God Speaking to Pat Robertson Again

patomenman.jpgPat Robertson has again predicted forthcoming utter devastation, which is about as bold as predicting rain in Seattle. Whenever Pat is in the headlines it seems to be about something hateful and treacherous. When I read about Billy Graham it’s usually something positive and uplifting. Coincidence? I ran across this post in one of my forums:

I am most amused that God sent angels to talk to Mary, but he speaks to Pat Robertson personally.

It is my opinion that God would make Mr. Robertson appear more reputable if he would be kind enough to give him more exact details. Not being God, I can only assume this goes under the “myserious ways” category. And if in time this prediction is “proven” true, then I invite you to explore Pat’s previous predictions and their accuracy.

Shermer vs. Chopra Afterlife Debate

The second debate between Deepak Chopra and Michael Shermer on the subject of afterlife. I have read a few books by Chopra and have attended several presentations by Shermer at CalTech in Pasadena. I do have one comment to make regarding a glaring downfall in one of the author’s debates: Can you say ad hominem?

Read the full Shermer vs. Chopra Afterlife Debate and make your own assessments. The first Shermer-Chopra debate is available at the Huffington Post.

Former Students of Ramtha Website

David McCarthy is a former student of the Ramtha School of Enlightenment and a friend of mine. He has helped create and launch a website so former Ramtha students can share their experiences. The website is located at http://www.enlightenmefree.com. This is a website primarily for ex-Ramtha students, family and those that have questions.

Ramtha, aka JZ Knight, was featured in the movie “What The Bleep” and is a reputed 35,000 year old channeled spirit from Atlantis. Many people have followed her teachings and attended seminars at her compound in Yelm, WA.

How does an intelligent and studied person end up in an organization like this? That is part of what David McCarthy wants to shed light on. You can also find a lot of skeptic articles about Ramtha at one of my favorite websites: The James Randi Educational Foundation.

David has gone through a lot to unravel the web weaved while in Ramtha and I applaude him for his courage and dedication to this effort. In an age where it’s so popular to have an open mind, it’s good to remember the mind should not be SO open that the brain falls out.

When you get your mind back it’s a wonderful thing. A mind is a terrible thing to waste, especially on pseudo-science.

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Getting Sprung from the Snare

Leaving a group such as this is usually not easy. Why? Because there are “costs” associated with leaving. One can look at themselves and evaluate the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual costs of leaving. They face issues such as these and before actual leaving, a person may cling to the group and play mind games with themselves (defense mechanisms) to keep themselves from having to deal with the effects of leaving. One may justify behaviors to themselves to stay in the group, though they know they need to get out. It’s necessary to face the emotional cost of exiting such a group, such as leaving friends, who will probably abandon you. Facing the psychological and emotional issues of leaving; shame, depression, isolation, sadness, guilt, anger, abandonment, betrayal, confusion, lost self-esteem. Physically, it’s not unheard of for people to delay leaving a group even when they know it’s over, because of the emotional impact of moving on.

* “People leave cults for a variety of reasons. After becoming aware of hypocrisy and/or corruption within the group, converts who have maintained an element of independence and some connection with their old values may simply walk out disillusioned. Other members may leave because they have become weary of a routine of proselytizing and fund-raising. Sometimes even the most dedicated members may feel so inadequate in the face of the cult’s demands that they walk away, not because they have stopped believing, but because they feel like abject failures. Still others may renounce the cult after reconnecting to old values, goals, interests, or relationships, resulting from visits with parents, talks with ex-members, or counseling.

Persons who consider leaving a group such as this, are usually pressured to stay. Some ex-members say that they spent months, even years, trying to garner the strength to walk out. Some felt so intimidated that they departed secretly.

Although most group members eventually walk out on their own, parental alarm should not be discounted. First, many, if not most, who leave cults on their own are psychologically harmed, often in ways which they do not understand. Second, some cultists never leave, and some of these are severely harmed. And third, there is no way to predict who will leave, who won’t leave, or who will be harmed.”

http://www.rickross.com/reference/singer/singer7.html

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RECOVERY & MOVING ON

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
–From Hamlet (I, v, 166-167)

After a person has left a group they go through their personal recovery process. This process includes healing from emotional, psychological, spiritual, and perhaps physical trauma. While each person’s story is somewhat different there are phases that people go through while moving on. Ex-group members may find help in talking to others, educating themselves about similar types of groups, and eventually re-adapting to society. The following information is a summary by Margaret Thaler Singer about group recovery processes. Gift yourself with the time it takes to read through all of this material.

“Post-Cult After Effects
Margaret Thaler Singer, Ph.D.
excerpted from the website: http://www.csj.org/studyindex/studyrecovery/study_trauma.htm

After exiting a cult, an individual may experience a period of intense and often conflicting emotions. She or he may feel relief to be out of the group, but also may feel grief over the loss of positive elements in the cult, such as friendships, a sense of belonging or the feeling of personal worth generated by the group’s stated ideals or mission. The emotional upheaval of the period is often characterized by “post-cult trauma syndrome”:

spontaneous crying
sense of loss
depression & suicidal thoughts
fear that not obeying the cult’s wishes will result in God’s wrath or loss of salvation
alienation from family, friends
sense of isolation, loneliness due to being surrounded by people who have no basis for understanding cult life
fear of evil spirits taking over one’s life outside the cult
scrupulosity, excessive rigidity about rules of minor importance
panic disproportionate to one’s circumstances
fear of going insane
confusion about right and wrong
sexual conflicts
unwarranted guilt

The period of exiting from a cult is usually a traumatic experience and, like any great change in a person’s life, involves passing through stages of accommodation to the change:

Disbelief/denial: “This can’t be happening. It couldn’t have been that bad.”

Thoughts on Saddam Execution

Saddam executed. What a sobering day this is. I’m a musician and have little taste for politics; so I have no comment on right or wrong, international justice or our current involvement in Iraq. Who cares what an artist thinks in a world of politics anyway. My profession is the one that paints pictures for the ears. That has nothing to do with the real world or it’s events.

But here’s what one artist, one small feeble mind, has felt in the last 24 hours. Who cares. Sometimes I think the purpose of the arts is to make life bearable. The creation of magic that keeps us inspired to trudge on, to lift our eyes to a higher place. Theology being the perfect match for music, both with the same goals to reach to our depths. Then when life is taken away, the real world futility of the arts is heir apparent.

Gallows, thick rope, men in black hoods. A cross between the French Revolution and a Clint Eastwood western. And there’s the bad guy. So why aren’t I happy? Why do I feel like crying? He’s a bad man, I don’t even know this guy.

Have you imagined you were him and what it was like? I have. Several dozen times. Each time glad that it’s role playing, that it’s not real for me. But it is for him.

Saddam executed. My biggest concern this last week was working out some software bugs and a nagging regret that I didn’t cut down my own Christmas tree this year. Saddam executed.

I heard on Thursday that he would be executed soon. Executed? I thought they were still in trials and execution would be years from now. I’m used to prisoners being on death row for twenty years. No, surely something will intervene.

I hear Friday afternoon that Saddam Hussein will be executed within hours, roughly 7pm Friday my time. It’s about 3pm when I hear the news. The first thing I do is imagine that I am him. What would I be thinking. All this fight, all this time, all this drama – and now it’s a cold and empty feeling.

What can I do? It is what it is. Will it hurt? How will I act? What will my last words be. Do I even care? I’ve met with my family and that’s all done. The world will think what it will and I can have no control over that now. I have no one to have power over now, just me.

Cold concrete and echoing murmurs down the hall. The distant look in people’s eyes. Some with hatred, some with pride, some with compassion. It’s not really my concern, but I look for just one pair of eyes that understands. My concepts of heaven and hell seem like theological grade school games now, religion’s Rubik’s cube for the living. I’ll know soon enough, but now I’m well aware that it may just be a thing made by men.

Life was good overall, I made my mark. History will know me. Maybe I could have gone out a little bigger. Maybe I should have gone down in the streets of Tikrit or Baghdad. That spider hole I hid in was a mistake, I should have stood tall been a martyr. Who cares. It will be what it is now. The world and it’s trivial pursuits are gone. The things that concern you now are no concern of mine. I will be gone, you will go on. Eventually you will be as me so it’s all the same.

Some will rise up, maybe. It’s not my fight anymore.

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I received this prayer request today from my prayer request forum at Christian-Prayers.com today (mispellings are part of the original post):

To whom it may concern

To start I am not a support of this man and his work – but as a fellow human being and sinner – not to his extent but a sinner none the less. I was going to post this but decied not to as to much contraversy of the life and effect of this man, I ask that a pray be said for the soul of Saddam Hussein. I am Catholic and I know he will probley not make it to heaven or
will suffer much, and many peole will say that is a good thing, by I ask that a pray be said for him, his family, that nation, his victoms and their families, and the world as what he had dobne has effected the lives of many. I had just loged onto the internet and that was the headline – that they had hung him. I did not know a desision was made regarding his punishment. I felt a pain in my heart for him and all that has rooted from his deeds – knowing that his death will not resolve all the problems that stemed from him. So I as that a prayer of mercy, healing, and forgivness be said for
all involved.

If you have any comments please feel free to contact me.

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That was the post. Is it right, wrong? I don’t know. I do know that I find myself unable to be immersed in the rapturous joy that some are feeling at the news. I’ve seen the complete execution video on Google video. It struck me as very pedestrian. Not dramatic, not a world ruler being dethroned. Just some guy. Some in the room tried to make it dramatic with shouting before hand and afterwards. But to Saddam it appeared just to be a thing. It is what it is.

Now if they had hired me as MD (Musical Director) on this gig, I could have showed them a REAL execution. Of course there would be snare drums rolling and large kettle drums. Nice ominous cellos and basses complete with an SATB choir joining in a haunting Requiem. We would have timed the finale perfectly for a great crescendo, full orchestra hit, then just the high strings sustaining a single note while Saddam said his last words. Our strings would have plunged and kettle drums roared in perfect time with the drop of the gallows. Dance music and showgirls for the dancing segment, then a compelling romantic theme for the panoramic sweep of the body. Let’s end with a shot of the sky with sun breaking through the clouds and then the full main theme with brass and soaring strings.

Of course I’m being an ass. It wasn’t that. It was boring. It was pedestrian. It lacked pathos. My official review for the Saddam execution is a thumbs down. My point? The drama and pathos in an event is what we cloak it in. The events themselves contain nothing.

Our concepts of heaven and hell do much to bring ourselves solace over the actions of others. A final judgement that awaits the wicked. This seems to me very much to be an invention of the living to make life bearable. If you believe in those absolutes then you have to do nothing to make this world better, it will all be sorted out in the end.

But if you can entertain the thought for an instant that these absolutes may not necessarily be so, then you may be filled with a renewed drive to do what you can NOW to help out the person next to you. Maybe the execution of Saddam is part of that, man’s laws making things better now. Has it?

We have this intoxicating drive to make our lives something grand so that at the final curtain call we have something to show. Our final death. Something dramatic, the weeping, the accomplishments, the length of our resume. But maybe it is just a thing so everyday like brushing our teeth. And maybe the final tally of our life’s events does not happen in the way we expect.

So hug your family, keep your friends close and look what you can do NOW to help. Help what? That’s up to you. But do it now. Don’t wait. Life may fizzle and be a nothing. Let the drama unfold while you can see it.

And if faith draws you. Use that to harness yourself and enjoy the power of humility. Intellectualism is not the opposite of faith, the opposite of faith is hubris. It will take ten thousand to undo the pain that Saddam has created, but undone it will be. Not through his death, but through our living with better intentions.

Email Q&A – Christianity and Homosexuality

Email from forum member:

I’m checking out. Advertisements for homosexuals doesn’t belong on this website. I don’t want to be associated with filth.

*screen name omitted*

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This member is referring to my bible discussion website at www.Bible-Discussion.com – With few exceptions, my public forums are open to public discussion from a wide variety of viewpoints. The forums are a blank canvas for members to discuss and debate related issues. On my forums I have contextual ads running, which means that ads are displayed according to the content of the pages. If you are on my motorcycle forum, you will see ads for motorcycles. This member was posting in the “Homosexuality and the Bible” section of my Bible Discussion website. The website contains around 50 some discussion topics on bible related issues. Because they chose to discuss in the “Homosexuality and the Bible” forum of that website, the ads displayed were from related groups – a mixture of gay Christian organizations, mainstream non-profit Christian groups and retailers of Christian related products. The “filth” he refers to is not porn or adult related. It is from gay Christian groups running ads, and occassionally also anti-gay Christian groups trying to reach gay Christians.

This member also posts: “I’m a born-again Believer, frustrated over all the confusion “out there” among Christians, resulting in so many denominations (and a few cults masquerading as Christian). The discussion groups I have been a part of reflect that confusion. How can we Christians counter the onslaught of Islam if we don’t understand our own faith? Perhaps THIS discussion group will offer something that the others haven’t ~~ so far.”

So my answer to this member, who lasted 3 days with a total of 13 posts (on a free public forum) is this: It seems you have a history of condemning those that do not believe as you do, I see no inclination for that pattern to be changing anytime soon.

You see it fit to condemn gays and Muslims – I do not. Of course, you are free to disagree with me on my own discussion forum; the forum that I pay and upkeep so people like yourself can disagree and debate, for free.

And when finally no Muslims or homosexuals are left (having all been “fixed”), then we can attack the Buddhists and Hindus. Once they are gone we still have left the Wiccans, B’ahai and other weirdos. Then onto Mormons – let’s not forget atheists and Unitarians – they are nasty breeds. Finally we will have weeded them all out from the “true” faith, and it will be you and I alone on an island. In time we will find that one of us does not have the truth, perhaps an askew interpretation of the Trinity or some other theological device. And then only one of us will be left, and the world will finally be as it should be.

Let me share a story with you, one that I doubt you will enjoy. When I was younger there were many people who mistook me for being gay. It’s not something I encounter so much as an adult, but as a youth engrossed in the arts and with a fair complexion. I attended Pacific Lutheran University, a good Christian school in my opinion. In my Freshman year I returned to my dorm room to see someone had spray painted “FAG” on my dorm room door. No doubt this act was fueld by a misplaced religious conviction. I was the brunt of several homophobic attacks at that University and also later in the workplace. It still boggles my mind that these actions took place at a Lutheran University. Is this the testament of our Christian faith, to spend our time pointing fingers and condemning? As close a parallel I can draw is what the author of “Black Like Me” must have experienced when he was mistook as an African American in the South. In that very small way I have known the pain of the gay community. And I knew from that experience at PLU that I would never condemn a gay person the way others were condeming me.

I do not get a message of condemnation from NT scripture, I receive one of compassion and understanding.

I see no reason to condemn either homosexuals or Muslims, and I do not view either as “filth”. The closest thing I can label as “filth” is fundamentalism, of any religion. It is mankind’s cursed creation.

“Jesus paid much too high a price for us to pick and choose who should come.” – Casting Crowns

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IF WE ARE THE BODY – Lyrics
By Casting Crowns

It’s crowded in worship today
As she slips in
Trying to fade into the faces
The girls’ teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know

CHORUS
But if we are the Body
Why aren’t His arms reaching
Why aren’t His hands healing
Why aren’t His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren’t His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
There is a way

A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat
And quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances tells him that his chances
Are better out on the road

CHORUS
But if we are the Body
Why aren’t His arms reaching
Why aren’t His hands healing
Why aren’t His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren’t His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way

Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the Body of Christ

Chorus (2x)
If we are the body
Why aren’t His arms reaching
Why aren’t His hands healing
Why aren’t His words teaching
And if we are the body
Why aren’t His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way

Jesus is the way

The Beatles are God-hating Communist devils?

beatles-ed-sullivan.jpgHere is info directly from the Faithful Word Baptist website. Has anyone seen the movie Footloose lately?

The website says the Beatles are God-hating Communist devils, and it would really be best if we only sang songs in church which are 50 years old or more. That way, we know what’s tried and true.

As I’m thinking about it, wouldn’t it be most beneficial to only stick with ideas that are 50 years old or more? Yes, I think so. This way we’ll know what to think ahead of time, why reinvent the wheel? Umm….unless you live in a time period where the wheel hasn’t been invented within the last 50 years….then you couldn’t reinvent the wheel because it wouldn’t be invented because you could only use ideas from the last 50 years…….mmmm…..now I’m getting confused here. I guess I’m thinking too much again.

And only use the King James Version bible, that’s on the website too.

I notice the congregation is 10 months old. Does the 50 year rule only apply to music?
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A quote from the website:
“Rock n roll music was pioneered by ungodly sinners like Little Richard, a sodomite filthy animal, and Ray Charles, a heroin addict. of rock n roll music is ungodly.”

I am going to give this serious thought before I commit to burning my audio collection. Will some one loan me a wheelbarrow and a can of gasoline?

So where do I stand on music and theology? Short answer: lyric content and the perception of the listener are deciding factors.

We all fall short in our Christian faith. It would not interest me to seperate other people’s sins into categories for judgement. If a style of music is deemed inappropriate by a congregation, then that music style is not appropriate FOR THAT CONGREGATION; this does not make a statement on the inherent qualities of the music. Music does not inherently have a quality, it’s our perception of it that creates the quality. My guideline is: are the lyrics about God, for God or to God; and I would add one more: does the music spiritually feed the congregation or strenghten their walk in Christ.

But I am always open to adjusting my opinion when I have new information to work with. I can’t imagine I would ever say that I have fully defined the nature of the arts in worship. The arts are not static, it must breathe and move – and the same I think with our Christian faith.
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From the Faithful Word Baptist website:

If music without drums, syncopation, or a rock beat is acceptable music, then “Yesterday”by the Beatles would be suitable for a Christian. This song has no drums, syncopation, or rock n roll beat – so what’s wrong with it? It doesn’t talk about drugs, illicit behavior, or violence – so what’s wrong with it? What’s wrong with it is the source. It was written by God-hating communist devils. Rock n roll music was pioneered by ungodly sinners like Little Richard, a sodomite filthy animal, and Ray Charles, a heroin addict. of rock n roll music is ungodly.

Three Ways to Avoid the Wrong Music

3) Primarily sings songs which are 50 years or older. Worldly music goes in and out of style; but the classic hymns are never out of style. The Christian Contemporary music and southern gospel music of today will not be sung 50 years from now. It will be old hat; but here we are hundreds of years later still singing “Amazing Grace”, “There is a Fountain”, “Come Thou Fount”, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” These are songs that have stood the test of time and which God has blessed for decades. New music is not wrong, but must be very carefully examined for the source and the quality. If we were to sing 9 out of 10 songs 50 years or older, the tenth new song should not sound out of place.

Masaru Emoto

Let’s put this Masaru Emoto business to bed. I am asking for a scientist with a biology or chemistry background to help me replicate his experiments for publication.

It is beyond me why no one from the scientific community has stepped forward in a more public fashion to replicate Emoto’s claims. I believe unchallenged information like this does a great harm to the general public’s collective understanding of science, and yes, religion.

I have contacts for publication of our replication experiments, and I will dedicate time to monitor the experiment and create supporting audio materials for the experiment. Scientist needs to supply microscope and computer photography hookup.

I’m no scientist, but I care about possbile misinformation to the general public.

Someone recently referred to me as an “expert” in this field. I’m certainly no expert, but rely on those scientists who are. Perhaps I’m just a little more vocal than others.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, just move along. If you ARE aware of this information and have disregarded it, please be aware that’s it’s impact is not on a small number of individuals.

A Perfect Sabbath

I don’t keep the Sabbath well. In fact, after church is done it’s just another day. It’s been bothering me for a while. Not just because it’s a commandment, just because…..well…in my gut it just makes sense to slow down and remind myself about what’s important.

At church today the sermon was on keeping the Sabbath day holy. It was a great sermon that touched on many of the original meanings of Sabbath and the traditions. As a Protestant we’re freed from the rigid ways of the orthodox religions – sticking to Saturday, no making fires, etc. But that’s not what really interests me right now. What interests me is my perfect Sabbath day today.

I took the minister’s words to heart, along with one of my favorite Martin Luther quotes: “How soon ‘not now’ becomes ‘never’.” So I decided to start today.

It kind of helped that the day started with the church choir singing beautifully, and I got to play a new Bach organ prelude that I really enjoy. But then I decided not to work. I went to a friends house for several hours and just talked with them. Then had dinner with my family, then watched the sunset with my mother.

I know it might not sound like much. But it was the perfect sabbath. I like the change.

Evolution and Creation Information

On my theology and science forums I’m still amazed how many people have not researched the opposite viewpoint. With many people they just don’t know where to go, there’s so much information.

If the subject of Evolution and Creation interests you, and if you live in the United States it SHOULD interest you, then here are some starting resources for you. I have to say that whatever side you are on, if you are holding very strong pointed views and have not looked at what the opposite side has to say; I think you are cheating yourself.

Read for yourself and make your own decisions. It should not be a scary process, it should be exciting. That being said, to really get into this you really need to pace yourself over several weeks just to get a small bird’s eye view of the discussions. I think the reading will be well worth your time, and will keep you informed.

These are the two generally accepted resource points for Creation and Evolution from each perspective.

CREATION AUTHORITY WEBSITE

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Answers in Genesis can be visited at answersingenesis.org

A good starting point at Answers in Genesis: click here

AIG also has article archives: click here

Creation, Evolution and Christian Apologetics. “Answers in Genesis: Upholding the Authority of the Bible from the Very First Verse”

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EVOLUTION AUTHORITY WEBSITE

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Talk Origins can be visited at talkorigins.org

A good starting point at Talk Origins: click here

“Talk origins is a Usenet newsgroup devoted to the discussion and debate of biological and physical origins. Other topics of discussion include the origin of life, geology, biology, catastrophism, cosmology and theology.”

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There you have it. I think those two websites together give a balanced view of what “each side” is saying. I say “each side” because their are a multitude of viewpoints to this subject.

If you are interested in this subject but refuse to read what the other side has to say, I would have to ask: Why?

If you have additional resources you are welcome to add those as comments to this post.