, however, cited a medical test Palma gave her son as evidence that her beliefs are too inconsistent to be sincerely and genuinely held.

The district’s second denial, in 2008, further criticized the Palmas, a self-described Catholic family, for misquoting the Bible and claimed that if their objection was truly a matter of religious conviction, they could have sought something other than public school for their son.

The Palmas appealed the original denial to the state’s commissioner of public education, only to be denied again.

Now, with the help of New York State Assemblyman Richard N. Gottfried, the Palmas are working to prevent other parents from enduring the same interrogation or contra-conscience mandatory immunization of their children.

Gottfried, chair of the state Assembly’s health committee, has sponsored New York bill A00883, which amends state law to ban “sincerity tests” and states, “The current common practice of government agencies scrutinizing and judging a parent’s religious beliefs is inappropriate in a democracy that values the First Amendment.

“There could be concern that some parents might falsely claim a religious exemption,” the bill continues. “But it is greatly outweighed by the burden that the intrusive, prolonged inquiry imposes on bona fide objectors forced to defend their religious beliefs.”

WND contacted the offices of attorney David Cohen for response or comment but received no reply.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=88232

Ragnarök

{ January 29, 2009 @ 2:34 pm } · { Religion }
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*From every ending comes a new beginning.*

Ragnarok (“Doom of the Gods”), also called Gotterdammerung, means the end of the cosmos in Norse mythology. It will be preceded by Fimbulvetr, the winter of winters. Three such winters will follow each other with no summers in between. Conflicts and feuds will break out, even between families, and all morality will disappear. This is the beginning of the end.

The wolf Skoll will finally devour the sun, and his brother Hati will eat the moon, plunging the earth [into] darkness. The stars will vanish from the sky. The cock Fjalar will crow to the giants and the golden cock Gullinkambi will crow to the gods. A third cock will raise the dead.

The earth will shudder with earthquakes, and every bond and fetter will burst, freeing the terrible wolf Fenrir. The sea will rear up because Jormungand, the Midgard Serpent, is twisting and writhing in fury as he makes his way toward the land. With every breath, Jormungand will stain the soil and the sky with his poison. The waves caused by the serpent’s emerging will set free the ship Naglfar, and with the giant Hymir as their commander, the giants will sail towards the battlefield. From the realm of the dead a second ship will set sail, and this ship carries the inhabitants of hell, with Loki as their helmsman. The fire giants, led by the giant Surt, will leave Muspell in the south to join against the gods. Surt, carrying a sword that blazes like the sun itself, will scorch the earth.

Meanwhile, Heimdall will sound his horn, calling the sons of Odin and the heroes to the battlefield. From all the corners of the world, gods, giants, dwarves, demons and elves will ride towards the huge plain of Vigrid (“battle shaker”) where the last battle will be fought. Odin will engage Fenrir in battle, and Thor will attack Jormungand. Thor will victorious, but the serpent’s poison will gradually kill the god of thunder. Surt will seek out the swordless Freyr, who will quickly succumb to the giant. The one-handed Tyr will fight the monstrous hound Garm and they will kill each other. Loki and Heimdall, age-old enemies, will meet for a final time, and neither will survive their encounter. The fight between Odin and Fenrir will rage for a long time, but finally Fenrir will seize Odin and swallow him. Odin’s son Vidar will at once leap towards the wolf and kill him with his bare hands, ripping the wolf’s jaws apart.

Then Surt will fling fire in every direction. The nine worlds will burn, and friends and foes alike will perish. The earth will sink into the sea.

After the destruction, a new and idyllic world will arise from the sea and will be filled with abundant supplies. Some of the gods will survive, others will be reborn. Wickedness and misery will no longer exist and gods and men will live happily together. The descendants of Lif and Lifthrasir will inhabit this earth.

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/r/ragnarok.html

109 Locations whence Jews have been Expelled since AD 250

{ January 27, 2009 @ 11:46 am } · { Religion }
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*I can understand once or twice…but, uh…*

YEAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PLACE

                          250 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  Carthage
                          415 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  Alexandria
                          554 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  Diocese of Clement (France)
                          561 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  Diocese of Uzzes (France)
                          612 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  Visigoth Spain
                          642 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  Visigoth Empire
                          855 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  Italy
                          876 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  Sens
                        1012 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mainz
                        1182 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - France
                        1182 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Germany
                        1276 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Upper Bavaria
                        1290 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - England
                        1306 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - France
                        1322 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - France (again)
                        1348 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Switzerland
                        1349 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hielbronn (Germany)
                        1349 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Saxony
                        1349 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hungary
                        1360 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hungary
                        1370 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Belgium
                        1380 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Slovakia
                        1388 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Strasbourg
                        1394 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Germany
                        1394 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - France
                        1420 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lyons
                        1421 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Austria
                        1424 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Fribourg
                        1424 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Zurich
                        1424 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Cologne
                        1432 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Savoy
                        1438 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mainz
                        1439 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Augsburg
                        1442 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Netherlands
                        1444 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Netherlands
                        1446 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Bavaria
                        1453 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - France
                        1453 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Breslau
                        1454 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Wurzburg
                        1462 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mainz
                        1483 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mainz
                        1484 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Warsaw
                        1485 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Vincenza (Italy)
                        1492 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Spain
                        1492 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Italy
                        1495 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lithuania
                        1496 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Naples
                        1496 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Portugal
                        1498 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Nuremberg
                        1498 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Navarre
                        1510 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Brandenberg
                        1510 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Prussia
                        1514 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Strasbourg
                        1515 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Genoa
                        1519 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Regensburg
                        1533 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Naples
                        1541 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Naples
                        1542 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Prague & Bohemia
                        1550 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Genoa
                        1551 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Bavaria
                        1555 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pesaro
                        1557 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Prague
                        1559 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Austria
                        1561 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Prague
                        1567 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Wurzburg
                        1569 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Papal States
                        1571 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Brandenburg
                        1582 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Netherlands
                        1582 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hungary
                        1593 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Brandenburg, Austria
                        1597 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Cremona, Pavia & Lodi
                        1614 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Frankfort
                        1615 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Worms
                        1619 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Kiev
                        1648 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Ukraine
                        1648 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Poland
                        1649 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hamburg
                        1654 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Little Russia (Beylorus)
                        1656 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lithuania
                        1669 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Oran (North Africa)
                        1669 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Vienna
                        1670 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Vienna
                        1712 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sandomir
                        1727 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Russia
                        1738 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Wurtemburg
                        1740 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Little Russia (Beylorus)
                        1744 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Prague, Bohemia
                        1744 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Slovakia
                        1744 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Livonia
                        1745 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Moravia
                        1753 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Kovad (Lithuania)
                        1761 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Bordeaux
                        1772 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Deported to the Pale of Settlement (Poland/Russia)
                        1775 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Warsaw
                        1789 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Alsace
                        1804 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Villages in Russia
                        1808 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Villages & Countrysides (Russia)
                        1815 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lbeck & Bremen
                        1815 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Franconia, Swabia & Bavaria
                        1820 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Bremen
                        1843 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Russian Border Austria & Prussia
                        1862 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Areas in the U.S. under General Grant's Jurisdiction[1]
                        1866 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Galatz, Romania
                        1880s - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Russia
                        1891 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Moscow
                        1919 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Bavaria (foreign born Jews)
                        1938-45 - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  Nazi Controlled Areas
                        1948 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Arab Countries

[1] On December 17, 1862, General Ulysses Grant wrote
to the Assistant Adjutant General of the US Army:

"I have long since believed that in spite of all the vigilance that can
be infused into post commanders, the specie regulations of the Treasury
Department have been violated, and that mostly by the Jews and other
unprincipled traders. So well satisfied have I been of this that I
instructed the commanding officer at Columbus to refuse all permits to
Jews to come South, and I have frequently had them expelled from the
department. But they come in with their carpet-sacks in spite of all
that can be done to prevent it. The Jews seem to be a privileged class
that can travel anywhere. They will land at any woodyard on the river
and make their way through the country. If not  permitted to buy cotton
themselves, they will act as agents for someone else, who will be at a
military post with a Treasury permit to receive cotton and pay for it in
Treasury notes which the Jew will buy at an agreed rate, paying gold."

Also, on December 17, 1862, General Ulysses S. Grant issued General
Orders No. 11. This order banished all Jews from Tennessee's western
military.

General Orders No. 11 declared:
"1. The Jews, as a class, violating every regulation of trade
established by the Treasury Department, are hereby expelled from the
Department. 

"2. Within 24 hours from the receipt of this order by Post Commanders,
they will see that all of this class of people are furnished with
passes required to leave, and anyone returning after such notification,
will be arrested and held in confinement until an opportunity occurs of
sending them out as prisoners, unless furnished with permits from these
headquarters. 

"3. No permits will be given these people to visit headquarters for the
purpose of making personal application for trade permits. 

"By order of Major Gen. Grant.

"Jno. A. Rawlings, 

Assistant Adjutant General"

http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/expelled.htm

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