by Don Rogers
Satan's most frequent and consistent attack is directed against our minds. He sends his hosts out with an arsenal of weapons: lies, threats and intimidation, questions, accusations, lust and other enticements.
The attack often starts very early in life. If a child is abused at home, lies from the enemy appear in the thoughts saying the child deserves it or is not worth anything to anyone. Accusations surface in the thoughts that it is the child's fault anyway.
As many children are developing, questions from the enemy often appear in their thoughts regarding their sexual identity. Over and over these thoughts emerge causing confusion, shame and fear.
Once a child begins to receive any lie as truth, more lies will appear to reinforce the central lie. After awhile, the child will begin to focus on its own shortcomings and perceive the rejection of others. Sometimes people are directed, by the enemy, into their lives to prey on them to add more reinforcement to the lies.
If parents do not reflect the character of God to their children, the children will project all their shortcomings on to God. For instance, if one or more parents is cold, lacking in emotion, rigid and constantly preoccupied with other things, the child will see God as lacking compassion, unloving and not there for them. The enemy will encourage these perceptions.
Many bring a lot of bad baggage along with them into adulthood from their childhood. Some grow up in homes where there has been considerable control, manipulation and emotional or physical abuse. Women are often "led" to find a man of similar qualities to continue the destructive negative reinforcements in their lives. We cannot underestimate the enemy's influence in these situations.
In many cases, the enemy already has claims upon parents and even grandparents. Now the enemy focuses on the children, because he knows that the consequences of family sins can make the children vulnerable to similar attacks.
We minister to many adults who have been believing the enemy's lies about themselves for years. Often there are strongholds of low self-esteem and self hatred. Needless to say, it is very difficult for them, as believers, to live by faith. The enemy continues to pummel them will lies and accusations, causing much doubt and hopelessness.
We see many adults who are full of anger, bitterness and unforgiveness. Some time in their life, often in childhood, they have been hurt deeply by someone. The enemy will constantly give them "flashback memories" of that situation in the past. The memories are so painful, that they constantly stir up the anger, bitterness and resentment, so strongly that it is very difficult for that person to forgive, even though they know the need to.
We could continue indefinitely with these scenarios, but it is my hope you have gotten the point concerning the enemy's activity directed toward your thoughts.
What is a person to do when their mind has been under assault for such a long time? My answer to that is not simple, nor is it easy. But you have to start somewhere.
1. It is extremely important to correct the wrong perceptions of God. Any study that presents a balanced study of the character of God will be extremely beneficial. You might want to start with a simple study that we have on this site, entitled "Knowing God." This can be found at http://www.sw-mins.org/strat4.html This is only a basic study which can be built upon with more in-depth studies. I can't emphasize enough how important it is for you to correct your perception of God and have it line up with the Scriptures.
2. It is equally important to discover what God has to say about you. You need to know your true identity according to the Word of God. The enemy has been distorting and lying about you, so that you have a false perception of yourself. We have a simple study on this site in which you can discover what the Word of God says about you. The page is called, "The Believer's Identity in Christ," at http://www.sw-mins.org/identity.html Again, this is only a basic study which you can build upon later.
3. The apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." The first two steps, "Knowing God" and "The Believer's Identity in Christ," are the beginning of that process. It is imperative that you fill your mind with TRUTH to counteract the lies you have been believing. You also have to confess specifically that you have been believing the lies of the enemy and ask God to forgive you and cleanse you.
Part of taking your thoughts captive is to start disciplining yourself concerning the things you watch in the movies, TV and the internet, as well as the things you read in books and magazines. You need to clean up what you are allowing to influence your mind and emotions.
The apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."
It won't be easy at first, but with God's help and a desire to please Him, you can overcome and claim victory.
4. God has given each of us direct access to Himself through prayer. He has said that we can come boldly into His presence and present our requests to Him. Most people do not take advantage of this great privilege. Many see it only as an obligation rather than a way to experience fellowship with the Lord. Parents want their children to come to them with their concerns. How much more does our God want us to come to Him. Jesus spent much time with his Father when he was on this earth.
Without a consistent prayer life and fellowship with the Lord, you will not experience the victory that you desire. God has given us the Holy Spirit to teach how to pray. God has given us promises to claim. He has given us tremendous provisions to utilize in our daily lives.
In closing, I want to remind you of another statement by the Apostle Paul.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
May God bless you with the determination to conquer the enemy's deceptions. It is the Lord's will for you to be free.
THIS IS TRUTH...TOO KNOW GOD AND HIS ONLY SON!
Witchcraft: the real truth exsposed! The personal Testimony of The Ministerofblog plus Others!
Those who have a testimony to share about what God took you from may do so in the comment section at the bottom of this page for others to be blessed and God to be Praised!
You may place your testimony at the bottom of the Page that applies to where God has brought you from. Check out the Pages on this site below.
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Breaking the Chain of Lies so you can be FREE!
This is my Battle cry: Gal. 4:16
“Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?”
Read "END TIME DELUSIONS"
By Steve Wohlberg
This is A MUST READ IF YOU WANT TRUTH ABOUT THE LAST DAYS IN THIS TIME OF MUCH DELUSION ABOUT THE LAST DAYS!
MOST THINGS FROM RAY COMFORT I really love EXCEPT the "prophetical minefield" called dispensationalism!
I TRUST VERY LITTLE TODAY ABOUT "THE LAST DAYS" AS I AM NOW AN HISTORICIST AND DO NOT BELIEVE A MAJORITY OF THE PREACHERS OUT THERE THAT HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF THE LAST DAYS!
I spent years teaching this prophetic nightmare, I was "Left Behind" the 8 Ball so to speak....
It's NOT that they don't love God or even are purposefully deceiving us, it's just that we have left our true roots!
The Church WAS NEVER this prophetically confused in it's early days, they had real purpose and direction and didn't hide behind the shell game of man-made prophetic ideas!
THE HISTORICIST VIEWPOINT IS THE MOST BIBLICAL VIEWPOINT HELD BY A MAJORITY OF OUR CHURCH FATHERS AND BIBLE WRITER'S
CHECK IT OUT ON HISTORICIST.COM SOMETIME!
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Break out of your religious and intellectual Chains!
Break out of your religious and intellectual Chains!
- Truth ONLY comes to those who search for it not to those who settle for less!
Click the following links to listen to audio recordings of a series of sermons on Matthew 24 by Pastor Joe Haynes.
The sermon series is titled, "Are We Living in the End Times?" Delivered during the month of January, 2008.
- The Announcement of Salvation - Matthew 24:1-14
- The Abomination of Desolation - Matthew 24:15-28
- The Appearance of Vindication - Matthew 24:29-31
- The Assurance of Preservation - Matthew 24:32-35
- The Approval of Devotion - Matthew 24:36-51
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Got Questions? Well...here are Answers to sharpen your mind and build your faith in the Anointed Jesus!
This Information represents months of hard work putting together the Best of the Best Information, please read the Evidence presented with deep Respect so that you might sharpen your faith or even GAIN new faith in God!
If you are helped by anything here, please...PLEASE, let me know in the comment section below!
This page needs your support!
You may ALSO leave your own Testimony of what God has done for your life there as well so that others may know what God has done! Or send it to me in an E-mail and I will use it AS IS in my blog!
The Real Truth about the organized Church of today may surprise you, unless you are one of its deceived victims!!!
It is PAST time that TRUE Christians the world over stop what their doing and realize that its their "Church-ianity" that the world really does hate!
I mean really, their supposed to hate US not our FAKE CHRISTIAN LIVES we surround ourselves with.
Not because we go to DEAD churches to hear DEAD sermons about DEAD faithless, platitude's that don't change lives. I as a minister of the Gospel these 37 ys.
I have both witnessed my OWN hypocrisy and the hypocrisy of the church in general; BUT is this not the MAIN reason the world hates us (Because of our Hypocrisy) and not the true reason THAT Jesus said we should be hated for (Because we TRY to convict of sin and unrighteousness)?
Think about it!
Matthew 7:22-24 (King James Version)
"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:"
We should not be despised because we can't follow the Lord the way he told us too, we should be hated literally because they hate Jesus and see him in us.
Matthew 7:22-24 (King James Version)
"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:"
We should not be despised because we can't follow the Lord the way he told us too, we should be hated literally because they hate Jesus and see him in us.
"A cult is a religion with no political power." — Tom Wolfe.
"A religion is a cult that succeeded." And true Christianity was NEVER meant to be ether one.
The Organized Church of today DOES NOT IN ANY WAY resemble the New
Testament believers because these days we spend so much wasted time
DISPROVING WHAT WE SHOULD BE BELIEVING !
The answer to the question " Can God really free me?
is of course..YES...YES...YES!!! If your "god " cannot deliver from anything and everything...THEN WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU SERVE that god? Ω
The personal testimony of The "Minister of Blog" Clarence F. Sargent
I was raised in a small town, at the time called Taunton, Mass. after having moved from Ellsworth Maine where I was born where to this day, I do not know who my real mother and father were but because I know of the Sovereignty of God I also know his personal care of my life.
I can go on with my life knowing his plans have my best interest at heart.
In his plan, I was adopted at birth by a very loving couple who were childless and really wanted me, my mother Mary a backsliding Baptist and my Father Alexander Sargent an agnostic when it came to all things spiritual, was level-headed and down to earth.
Now you have to realize that I only found out about my adoption at 29 years old; long after both my mom and my dad had died and I had already become a Christian. I received a letter from the social security administration telling me of a Sister who wished to get in touch with me.
My Sister Shirley told me that my real mom ( A full-blooded native American Indian, of which I am proud to have in my bloodline.) wanted an abortion because she could not care for me and all my siblings, a fact I'm not proud of!
(But I know now that this act is the ultimate rejection of a child in the womb, not an act of love but selfishness.)
She was actually at the doors of the clinic when some pro-life people talked her into adoption instead of murdering me, thank God for those who will stand up and stand out in this world for something good; if they had not, I would be among the millions a dead babies in a dumpster somewhere in Maine.
I think you know where I stand on abortion as a result of this.
No amount of arguments can convince someone who would have died that a child in the womb is not human enough to live.
I was raised in a lower middle class family and not used to the so-called "good things in life" as far as wealth is concerned but I was very much-loved and that’s what really mattered anyway.
BUT.... all that was soon to change because of an utterly stupid decision of mine. I began to practice the occult in my teen years; and it all started one afternoon when I was 6 years old sitting in front of the “boob tube” watching an innocent television show called “Bewitched” and from the moment that show aired [in 1964] I was hooked on the concept at least; of witchcraft, very innocently at first but nevertheless I was hooked.
What is the Craft? Who are the Witches? And should we be afraid of them?
What is a Witch or Wizard? What do I Have to Fear?By Clarence Sargent (The Ministerofblog)
What is a Witch?Well in a most basic way witches or wizards are people who can mentally afflict others with harm or good by thinking them harm or good. But that is as far as they believe they can do because it is in the Freudian doctrine of the Omnipotence of Thought, that we find the belief that mankind can make use of their imaginations so they can affect others actions.They believe even the course of nature or circumstances themselves, simply by the projection of their thoughts towards them, either in an evil or good way can change the way nature or circumstances in the natural order of things works.
What about spells or hexes?
Casting spells are the ways and means to defend themselves against their fears, these actions are the end result of a base fear in all of mankind without the truth of God.Man always fears things he doesn't have the ability to understand outside of his or her personal space.This is the philosophy behind spell-casting in the first place, to use a person's own fears against them, to do themselves in by personal fear dwelling within them.The Witch or Wizard simply needs to find out specific information about their enemies life which in this day and age is not to hard to do. Once this information is known, all that is needed then is a personal item, a lock of hair or picture of them or family for personal connection, and the CURSE takes root in the mind and filters down to the spirit of the victim.
The real secret any form of witchcraft lies in the very nature of the human mind itself, and the projection of mental energies, which is simply conversion of feelings of guilt or anger into hostility towards others and is a well-known human problem that God hates.
This is responsible not only for the illusion of persecution but the need for a scapegoat. This seems to be a tendency in the human mind ( What the Bible terms the human Soul ) that doesn't get the renewing of spiritual rebirth through the Word of God.
Unfortunately this basic definition of a Witch covers a wide range of Christian practice in the church of the modern day as well as the occult.
This form of practice in the Church reveals itself through our worship and our prayers which we OVERLY ATTACH to the "emotion center" of our the brains, which if not kept in check by the reborn spirit can LEAD US DOWN A PATH THAT IS NOT OF GOD'S CREATION.
God never intended for our emotions to control our lives but only to enhance our spiritual experience.
Witchcraft utilizes ONLY that part of spirit (The Soul) which is LIMITED in man's incomplete understanding because of sin, it is not a TRUE SPIRITUAL POWER at all; but is anchored to the mind of the flesh as is taught in Galatians 5:18-25
"But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, sedition's, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
The old adage that says "If you do not set your belief on something that makes sense you'll set it upon NON-sense instead" and ANY form of the craft is "spiritual non-sense" because no amount of mind or flesh can ever equal an once of spirit!
How exactly is the Human Psyche effected by the "power of suggestion?" Well let's look at the radio broadcast drama "The War of the World's" by Orson Wells in the early 50s, not only was the power of suggestion well utilized, but it also began the era of mythical urban legends of our modern day society.
This broadcast proves that this is a power to be reckoned with when properly instituted, even if it were by accident.
The human psyche acts just like a shield; but like anything else, it eventually is pierced through by the power of over and over suggestion, this is how urban legends get a foothold in our minds and how traumatic events that happen in succession can change our thoughts to a more negative overall belief system .
Unbelievably, the power of suggestion can be not only our mental undoing in the negative sense; but can also be the catalyst for the complete mental regrouping or intuitive spark of the human psyche in the most positive sense as well, so we cannot throw out this power as "of the devil", he simply uses what he has available in the creation of God. This is how God changes our lives so it is a good thing if used by him through us.
What this is, is a mental faculty that we were created with so that we could use our faith to function in life, without the power to suggest to our minds we would never be able to believe God for anything.
When we speak of the power of suggestion in the Christian faith it can be BOTH a negative in the sense of believing a "wrong doctrine" over all the facts to the contrary.
But it can be a positive in the sense that our faith in God is better increased because the mind is taken out of the way and put in a proper place, it simply translates to the mind being convinced of spiritual facts no matter what the physical circumstance reveals.
Thus faith rules over physical law and can "recreate the physical circumstances" preventing a miracle from happening or being viewed in the physical realm.
The power of suggestion can indeed be viewed as the "omnipotent" part of God's faith when used in positive conjunction with affirmations as a method of the treatment of disease.
We have all experienced the power of suggestion any time we go shopping yet there is no witchcraft involved here, so it is a safe form if used alone with a heavy dose of "Self-control". The power of suggestion is everywhere and those who practice the Craft are simply using a tool available to the whole of mankind.
Another great example of the power of suggestion is the" placebo effect" where in testing they use a "sugar tablet" instead of the drug with half the group and the drug with other half and tell both groups they are getting better and watch the effect work time after time.
The bad news is that this power can work in the opposite direction and cause great damage and hurt simply because man without God has a missing part- Hope. There is no power so persuasive as the power of suggestion and Satan knows this all to well, after all he received 2/3rd's of heaven angels to follow him!
The power of the mind is the form of putting words in an order to make others interested in what you have to say...Advertising plan and simple....advertising what you want others to think about over and over. When we work to conquer obstacles in our way, we work to put the power of suggestion in motion.
When people are conditioned, it is usually easy to use the power of suggestion if our words are distributed properly, this is how "Organizations" of all types control their memberships to think the common thread of thought as one.
Everyday we are all open to the power of suggestion, whether we are at home, at work, or other areas of society. Recognizing the positive and negative forces of the power of suggestion can help us to avoid unwanted feelings that can affect our thinking process.
If you think about the hypocrisy in many religions today, you can see that people are often under the power of suggestion. Learning, reading, and meditating can help us to gain control over our thoughts vs. others' thoughts and avoid the unwanted suggestions.
When we have "evidence" that upholds our words such as the Bible, we have the ingredient that leads us to the proper use power of Self-suggestion effectively and Biblical based.
It is very important that as believers we NOT fear anything that God intends for good, but simply use as intended. Witchcraft cannot harm a true believer solidly standing upon the rock of God's commands! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Clarence_Sargent
The "Craft" appealed to me on so many level’s both physically and spiritually.
I was already an introvert with very few friends and low self-esteem in school, other than the few out casts smoking dope in the parking lot of my school.
And being an only child caused me to develop many "imaginary friends". Now I believe this is Healthy to a point, but as I grew up these "imaginary friends" would drive my interest in the Occult and Drugs, for they were demonic in nature not the "imaginary friends" I thought they were.
Since my interest was peaked by these "familiar spirits".
[A familiar is a Witches guide in the realm of spirit. I now know that these spirits were guiding me into deeper and deeper FLESHLY TIES to my sinful nature.]
Watching that show sent me headlong into a downward spiral of flesh in control living.
EVEN AS a child I knew that "Hollywood Witch-craft" was not the real thing which is the reason I driven to know the real practice and THEREIN lies the true danger of parents allowing their children to view and read things WITHOUT PROPER SUPERVISION; the television is NOT a good babysitter.
Understand, that it’s alright for an older child to be curious about it, as long as YOU the parent are there to guide them away from the evil content and to explain (Click Here) why God hates those things in a reasonable manner.
It’s the great special effects that are the lure in the beginning, but that will not stand before a holy God at the judgment seat as your excuse.
I dedicated myself without any spiritual direction to find out about this ancient earth religion, as I began studying and looking for deeper truths in the world of magic and sorcery I was witness both to its beauty of focus and its pure savagery of intent. It wasn’t until after my adopted Mom died when I was only 17 that I was free to do as I pleased....and boy did I do as I pleased!
I must add to my testimony here because there may be some confusion as to how I could claim to an Atheist and at the same time a Witch? Well, first of all I said plainly that I wasn't a TRUE atheist but a fake atheist in that I mouthed the words of "hating all things God connected", but at the same time I turned toward Witchcraft to replace him.
My mothers death was the catalyst that started my hatred of God boiling! I simply didn't hate all other gods the same way!
I jumped headlong into drugs, Drinking, and Partying while trying to keep up a c+ to b average in high school, failing many courses because a lack of focus on them and because many of my teachers just wanted me out of their classes and passed me through without the proper training.
I joined Wicca, as a private practitioner taking a course in the art of magic by Gavin and Yvonne Frost; The Wicca fascination I had did not last very long as I was hungry for a darker side; the more power and knowledge of the occult the better.
I began to delve deeper and deeper into the so-called "Deep things of Occult Knowledge“, I would read Anton LaVeys "Satanic Bible" just to rebel against the God who, I felt “TOOK MY MOM FROM ME”.
Now this is where I now know a true Atheist from a fake one who is just a rebellious person trying to hate the God he knows exists but can't get close too in sin.
Understand that if you were a REAL ATHEIST you would have NO NEED to rebel against anything godly because HE ISN'T REALLY THERE.....I mean get down to earth, if God is not there what's the issue with the bible;
"the concept of God is the ONLY thing that could make that book real in any way, so if God isn't real then the bible cannot matter."
This is why I've never really meet a real Atheist because you all WASTE so much time trying to find evidence to DISPROVE what you say isn't there...is that healthy behavior?
After all I as a Christian don't get mad and spend any of my time trying to disprove the existence of "Fairy Tales" why do you?
Remember what has happened to you is what makes you become great, so don't let life run you over.
Slow down, THINK for a moment:
Isn't there more to life than this?
The guy below is :
Aleister Crowley, I used to think he was the bomb but I was wrong.......big time!
He along with me knew nothing of God and who he really IS!
This is what I played with in my early years in the Occult, it is not recommended by ANY OCCULTIST worth their salt to PLAY with these, they are very dangerous and can and WILL open you up to demon influences!
Don't be fooled into the idea that what you do is innocent ALL involvement is dangerous!
I began mixing in Aleister Crowley's works {Below}
ALEISTER CROWLEY
(ALPHABETIC LIST OF WORKS) below is a list of the works of Aleister Crowley in alphabetic sequence. Crowley provided many of his texts with numerical identifiers in Latin. there is also a numeric index for this collection, which consists of a list of titles followed by a brief description of their content and importance. several of these files have multiple versions, being keyed in by different people or formatted for enhanced readability, and these versions are identified in no particular order other than when they were acquired as part of the archive. descriptive text in {set brackets} is taken from Crowley's "Book Four" appendices (capitalization regularized in many instances), text other than the titles of books or essays in "quotation marks" is from the work being described (whether in the subtitle or elsewhere). text followed by "-- (name)" identifies a description by the sourcename cited (detailed at the end of this document). text in [brackets] is commentary or interpretation from the Archivist. # Absinthe: The Green Goddess
# An Account of the A.'. A.'. sub figura 33
{[An account of the Order of the Silver Star or "A.'.A.'."] first written in the language of his period by the Councillor von Eckartshausen, revised and rewritten [by Crowley].}# Across the Gulf sub figura 59
{A fantastic account of a previous incarnation. It story of the overthrowing of Isis by Osisis may help the reader to understand the meaning of the overthrowing of Osiris by Horus in the present aeon.}# AHA! sub figura 242
{An exposition in poetic language of several of the ways of attainment and the results obtained.}# Amrita
[A lecture on the creation and application of the Elixir of Immortality.]# Ararita sub figura 813 (version 1)
# Ararita sub figura 813 (version 2)
{An account of the Hexagram and the method of reducing it to the Unity, and beyond.}
# De Arte Magica (version 1) # De Arte Magica (version 2) # De Arte Magica (version 3) [Sex magick instructions.]
# The Artistic Temperament [A Simon Iff story (fiction).]
# Astrology sub figura 536 (Preface) {A textbook on astrology composed on scientific lines by classifying observed facts rather than deducting from *a priori* theories.}
# Batrachophrenoboocosmomachia sub figura 536 {An instruction in expansion of the field of the mind.}
# The Beast sub figura 666 (?) {An account of the magical personality who is the Logos of the present aeon.} [Some suggest this became "The Equinox of the Gods", first published in 1936.]
# Berashith: An Essay in Ontology "With Some Remarks On Ceremonial Magic".
# Book Four sub figura 4 # Book Four sub figura 4 (Interlude) # {A general account in elementary terms of magical and mystical powers.} Book Four Part Three ('Magick in Theory and Practice') # 'Magick in Theory and Practice' Introduction # Book Four Part Three ('MiTaP'): excerpts relating to magic
# The Book of Lies (falsely so-called) {Deals with many matters on all planes of the very highest importance. An offiial publication of the Babes of the Abyss, but is recommended even to beginners as highly suggestive.}
# The Book of the Operation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage
# "The Book of Thoth sub figura 78" {A complete treatise on the Tarot.}
# "The Book of Wisdom or Folly vel Aleph sub figura 111" {An extended and elaborate commentary on "The Book of the Law",in the form of a letter from [To Mega Therion] to his magical son, [Frater Achad]. Contains some of the deepest secrets of initiation, with a clear solution of many cosmic and ethical problems.}
# "The Butterfly Net sub figura 81" aka "Moonchild" {An account of a magical operation [of the Homunculus or Magical Child], particularly concerning the planet Luna, written in the form of a novel.}
# The Cephaloedium Working (version1)< # The Cephaloedium Working (version 2)
# The Chymical Jousting of Brother Perardua sub figura 55 {An account of the magical and mystic path in the language of alchemy.}
# Concerning "Blasphemy" in General & the Rites of Eleusis in Particular
# Concerning Death sub figura 106 {A treatise on the nature of death and the proper attitude to be taken towards it.}
# Concerning the Law of Thelema sub figura 161 "Specific instances of the application of the various programs and policies outlined in other papers such as The Open Letter."
# Desert Justice (Simon Iff Abroad) [Tales of Simon Iff (fiction).]
# Duty "A note on the chief rules of practical conduct to be observed by those who accept the Law of Thelema."
# EGC Gnostic Mass sub figura 15 [The central religious ritual of Crowley's O.T.O.]
# Eight Lectures on Yoga (version 1) # Eight Lectures on Yoga (version 2) [Instructions on the practice of Raja Yoga after the style and rigor of Patanjali.]
# Energized Enthusiasm "A Note on Theurgy" An essay developing the idea of creativity -- and genius -- as a sexual phenomenon. -- Crowley Cross-Index.
# Enochian Keys
# Enochian Notes
# The Equinox {Crowley's regular periodical in which many of his works appeared.}
# The Equinox of the Gods "The circumstances surrounding the dictation of [The Book of the Law]." -- Crowley Cross-Index
# Eroto-Comatose Lucidity (version 1) # Eroto-Comatose Lucidity (version 2) [An excerpt from De Arte Magica.]
# Gilles de Rais (version 1) # Gilles de Rais (version 2) [A historical lecture billed by Crowley as 'banned.']
# The Greek Qabalah (short form) "A complete Dictionary of all sacred and important words and phrases given in the Books of the Gnosis and other important writings both in the Greek and the Coptic."
# A Handbook of Geomancy "Attributions of geomantic figures to planets, zodiac, and ruling genii."
# The High History of Good Sir Palamedes the Saracen... sub figura 197 {A poetic account of the Great Work and enumeration of many obstacles.}
# An Intimation on The Constitution of the Order (O.T.O.) sub figura 194 {The Constitution and Government of our Holy Order [Crowley's O.T.O.]; by the study of its Balance you may yourself come to apprehension of how to rule your own life.}
# John St. John sub figura 860 {The record of the magical retirement of Frater O.M. A model of what a magical record should be, so far as accurate analysis and fullness of description are concerned.}
# Khabs Am Pekht sub figura 300 {A special instruction for the promulgation of the Law. This is the first and most important duty of every aspirant of whatever grade. It builds up in him the character and karma which forms the Spine of Attainment.}
# Khing Khang King sub figura 21 ["The Classic of Purity", by Ko Hsuen. Interpolation by Crowley.]
# The Law of Liberty sub figura 837 (version 1) # The Law of Liberty sub figura 837 (version 2) {A further explanation of "The Book of the Law" in reference to certain ethical problems.}
# De Lege Libellum sub figura 150 {A further explanation of "The Book of the Law", with special reference to the powers and privileges conferred by its acceptance.}
# Liber 8 (the 8th Aethyr of 'The Vision and the Voice sub figura 418') "[A description of attaining unto] the mystery of the knowledge and conversation of [the] Holy Guardian Angel" [originating in "The Vision and the Voice sub figura 418". See below for a commentary on the entire document.].
# Liber A vel Armorum sub figura 412 (version 1) # Liber A vel Armorum sub figura 412 (version 2) {An instruction on the preparation of the Elemental Instruments.}
# Liber A'ash vel Capricorni Pneumatici sub figura 370 [Sexual magick heavily veiled in symbolism.]
# Liber Adonis sub figura 335 {An account in poetic language of the struggle of the human and divine elements in the consciousness of man, giving their harmony following on the victory of the latter.}
# Liber Al vel Legis sub figura 220 {"The Book of the Law", the foundation of Crowley's [religious] work.}
# Liber Al vel Legis Commentary [Crowley's commentary on "The Book of the Law".]
# Liber Amalantrah sub figura 97 (version 1) # Liber Amalantrah sub figura 97 (version 2) {Diary concerning the Wizard Amalantrah and the working of like name.}
# Liber Arcanorum sub figura 231 {An account of the cosmic process so far as it is indicated by the Tarot Trumps in relation to the Genii of the Qliphoth.}
# Liber Astarte vel Berylli sub figura 175 {An instruction in attainment by the method of devotion, or bhakti-yoga.}
# Liber B vel Magi sub figura 1 *{An account of the Grade of Magus, the highest grade which it is ever possible to manifest in any way whatever upon this plane. Or so it is said by the Masters of the Temple.}
# Liber Cadaveris sub figura 120 [Zelator initiation ritual for the Order of Thelemites. Also called 'the Ritual of Passing Through the Tuat'.]
# Liber Causae sub figura 61 {The history and origin of the A.'.A.'. The object of the book is to discount mythopeia.}
# Liber Chanokh sub figura 89 {A brief abstraction of the symbolic representation of the universe derived by Dr. John Dee through the scrying of Sir Edward Kelly.}
# Liber Cheth vel Vallum Abiegni sub figura 156 {An account of the task of the Exempt Adept, considered under the symbols of a particular nonintellectual plane.}
# Liber Collegii Sancti sub figura 185 {The tasks of the Grades of the A.'.A.'. and their Oaths as pertains to "Graduum Montis Abiegni sub figura 13".}
# Liber Cordis Cincte Serpente sub figura 65 {An account of the relations of the aspirant [to the A.'.A.'.] with his Holy Guardian Angel.}
# Liber E vel Excitiorum sub figura 9 {Instructs the aspirant in the necessity of keeping a record. Suggests methods of testing physical clairvoyance. Gives instruction in Asana, Pranayama and Dharana, and advises the application of tests to the physical body, in order that the student may thoroughly understand his own limitations.}
# Liber Gaias sub figura 96 {A handbook of Geomancy.}
# Graduum Montis Abiegni sub figura 13 {An account of the task of the aspirant to the A.'.A.'. from Probationer to Adept.}
# Liber Had sub figura 555 {An instruction for attaining Hadit.}
# Liber HHH sub figura 341 (version 1) # Liber HHH sub figura 341 (version 2) {Three methods of attainment through a willed series of thoughts.}
# Liber Israfel sub figura 64 {An instruction in a suitable method of preaching.}
# Liber Jugorum sub figura 3 (version 1) # Liber Jugorum sub figura 3 (version 2) {An instruction for the control of speech, action and thought.}
# Liber Liberi vel Lapidis Lazuli sub figura 7 {The emancipation of an Exempt Adept from his adeptship. The birth words of a Master of the Temple.}
# Liber Librae sub figura 30 {An elementary course of morality suitable for the average man.}
# Liber Nikh vel Tzaba sub figura 93 (version1) # Liber Nikh vel Tzaba sub figura 93 (version 2) {A diary of heroin and cocaine use.}
# Liber O vel Manua et Sagitae sub figura 6 {Instructions given for elementary study of the qabalah, assumption of god forms, vibration of divine names, the rituals of Pentagram and Hexagram, and their uses in protection and invocation, a method of attaining astral visions so-called, and an instruction in the practice called 'Rising on the Planes'.}
# Liber Os Abysmi vel Da'ath sub figura 474 {An instruction in a purely intellectual method of entering the Abyss.}
# Liber Oz sub figura 77 (version 1) # Liber Oz sub figura 77 (version 2) [A Bill of Rights for the Aeon of Horus.]
# Liber Porta Lucis sub figura 10 {An account of the sending forth of [To Mega] Therion by the A.'.A.'. and an explanation of his mission.}
# Liber Pyramidos sub figura 671 {A ritual of self-initiation.}
# Liber Reguli sub figura 5 "The Ritual of the Mark of the Beast: an incantation proper to invoke the Energies of the Aeon of Horus, adapted for the daily use of the Magician of whatever grade."
# Liber Resh vel Helios sub figura 200 (version 1) # Liber Resh vel Helios sub figura 200 (version 2) {An instruction for the adoration of the Sun four times daily, with the object of composing the mind to meditation, and of regularizing the practices.}
# Liber Ru vel Spiritus sub figura 206 {Full instruction in Pranayama.}
# Liber Samekh sub figura 800 {The ritual employed by the Beast 666 for the attainment of the knowledge and conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel during the semester of his performance of the operation of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. [from the book, apparently translated by Mathers]}
# Liber Stellae Rubae sub figura 66 {A secret ritual, the heart of IAO-OAI.}
# Liber Tau sub figura 400 {A graphic interpretation of the Tarot on the plane of initiation.}
# 777 (Fragment) {_777_: aka _Vel Prolegomena Symbolica Ad Systemam Sceptico-Mysticae Viae Explicandae, Fundamentum Hieroglyphicorum Sanctissimorum Scientiae Summae _: A complete dictionary of [Crowley's] correspondences of magical elements, reprinted with extensive additions.}
# Liber Trigrammaton sub figura 27 {A book of trigams of the mutations of the Tao with the Yin and the Yang. An account of the cosmic process.}
# Liber Turris vel Domus Dei sub figura 16 {An instruction for attaiment by the direct destruction of thoughts as they arise in the mind.}
# Liber Tzaddi vel Hamus Hermeticus sub figura 90 {An account of initiation, and an indication as to those who are suitable for same.}
# The Lost Continent sub figura 51 {An account of the continent of Atlantis: the manners and customs, magical rites and opinions of its people, together with an account of the catastrophe, so called, which ended in its disappearance.}
# Magick Without Tears {A compilation of correspondence between Crowley and an anonymous pupil concerning the basics of magick.}
# The Manifesto of the O.T.O. sub figura 52 "A concise summary of the various threads of initiatic tradition that make up the O.T.O."
# The Mass of the Phoenix sub figura 44 {A ritual of the Law.}
# The Message from the Master Therion sub figura 2 {Explains the essence of the new Law in a very simple manner.}
# An Open Letter to Those Who May Wish to Join the Order (O.T.O.) sub figura 101 "Guidelines for Thelemic social intercourse" [in the O.T.O.}
# The Paris Working [Homosexual magick instructions.]
# The Rites of Eleusis [Planetary rites in a regular cycle.]
# Sepher Sephiroth sub figura 500 {A dictionary of Hebrew words arranged according to numerical value. An encyclopedia of the Qabalah, a map of the universe, enabling man to attain perfect understanding.}
# The Soldier and the Hunchback (! & ?) sub figura 148 [Philosophy of expression, inquiry and logic.]
# The Star Ruby sub figura 25 {An improved form of the Lesser [Banishing] Ritual of the Pentagram.}
# Liber Star Sapphire sub figura 36 (version 1) # Liber Star Sapphire sub figura 36 (version 2) {An improved ritual of the Hexagram.}
# Tao Teh King sub figura 157 {"The Classic of the Way and its Virtue/Power", by Lao Tzu, Interpolated by Crowley.}
# De Thaumaturgia sub figura 633 {A statement of uncertain ethical considerations concering magick.} {"The Vision and the Voice" aka "Aerum vel Saeculi": the classical account of the thirty aethyrs and a model of all visions, the doctrine of the function of the Great White Brotherhood which is the foundation of the aspiration of the Adept. An account of a Master of the Temple.}
# Vision and Voice (418) Commentary
# Yi King sub figura 216 ["The Classic of Changes". Interpolated by Crowley.]
# Liber Yod sub figura 831 {An instruction giving three methods of reducing the manifold consciousness to the Unity. Adapted to facilitate the task of the attainment of Raja Yoga and of the knowledge and conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel.}
The Man, Myth, and Magic encyclopedia series was a great source of knowledge from my High School Library on class breaks.
But Just about anything dealing with works on Witchcraft I would give place to simply because I was hungry for knowledge.
PLEASE DO NOT EVER UNDERESTIMATE A CHILD'S SEARCH FOR KNOWLEDGE!
CLICK HERE NOW TO:
Real help to keep your Children free from Occult influences!
Deliverance from the Occult PDF.
They will circumvent all efforts to stop them if all you do is say "Because I said so!" instead of explaining with evidence WHY they can't do it!
The occult became an obsession, a lifestyle that I was hooked on just like my drug use, it was “Mind-altering“.
I learned still more from friends, many of which were Questionable at best but they knew what I wanted to know about how to tell fortunes and use Tarot cards and playing cards to make money on the side.
I began to cast spells on others, while I worshiped the horned god and the goddess. I mixed all this knowledge together to form my own form of the Craft, never being a conformist I made it my own and would put it all in my journal called a "Witches Book of Shadows".
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="150" caption="An example of a Book of Shadows!"] 
The Book of Shadows is a Witch's greatest tool. It provides a place for all personal Craft secrets, your spell work, rituals, family traditions if you have any, almost anything a Witch can think or act on is contained in this book. As I figured out what my personal practices were I would write them in this journal .
This was my personal "bible" to turn to anytime I needed help with a spell or spiritual concept, its ancient name is called a "Grimoire". I soon found out that when I would cast spells of evil intent on those I hated or disliked it began to work and I would also work "good magic" on those I liked that worked also. Everything seemed to be going my way.
But the problems I was going through at this time in life had nothing to do with what happened to me in the daytime hours when I worshipped other gods and goddesses; or even my study time in the craft when I gained deeper knowledge and power as a black Witch. My real trouble was a night-time issue, an issue of fear and discontent both in my dreams and waking hours.
I was in a constant deeply seated fear at the height of my power as a Witch. And no matter what anyone tells you about the Craft; good intent or bad intent it will produce the same results that any lifestyle outside of God’s grace produces, and that is DEATH IN YOUR LIFE.
Just what is a book of shadows?
Book of Shadows
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Book of Shadows is the name used for a book that contains magical and religious texts in the religion of Wicca and certain other neopagan witchcraft traditions. Typically, a Book of Shadows contains the core rituals, magical practices, ethics and philosophy of Wicca within it, and more often a list of the witch's personal spells.In British Traditional Wicca, which largely revolves around the structure of the coven, the book is traditionally copied by hand from that of one's initiating High Priestess or Priest, who copied theirs in turn from their initiator. In Eclectic Wiccan terminology, however, a Book of Shadows is a personal journal, though often serves in a similar capacity to that of traditionalists.Within traditional lineaged forms of Wicca there are a number of versions of the Book of Shadows, their contents varying to a greater or lesser degree from the early versions belonging to Gerald Gardner, who first popularised Wicca. While Gardner seems to have originally treated the book as a personal journal, it has come to be considered a religious text in most traditions.
Origins
Gerald Gardner, the "father of Wicca", first introduced the Book of Shadows to people that he had initiated into the craft through his Bricket Wood coven in the 1950s. He claimed that it was a personal cookbook of spells that have worked for the owner; they could copy from his own book and add or remove material as they saw fit. He said that the practice of Witches keeping such a book was ancient, and was practiced by the Witch-cult throughout history. According to tradition, Gardner claimed, the book was burned after a person died, so that it would not be discovered that they had been a witch.Gerald Gardner did not mention any such thing as a "Book of Shadows" in his 1949 (though written three years earlier), novel about mediaeval witchcraft, High Magic's Aid. Doreen Valiente claimed that this was because at the time, Gardner had not yet conceived of the idea, and only invented it after writing his novel.High Priestess Doreen Valiente made the claim that Gardner found the term "Book of Shadows" from a 1949 edition (Volume I, Number 3) of a magazine known as The Occult Observer. In this edition, she claimed, was an advertisement for Gardner's novel, High Magic's Aid, which was opposite an article titled "The Book of Shadows" written by the palmist Mir Bashir. The article in question was about an allegedly ancient Sanskrit divination manual which explained how to foretell things based upon the length of a person's shadow. Valiente theorised that Gardner then adopted this term for his Witches' grimoire. She maintained that "It was a good name, and it is a good name still, wherever Gardner found it".
A page of Ye Booke of Ye Art Magical.A leatherbound manuscript written in Gardner's handwriting that was titled Ye Booke of Ye Art Magical (Ronald Hutton claims that it was spelt Ye Bok, but Valiente claims Ye Booke) was later found amongst his papers from the Museum after his death and was obtained by Valiente. It appeared to be a first draft of Gardner's Book of Shadows, and featured sections based upon the rituals of the Order of Templars of the Orient which had been devised by the occultist Aleister Crowley. Gardner had gained access to these rituals in 1946, when he had purchased a charter from Crowley giving him permission to perform the OTO rituals.Taking this evidence into account, it seems that Gardner invented the idea of a Witches' Grimoire sometime between 1946 (when he finished his novel High Magic's Aid), and 1949, and had named it Ye Booke of Ye Art Magical. In 1949, he had renamed it to the Book of Shadows, and soon began to make use of it with his Bricket Wood Coven.
Adding weight to the evidence indicating Gardner invented the Book was that other neopagan witches of the time, such as Robert Cochrane, never made use of such a book.
Valiente's rewriting
In 1953, Doreen Valiente joined Gardner's Bricket Wood coven, and soon rose to become its High Priestess. She noticed how much of the material in his Book of Shadows was taken not from ancient sources as Gardner had initially claimed, but from the works of the occultist Aleister Crowley, from Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches, from the Key of Solomon and also from the rituals of Freemasonry. She confronted Gardner with this, who admitted that the text he had received from the New Forest coven had been fragmentary and he had had to fill much of it using various sources. He also stated that "well, if you think you can do any better, go ahead", and Valiente thought that she could, later stating that: “ I accepted the challenge and set out to rewrite the Book of Shadows, cutting out the Crowleyanity as much as I could and trying to bring it back to what I felt was, if not so elaborate as Crowley's phraseology, at least our own and in our own words. ”
Valiente rewrote much of it, cutting out a lot of sections that had come from Crowley (whose negative reputation she feared), though retaining parts that originated with Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches, which she fealt was genuine witchcraft practice. Valiente dramatically rewrote sections such as the Charge of the Goddess and also wrote several poems for the book, such as The Witches Rune. She also helped to create a poem to include the Wiccan Rede within it.
Valiente also noticed that a chant in one ritual in the book was based upon the poem "A Tree Song" from Puck of Pook's Hill by Rudyard Kipling, which she had enjoyed as a child.. The chant in question stated that:
Oh, do not tell the priest our plight, Or he would call it sin; But - we have been in the woods all night, A-conjuring summer in ! And we bring you news by word of mouth - Good news for cattle and corn - Now is the Sun come up from the South, With Oak, and Ash, and Thorn!
This version, written by both Gardner and Valiente, but containing sections adopted from various sources, such as Aleister Crowley, Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches, and even Rudyard Kipling, went on to become the traditional text for Gardnerian Wicca.
In British Traditional Wicca
In forms of British Traditional Wicca, which include Gardnerian Wicca, Alexandrian Wicca and Algard Wicca, the Book of Shadows used by adherents is based upon that written by Garder and Valiente.
Although his own book had been put together with the help of Doreen Valiente and included material from a variety of modern sources, (notably from Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches and the writings of Aleister Crowley) it also included sections written in an antique (or mock-antique) style, including advice for witches brought to trial and tortured. Gardner claimed that these sections were genuinely historical in origin, and that witches had not been allowed to write anything down until recently, to avoid incrimination; when at last Books of Shadows were allowed, the rituals and spells had to be written in a jumbled manner to prevent any non-initiate from using them. More recent scholars however have doubted their authenticity.
It seems likely that Gardner told his three subsequent initiatory lines that the book should be copied word for word, and Wiccans descended from Eleanor Bone, Patricia Crowther and Monique Wilson have widely believed that the book was of ancient provenance. North American Gardnerians of the Long Island line allow covens to add rituals and teachings to the book, but nothing may be removed.
Contemporary usage
Some Traditional Wiccans keep two Books of Shadows: one book of core rituals which does not change, and from which new initiates copy; and another coven book for ritual use, which is different from group to group and may contain much added material. Such material is often traded between covens.
Some Wiccans keep a personal Book of Shadows in addition to that of their tradition. This is typically for individual use and is not passed on to one's initiates.
Publication
After Gardner's death, his rival, Charles Cardell, published much of the material from the Gardnerian Book of Shadows. In the 1970s, the Alexandrians Janet Farrar and Stewart Farrar decided, with the consent of Doreen Valiente, that much of the Gardnerian book should be published in its true form. Much of it was published by the Farrars in their 1984 book The Witches' Way. In Eclectic Wicca
In non-traditional or "eclectic" forms of Wiccan or neo-pagan practice, the term Book of Shadows is more often used to describe a personal journal, rather than a traditional text. This journal records rituals, spells, and their results, as well as other magical information. This can be either an individual or coven text, and is not normally passed from teacher to student. In many cases, this kind of Book of Shadows is an electronic document (disk or website) instead of a hand-written one. Some reserve the Book of Shadows for recording spells and keep a separate book, sometimes called the Book of Mirrors to contain thoughts, feelings and experiences. In popular culture
The television fantasy series Charmed features a fictional Book of Shadows which contains spells and arcane law, and has a supernatural ability to defend itself from harm. In the 1996 film The Craft, which some critics saw as a major influence on the series Charmed, the Book of Shadows was referred to as an object in which a witch keeps her "power thoughts".
The 2000 sequel to The Blair Witch Project was titled Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, despite there being no mention of a Book of Shadows during the film, the title was seen as an attempt to capitalise on the Charmed series' established market.
Here is a COMMON excuse by those without knowledge of the Dangers of ALL FORMS of Witchcraft:
..."The Harry Potter books present a Godless universe -- one in which the most powerful wizard wins,"And that "most powerful wizard wins" this thing differs from evangelical christianity exactly how?
Here they speak of Religion being different from Witchcraft and they would be very wrong as God hates false religion just as much, but the point is well taken, there are powerful "Wizards" of religion in all of man's inventions.
God must be the most powerful being PERIOD!
NO EXCEPTION IS ALLOWED!!
And if you want your children to read only the bible, go right ahead. You'll end up having children who don't read unless they're forced to, and who don't like to read.
Kids need to enjoy reading in order to learn how to do it well, and that is what seems to get missed every time this topic comes up. Oh, and reading is important when it comes to getting an education, especially a college one."
This is THE most stupid remark from ignorance I've ever heard, they assume that to get an education means to sacrifice a child's soul in the process.
The Bible is THE most important book ever written NOT because its religious dogma, FAR FROM IT...The bible teaches children about every facet of life they could ever hope to encounter outside of "Religious training"! ENJOY reading?
YES... but always balance that skill with good MORAL TEACHINGS so that when they read something your not there to see, you'll know their perspective is right!
Harry Potter what's wrong?
Click here for the facts!
Deut. 7:26 says:
“Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Utterly abhor and detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.”
Lev. 20:27; 19:26
the second part of the verse says:
“A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist (wizard KJV) among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads. Do not practise divination or sorcery.”
Lev. 20:6 says:
“I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritist's (wizards KJV) to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people.”
Is. 47:13-14
says clearly: “ Let your astrologers come forward, those star-gazer who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you. Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame."
“ I am a Christian now and I’m proud of it, but I’m NOT RELIGIOUS and will not fit willingly into a denominational mold. I mean let’s be real here-Religion has killed and maimed it’s share of truth at the altar of good intention JUST as atheism has murdered it’s share FREE THOUGHT in the name of Fake science.
Let’s face real facts here for once shall we? BOTH RELIGION AND HUMANISM have dropped the ball as far as getting it right is concerned, so let’s not blow smokescreens up each others HINDQUARTERS about what’s true and what’s not.
A personal relationship is what God requires, he’s never been interested in “Church-ianity” or any form of man-made silliness on our part.
It’s about YOU and God, and not about YOU FITTING INTO A MOLD of like-minded minds which most of the FAKE CHURCH is now doing.
I get asked endlessly if I can prove that God exists? Well, an Atheist has already answered that question for me as I wrote in an article at ezinearticles.com
Proof That God Exist's From The Mouth Of An Atheist!By Clarence Sargent
This question is one of the latest being asked by atheists and skeptics alike, and comes from the book," why doesn't god heal amputees""the bible clearly promises that god answers prayers. For example, in mark 11:24 Jesus says, "therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." And billions of Christians believe these promises. You can find thousands of books, magazine articles and web sites talking about the power of prayer. According to believers, god is answering millions of their prayers every day. So what should happen if we pray to god to restore amputated limbs? Clearly, if god is real, limbs should regenerate through prayer. In reality, they do not. Why not? Because god is imaginary.
Notice that there is zero ambiguity in this situation (which simply put means I've got these Christians in a box under my rules and they can't get out!). There is only one way for a limb to regenerate through prayer (now I ask you, how do you know that, if it cannot happen? What's happening here is just a silly game of word play because no atheist has a clue how prayer must work!): god must exist and god must answer prayers. ( Are you certain you still want to word it that way? Because your own words are about to "bite you in the..... But that can't happen in my little life box! ) what we (atheists) find is that whenever we create a unambiguous situation like this and look at the results of prayer, prayer never works. " ( That could be because you put it in a self created "box" with rules that prayer cannot function within? But that's just what the bible says!) this atheist is saying that god could prove he exists, once and for all, by restoring someones lost limb as if healing un-healable disease and deformity was not proof enough. They point out that millions of Christians pray for healing every day, but nothing "irrefutable" by physical explanations, but such a restoration if it could ever be verified by doctors would be irrefutable proof that god is there. It always amazes me just how much atheists know about how god does things when they don't even give him the status of existing! Somehow an excuse will be found when this is shown to have happened. Let me eliminate part of this problem for you by stating that very few of these so-called prayers are ever prayed in faith nothing doubting as is required to get the result, so that leaves out all the unsaved who cannot trust in god without his help, which they must ask for. ( That's called salvation by the way! ) many people who say they are saved or were saved at one time ( the so-called ex-Christian convert or "recovering Christian") ( here's a revelation for some of you : what did Jesus do before the so-called "sinners prayer" was written in modern times? How were people saved before the "four spiritual laws" were printed? These are just man's ideas of salvation, they are in no way scriptural. You can be saved only one way......By faith alone! ) these people are not and never were Christians, so that eliminates a vast pool of millions of the so-called unanswered prayer issues right there. This is simply the biblical facts taught in scripture clearly, not an excuse! These are the bibles rules of interpretation not our rules, one way, one door, one path....Period! Atheists make the claim that every prayer that Christians have said were answered by god, can be explained by the natural forces of the universe and therefore are not real proof that there is a god! Wow! If natural law can do the things I've personally witnessed then the universe is god so you still have disprove the existence of a god no matter how you look at it...Hard to get out of you little box isn't it? That's a tall statement to say all prayers, clearly this atheist has not seen the evidence I've personally witnessed or they would never have put their extremely large foot in their mouth concerning things they understand not! But the question remains are they right? Is there no evidence out there of god "growing a brand new limb where one was missing"? Has the spirit of the almighty ever done this ? Well... Yes, many, many times in the bible god has made whole, missing flesh....It's called leprous skin. What is leprosy? It's a chronic bacterial disease of the skin and nerves in the hands and feet and, in some cases, the lining of the nose. The infection is characterized by abnormal changes of the skin. These changes, called lesions, are at first flat and red. Upon enlarging, they have irregular shapes and a characteristic appearance. The lesions are typically darker in color around the edges with discolored pale centers. Because the organism grows best at lower temperatures the leprosy bacillus has a preference for the skin, the mucous membranes and the nerves. Infection in and destruction of the nerves leads to sensory loss. The loss of sensation in the fingers and toes increases the risk of injury. Inadequate care causes infection of open wounds. Gangrene may also follow, causing body tissue to die, fall off or become deformed. This disease was common in biblical days and probably misdiagnosed many times, the point is this: these people had missing limbs and whenever Jesus healed them "they became whole from their disease" as he would tell them to "go show yourselves to the priest and offer the sacrifice commanded by moses to prove they had no disease in their bodies." If Jesus had the power to make whole from twisted bone and withered flesh, where is the problem in restoring missing flesh and bone? Yes god can and will heal completely, totally, and wholly of any and all things related to the physical, mental and spiritual world or healing is a farce...It's all or nothing with god's will you are not allowed to pick and choose what god can or can't do....Remember you cannot doubt or have any unbelief in regard to what you want for prayer to work! The bible is clear! So..... Here's the thing, the skeptics want an irrefutable, verifiable miracle by medical personnel, one that cannot be refuted. This is exactly what I would like them to do with their scientific facts....Prove and not just claim that god doesn't exist, this is their failure in all the talk, they have never presented evidence that can be examined with our hands and mind's that the god of the bible is not there!. But the real point is that even if they were presented with one right now and I will present said miracle in this article, they won't believe it no matter what the proof. They will always have an excuse or claim the photos were altered or the video was fake.What would it take to convince any skeptic that god does indeed exist? How about this: god appears as a man (Jesus the Christ), he walks among us for 33 years, claims to be god himself in human flesh and performs a multitude of outstanding miracles, miracles that have no earthly reason to have happened even to this day to disprove them, including (and this cannot be overstated) his own resurrection. That should do it for all time but no atheist will accept these irrefutable proofs that god already did, so what makes us think that a present day miracle will meet with any belief. what do skeptics do with this evidence anyway? they simply deny that it ever happened a completely childish response, they will not take pure evidence at face value as they think we should with evolution which has no evidence at all to prove it! Christian evidence is always just thrown out with the babies bath water...Baby and all, without the slightest protest and their lack of evidence is not even noticed in the school system...Why? There is no excuse for this unscientific approach to the evidence of god but that is all we can expect from people who are not honest in their evaluation of evidence.What skeptics really want is for god himself to appear to them and show them a personal miracle that even they cannot disprove. The only problem with this line of reasoning is that god did that already did that when he came the first time. He is not going to return for every skeptic to personally be proven wrong just like the missing link that never seems to appear for scientists to prove once and for all that "natural selection" is true. He was born once and he died only once, but in doing that he personally fulfilled more than 450 Jewish prophesies.Hebrews 9 says:that in itself is mathematically impossible to do unless you have perfect knowledge of all that would happen thousands of years in advance.......my friend that is a miracle! Hebrews states "and as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many ; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." One time was enough, now it's up to trust & faith! Now back to the offer of the atheist it was if I can prove that god could and did heal an amputated limb that you will believe in god ...Is that right? ( start sweating now.) http://healingsandmiracles.Org/ have I got a web-site for you to view and I absolutely dare you as an atheist to disprove this women's testimony. God healed her not only of an amputated leg but many, many fatal diseases that the doctors cannot explain! Go to this site if you have the nerve and can find any real evidence ( not excuses ) to refute Carole Miller Mccleery-Greenes claims... She has every form of evidence your "skeptical minds" have asked for and then some! This testimony of faith is an irrefutable evidence that god really does love and care for his creation on a level only seen by faith.....What will you do with this one my skeptical friend? Remember we know your trick double talk is not going to work here so "zip it" and examine the evidence honestly! Yet, I am fully aware that some of you are so steeped in doubt and unbelief that you wouldn't believe even if it was your personal limb that god was growing back! You might even say "well that leg came back over time, now if god is so powerful why didn't he instantly make it appear?" it is a well known fact of life that unbelief is a bottomless pit of excuses and not one thing that god or man shows you will ever get through your thickened faithless mind unless you stop and think for yourself and not as the status quo does. It is the "cynics" not the "skeptics" that act like this,so be a true skeptic but don't deny the facts before you...That's just plain stupid, a free-thinker is one who thinks freely unhindered by other opinions -- one who is prepared to consider any possibility no matter if it goes the direction he or she wishes, and who determines which ideas are right or wrong not by what they have been indoctrinated to think but by bringing reason to bear, according to a consistent set of rules such as the scientific method. As far as god is concerned man is not to reason with man about god, that's like standing in a room with others and they constantly refer to you in the third person as if you were not there (sounds like two atheists talking about god or two Christians discussing doctrine). The bible is clear on this: in Isaiah 1:18 this plain statement is made by god himself "come now, and let us (me & you) reason together, saith the lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."think for a moment...How in the world can two minds that are finite (small) reason together about a god so big in scope and dynamic that the bible says he held the oceans and the land in the palm of his hand and measured them out? Even as a skeptic you can appreciate the size of the facts at stake here and that god is a bigger issue than reasoning about the weather! The trouble with most skeptics and atheists is that you are not trying to find proof that god is real your only trying to protect beliefs just as any false religion does. If your beliefs are that fragile then get some that can stand up to evidence! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Clarence_Sargent am always amazed when those who hate God say “I cannot be a part of a faith that attacks science and reality.” as if science were a humanistic invention, if you believe that you must have failed in history.
Science has many Christian roots.
Most of the early scientists were Christians such as Copernicus, Galileo, Pascal, Isaac Newton, Johannes Keppler, Robert Boyle, Louis Pasteur, Jean Henri Fabre, Michael Faraday, and John Ambrose Fleming.
These great scientists operated within a Christian framework.An interesting fact is that the vast majority of all scientific development has come out of western civilization, what are the odds of that happening?
And IT had Christianity as its basis to top that off. The idea is that the “laws of nature” came from Christianity, NOT HUMANISM; not to mention that the concepts of subduing nature and being stewards of nature are right from the first book of the Bible--Genesis and not in any way the invention of witches.
THAT IS WHY I view God as a rational and trustworthy person, which implies automatically that His creation is rational and orderly and thus can be examined FOR EVIDENCE OF HIS FINGERPRINTS.
The Art Of Knowing Your Enemy In Order To Defeat Him!By Clarence SargentUnderstand that demons ARE what they do...demons of (rebellion,sickness,doubt,unbelief..etc.) ARE BOUND TO ACT WITHIN THEIR PARTICULAR MISSION (Murder,Lust, etc..a devil of deception is as much deceived by his nature as the person he inhabits.
Devils are filled with "Infighting among themselves" and ONLY WORK TOGETHER FOR THE COMMON GOAL OF DESTROYING YOU so they CANNOT do anything beyond what YOU allow them to do or to get away with in your life!
THEY ARE BOUND TO "Flesh/Soul existence" doomed to eternal death, UNABLE TO ATTACK US IN THE SPIRITUAL REALM (Remember they were CAST OUT of heaven and INTO the heaven lies surrounding the earth.)- In fact DEMONS MUST ASK PERMISSION TO STAND BEFORE US IN ORDER TO TEMPT US,( Unless of course they have LEGAL GROUND to attack our lives. This can come through "Bloodline"curses or simply because YOU have invited the attack by playing around with witchcraft's of ANY TYPE.) All THAT Satan can do is DECEIVE, LIE AND MANIPULATE US AND THE LAWS OF SCIENCE WHICH HE IS BOUND TOO HIMSELF.Understand this simple truth about Satan and demons, NATURE ITSELF was created to be bound by certain laws of motion and energy, God HAS TOTAL CONTROL OVER SATAN because of these laws, he cannot go beyond the natural realm of science and nature. BUT understand something important here, SCIENCE AS WE KNOW IT IS STILL A LIMITED CONCEPT (IN OTHER WORDS SATAN KNOWS THINGS ABOUT NATURE AND ALL PHYSICAL LAWS THAT HUMANS ARE ONLY BEGINNING TO LEARN ABOUT.
Thus he can APPEAR AS AN ANGEL (Messenger) OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (or Light) which he did to me as a black witch...HE'S VERY GOOD AT BEING VERY BAD..BUT HE'S EVEN BETTER AT DRESSING UP AS YOUR FRIEND UNTIL IT'S TIME TO PAY THE PRICE! Then all of a sudden he's on the inside as your conscience, condemning the actions he helped you produce.The problem is Most people think of demons in terms of Ugly, revolting, lizard like, or ghostlike creatures which are easy to detect well, they can appear as that if it suites the purpose at hand (i.e. Hunting's or Fantasy Illusions of the mind) BUT The real truth is that demons are most likely to appear in an attractive form that you relate to and even love to be with, a form that fulfills deep seated desires and practice THAT YOU ALREADY ARE COMFORTABLE WITH (i.e. Religious practices or even personal habits). Demons are deceivers.They love to masquerade, so even Christians are fooled by them (If it were possible even the elect could be fooled but it were for the spirit of God within to WARN US). They really love the deception of appearing as "PASSED ON LOVED ONES" with the end result being a misrepresentation of the spiritual laws which the bible makes very clear cannot ever happen (i.e. The fact that scripture says in the book of Hebrews that "After death is Judgment NOT HANGING AROUND IN A LIFE THAT CANNOT SUPPORT THEIR EXISTENCE)
A Demons NATURE (or How they act because of what their individual MISSIONS IN THE LIVES OF CERTAIN HUMANS are.) binds them within a certain moral framework by which they are controlled.
For instance a demon of LUST is bound to his lust just as his host is and this can be the undoing of his power over you if you learn how to counter it with scripture and DELIVERANCE.
The Bible clearly portrays them as personal beings.
They have personal intellect (Mark 5:7), knowledge (Acts 19:15), emotion (Matthew 9:31; Mark 5:7; James 2:19), self-awareness (Mark 5:9), will (Matthew 8:31), and ability to speak (Mark 1:24; 5:7-12; Acts 19:15).
They are in all ways just as PERSONAL as you are!
Demons act in conjunction with Satan's planed purpose BUT do not always obey his lead because they are inherently rebellious in their innermost being and can be TURNED UPON EACH OTHER as God has done many times in Scripture, turning whole armies upon themselves to protect Israel.
Each demon has its own "personal Agenda"aside from Satan's ultimate purpose, just as human hosts have personal agendas that drive them to success or failure aside from what family or friends might suggest.
The occult can certainly be a gateway for demonic activity and the Bible forbids us to be involved in occult activities EVEN IF IT SEEMS INNOCENT TO US THE DANGER IS THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE NOT ABLE TO RESIST IT'S ALLURE!
(Deuteronomy 18:9-14; Leviticus 19:26b,31; Isaiah 47:8-15):
1.) Divination = fortune telling (i.e. Taro cards, Crystal balls, E.S.P.) ,
2.) clairvoyance (Physics, Ghost whisperers).
3.)Sorcery which operates by charms (This also includes RELIGIOUS ITEMS worn to protect from evil as in Voodoo),
4.) music ( that instills or inspires to NEGATIVE EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENTS),
5.) drugs (Including anything that diminishes your ability to resist Demons from attaching to our past bloodline or current fleshly habits)
.6.) Witchcraft that operates by spells, curses, hypnosis and in some cases a form of MASS HYPNOSIS IS EMPLOYED TO DECEIVE LARGE AMOUNTS OF ADHERENTS AT ONE TIME.
7.) A Medium or spiritualist is someone who acts as a channel through whom the spirit {demon} speaks. They are Consulting the dead (or necromancer's), calling up the dead (spiritual entities)
Yet think about this : most of those whom Jesus delivered from demons were religious Jews, forbidden ever to practice witchcraft or idolatry.
They were "normal" people, neither criminal, insane, nor spooky (Matthew 8:16; Mark 1:39).
Demons are active in less obvious ways than the occult.
a.) The worship of other gods or idols is in fact the worship of demons (1 Corinthians 10:19-21; Revelation 9:20; Deuteronomy 32:17; Psalm 106:36-37)
.
b.) Demons are involved in the teaching of false doctrines (1 Timothy 4:1-2; 1 John 2:18-22; 4:1-3).
c.) Demons preach from the pulpit of some churches (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).
d.) Causing jealousy and discord among God's people is an activity of demons (1 Samuel 18:8-10).
e.) So too is lying (1 Kings 22:21-24).
REMEMBER RELIGIOUS DEMONS ARE JUST AS DANGEROUS AS if not all the more dangerous than THOSE BEHIND THE OCCULT!
But let's look at this closer is not FALSE RELIGIOUS PRACTICE NOTHING MORE THAN "Witchcraft" anyway?
Do not false religious people curse and otherwise defile the temple of God by hurting his true purpose in the earth "To FREE MANKIND FROM THE WORK OF SATAN"?
So in effect religion is a form of the Occult because it fulfills the purpose of the occult which is to spread the words of darkness throughout the earth - Anything that disobeys the word of God is IN DARKNESS!
Remember well that "Witchcraft"has received a BUM RAP OVER THE YEARS BY HOLLYWOOD IN THAT MOST OF THE SO-CALLED witch crafts on the screens that we see are nothing more than HYPED UP WISHFUL THINKING.
The Salem witch trials were more "Religious-craft" than witchcraft, the real witches were the PHONY RELIGIOUS PEOPLE THAT SHOWED THEIR PIOUS CONTEMPT FOR ALL THAT WAS TRULY GODLY IN NATURE IN EXCHANGE FOR SELF-GRATIFICATION and PERSONAL HATRED!
At times Jesus spoke directly to demons, and they to Him (Mark 3:11-12; 5:6-13).
However, there is no New Testament pattern for holding lengthy USELESS conversations with demons and I know personally this only works to the advantage of Satan keeping him in the host longer while we reveal info that he can use to stay there. This should be avoided since their basic nature is that of deception (1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 20:3,7,8,10).
What deliverance ministries do is to be specific and to the point in their questions to demons
1.)"What is your name (Nature)?
2.) Why are you here? revealing the root cause of infection
3.)and When did you come in? revealing the first reason and generational bind of the devil. But facts prove that this method is not always successful for the ground that gave the demon a place to reside cannot be cast out.
Deliverance from demonic influence will not be obtained by "casting out" only. The ground which admitted the evil spirit in the first place is the ground that can keep a person in possession or oppression (Ephesians 4:27 - "foothold").
Evil spirits can be cast out in the Name of the Lord Jesus, but the ground they have gained can only be removed by the intelligent choice of our wills refusing the territory given to them, and appropriating the deliverance by death with Christ on Calvary.
This should not surprise us for Jesus Himself plainly warned that demons will seek to return and may bring others with them (Matthew 12:43-45).
Upon at least one occasion Jesus commanded the demon to come out and specifically added "and never enter him again" (Mark 9:25).
Unless the ground of demonic influence is dealt with, no full relief can be obtained, or change seen, in the majority of deliverance's
I was born in Ellsworth Maine in 1959 in the month of June and started out as a normal boy, as many before me..BUT that was soon to change when I came into my teen years.
As a young boy of a Baptist mother and an Agnostic Father (What a Mix?) I was an introvert with few friends of any real character and was raised an only child, As I grew up, my interest in the Occult and drugs became clearly evident .
My first introduction to the occult was from a famous T.V. show called "Bewitched" when I was only 6 yrs old, from that first show my interest was peaked and I went on a downward spiral from there..as a child I knew that "Hollywood Witchcraft" was not real but I desired to know about the real thing and dedicated myself to find out about this ancient wisdom of earth religion.
I began studying and looking for deeper truths in the darkness of this MOST ANCIENT world of magic and sorcery!
It was after my adopted Mom (The only real mom I ever knew, which I loved with all my heart.) died when I was only 17 that I was free to do as I pleased....and boy did I do as I pleased! Drug use, Drinking, and Partying was my only thought while keeping a c+ to b average in high school (A miracle in itself) I soon found out about Wicca and became a card carrying mail order Witch, taking a course in the art of magic by Gavin & Yvonne Frost; which did not satisfy my LUST for the ultimate power as I was hungry for more and more power and knowledge of the occult than even they were willing to share.
I began to delve deeper and deeper into the so-called "Deep things" of Occult Knowledge READING Anton LaVeys "Satanic Bible" which fueled my fleshly desires even more.I also studied Aleister Crowley's works on magic.
I studied on lunch breaks in the library at school (Reading Man,Myth,and Magic encyclopedias and other works on Witchcraft ) and on all my free time when I wasn't partying and abusing myself otherwise..the occult became an obsession with me!
I learned even more from friends (Questionable Friends at best) about how to tell fortunes and use the Tarot to make money from unsuspecting people, and learn I did..casting spells and worshiping the goddess. I mixed all my Occult knowledge together to form my own "Witches Book of Shadows" (A Book Of Shadows is a Witch's Greatest tool.
It provides a place for Craft secrets, spell work, rituals, family traditions, otherworldly info & almost anything else a Witch can think. )As I progressed through the Craft & figured out what my personal practices were, so I needed a place to write my thoughts down!
This book became my "Bible" I would turn to it anytime I needed help, my "Grimoire"or "Book of Shadows was my only friend and I worshiped it's contents as my own creation, when I cast spells on those I hated it worked,things were going my way .....
UNTIL...GOD,
Who had other plans for me..he and he alone had the nerve to put two Christians into my life that could not be SCARED OR MOVED by my appearance or actions and kept coming day after day,night after night inviting me to church (No GUTS No GLORY)..THEY NEVER GIVE UP ON ME!
I remember giving them the SLIP so many times I lost count.
But one fateful Wednesday night Bible Study I sat at the BACK of the this little Church of God in Cheyenne Wyoming, half Drunk and half High.
I don't remember much of the service BUT I do remember hearing that God did not hate me for what I'd done but that HIS LAWS REQUIRED HIS JUDGMENT on my soul,God's LOVE reached out and touched this Witch and suffered him NOT to live a life without hope but revived him into NEW LIFE in Christ!
I saw a literal Light of deliverance shine down into my mind and for the first time in years I could think for myself without the "VOICES OF DEMONS (My Familiars)
WERE "interfering with my thoughts,that night became as "DAYTIME for me and now I am a new creation,OLD things HAVE PASSED AWAY and Jesus is my Lord and Savior FOREVER!
Of course there will be those who think "Well, that's you..you were special to God and he loved you more than me..I've done to many sick things for God to love me!"
THAT IS A LIE! God loves ALL MANKIND EQUALLY AND WITHOUT BEING PARTIAL TO ANY PERSON
(Since all go to hell for the same reason, REJECTION OF JESUS AS PERSONAL SAVIOR and NOT PERSONAL SIN!)
... the MASTER of the HALF-TRUTH tells us these things because HE LOST IT ALL TO HIS OWN PRIDE and wants YOU to suffer for his stupidity. Don't let him lie to you, God thinks as much of you as he does of his own son..just give him your heart and he'll do the rest! As a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ I extend this invitation to know him as I do now, get free and stay free it's your personal choice and no ones business but yours alone.
Accept what God has done on your behalf
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Clarence_Sargent
Nature in the Christian view (as compared to our non-Christian worldviews such as witchcraft) is that nature is no longer an object of fear and worship, because let‘s face it…we only “worship in ignorance” what we “Fear in ignorance”. God on the other hand only DEMANDS KNOWLEDGEABLE WORSHIP.
It is “False Religion” that MYSTIFIES GOD to the point that you can’t relate to him BUT must “BLINDLY FOLLOW PRECEPTS AND RULES THAT MAKE NO SENSE” to a freethinking mind.
We need to do a self-check, to make sure we get rid of all of our idols, good luck charms, crosses, medallions, and demonic symbols.
We must repent fully of trusting in fate, destiny, and luck: and put our whole trust in the Living Christ, follow Him wholeheartedly without exception to our fears from the past. Trusting in fate or luck is clearly a dependence upon evil spirits which I knew as “familiars.”
Now as to my testimony, as I alluded to earlier God’s plan for my life was set long before I was ever born and no matter what bad decisions I was making; up to this point, in fact I was on the very path to running into his power; that I had been running from; because he had the nerve to put two Christians into my life that could not be SCARED OR MOVED by my appearance or actions and REMEMBER I was a full out witch in both dress and lifestyle, they kept coming anyway; day after day and that impressed me.
They were always inviting me to go to their church and NEVER GIVE UP ON ME! And so, one fateful Wednesday night Bible Study I sat at the BACK of this little Church of God in Cheyenne Wyoming.
I came into the sanctuary half Drunk and half High, not wanting to be there at all.
Much of the service I cannot recall BUT I do remember hearing the statement that God “did not hate me for what I'd done, no matter how bad but that HIS LAWS REQUIRED HIS JUDGMENT on my soul” God’s LOVE reached down and touched this Witch and suffered him NOT to live a life without hope, reviving me into NEW LIFE with Christ!
I witnessed a literal shaft of Light shine down into my darkened mind and for the first time in over 8 years I could think for myself without the "VOICES OF DEMONS" interfering with my thoughts, that evening the night became "DAYTIME for me and now I can proudly say I am a new creation; the OLD dark things HAVE PASSED AWAY completely and Jesus is my Lord and Savior!
Of course there are those who will think "Well, that's you, you were special to God and he loved you then more than me now, I've done too many sick and unforgivable things for God to love me!"
THAT IS A LIE! A HUGE MISTAKE!
God loves ALL MANKIND EQUALLY AND WITHOUT BEING PARTIAL TO ANY PERSON. It is Satan, the MASTER of the HALF-TRUTH that tells us these things.
Science has many Christian roots.
Most of the early scientists were Christians such as Copernicus, Galileo, Pascal, Isaac Newton, Johannes Keppler, Robert Boyle, Louis Pasteur, Jean Henri Fabre, Michael Faraday, and John Ambrose Fleming.
These great scientists operated within a Christian framework.An interesting fact is that the vast majority of all scientific development has come out of western civilization, what are the odds of that happening?
And IT had Christianity as its basis to top that off. The idea is that the “laws of nature” came from Christianity, NOT HUMANISM; not to mention that the concepts of subduing nature and being stewards of nature are right from the first book of the Bible--Genesis and not in any way the invention of witches.
THAT IS WHY I view God as a rational and trustworthy person, which implies automatically that His creation is rational and orderly and thus can be examined FOR EVIDENCE OF HIS FINGERPRINTS.
The Art Of Knowing Your Enemy In Order To Defeat Him!By Clarence SargentUnderstand that demons ARE what they do...demons of (rebellion,sickness,doubt,unbelief..etc.) ARE BOUND TO ACT WITHIN THEIR PARTICULAR MISSION (Murder,Lust, etc..a devil of deception is as much deceived by his nature as the person he inhabits.
Devils are filled with "Infighting among themselves" and ONLY WORK TOGETHER FOR THE COMMON GOAL OF DESTROYING YOU so they CANNOT do anything beyond what YOU allow them to do or to get away with in your life!
THEY ARE BOUND TO "Flesh/Soul existence" doomed to eternal death, UNABLE TO ATTACK US IN THE SPIRITUAL REALM (Remember they were CAST OUT of heaven and INTO the heaven lies surrounding the earth.)- In fact DEMONS MUST ASK PERMISSION TO STAND BEFORE US IN ORDER TO TEMPT US,( Unless of course they have LEGAL GROUND to attack our lives. This can come through "Bloodline"curses or simply because YOU have invited the attack by playing around with witchcraft's of ANY TYPE.) All THAT Satan can do is DECEIVE, LIE AND MANIPULATE US AND THE LAWS OF SCIENCE WHICH HE IS BOUND TOO HIMSELF.Understand this simple truth about Satan and demons, NATURE ITSELF was created to be bound by certain laws of motion and energy, God HAS TOTAL CONTROL OVER SATAN because of these laws, he cannot go beyond the natural realm of science and nature. BUT understand something important here, SCIENCE AS WE KNOW IT IS STILL A LIMITED CONCEPT (IN OTHER WORDS SATAN KNOWS THINGS ABOUT NATURE AND ALL PHYSICAL LAWS THAT HUMANS ARE ONLY BEGINNING TO LEARN ABOUT.
Thus he can APPEAR AS AN ANGEL (Messenger) OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (or Light) which he did to me as a black witch...HE'S VERY GOOD AT BEING VERY BAD..BUT HE'S EVEN BETTER AT DRESSING UP AS YOUR FRIEND UNTIL IT'S TIME TO PAY THE PRICE! Then all of a sudden he's on the inside as your conscience, condemning the actions he helped you produce.The problem is Most people think of demons in terms of Ugly, revolting, lizard like, or ghostlike creatures which are easy to detect well, they can appear as that if it suites the purpose at hand (i.e. Hunting's or Fantasy Illusions of the mind) BUT The real truth is that demons are most likely to appear in an attractive form that you relate to and even love to be with, a form that fulfills deep seated desires and practice THAT YOU ALREADY ARE COMFORTABLE WITH (i.e. Religious practices or even personal habits). Demons are deceivers.They love to masquerade, so even Christians are fooled by them (If it were possible even the elect could be fooled but it were for the spirit of God within to WARN US). They really love the deception of appearing as "PASSED ON LOVED ONES" with the end result being a misrepresentation of the spiritual laws which the bible makes very clear cannot ever happen (i.e. The fact that scripture says in the book of Hebrews that "After death is Judgment NOT HANGING AROUND IN A LIFE THAT CANNOT SUPPORT THEIR EXISTENCE)
A Demons NATURE (or How they act because of what their individual MISSIONS IN THE LIVES OF CERTAIN HUMANS are.) binds them within a certain moral framework by which they are controlled.
For instance a demon of LUST is bound to his lust just as his host is and this can be the undoing of his power over you if you learn how to counter it with scripture and DELIVERANCE.
The Bible clearly portrays them as personal beings.
They have personal intellect (Mark 5:7), knowledge (Acts 19:15), emotion (Matthew 9:31; Mark 5:7; James 2:19), self-awareness (Mark 5:9), will (Matthew 8:31), and ability to speak (Mark 1:24; 5:7-12; Acts 19:15).
They are in all ways just as PERSONAL as you are!
Demons act in conjunction with Satan's planed purpose BUT do not always obey his lead because they are inherently rebellious in their innermost being and can be TURNED UPON EACH OTHER as God has done many times in Scripture, turning whole armies upon themselves to protect Israel.
Each demon has its own "personal Agenda"aside from Satan's ultimate purpose, just as human hosts have personal agendas that drive them to success or failure aside from what family or friends might suggest.
The occult can certainly be a gateway for demonic activity and the Bible forbids us to be involved in occult activities EVEN IF IT SEEMS INNOCENT TO US THE DANGER IS THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE NOT ABLE TO RESIST IT'S ALLURE!
(Deuteronomy 18:9-14; Leviticus 19:26b,31; Isaiah 47:8-15):
1.) Divination = fortune telling (i.e. Taro cards, Crystal balls, E.S.P.) ,
2.) clairvoyance (Physics, Ghost whisperers).
3.)Sorcery which operates by charms (This also includes RELIGIOUS ITEMS worn to protect from evil as in Voodoo),
4.) music ( that instills or inspires to NEGATIVE EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENTS),
5.) drugs (Including anything that diminishes your ability to resist Demons from attaching to our past bloodline or current fleshly habits)
.6.) Witchcraft that operates by spells, curses, hypnosis and in some cases a form of MASS HYPNOSIS IS EMPLOYED TO DECEIVE LARGE AMOUNTS OF ADHERENTS AT ONE TIME.
7.) A Medium or spiritualist is someone who acts as a channel through whom the spirit {demon} speaks. They are Consulting the dead (or necromancer's), calling up the dead (spiritual entities)
Yet think about this : most of those whom Jesus delivered from demons were religious Jews, forbidden ever to practice witchcraft or idolatry.
They were "normal" people, neither criminal, insane, nor spooky (Matthew 8:16; Mark 1:39).
Demons are active in less obvious ways than the occult.
a.) The worship of other gods or idols is in fact the worship of demons (1 Corinthians 10:19-21; Revelation 9:20; Deuteronomy 32:17; Psalm 106:36-37)
.
b.) Demons are involved in the teaching of false doctrines (1 Timothy 4:1-2; 1 John 2:18-22; 4:1-3).
c.) Demons preach from the pulpit of some churches (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).
d.) Causing jealousy and discord among God's people is an activity of demons (1 Samuel 18:8-10).
e.) So too is lying (1 Kings 22:21-24).
REMEMBER RELIGIOUS DEMONS ARE JUST AS DANGEROUS AS if not all the more dangerous than THOSE BEHIND THE OCCULT!
But let's look at this closer is not FALSE RELIGIOUS PRACTICE NOTHING MORE THAN "Witchcraft" anyway?
Do not false religious people curse and otherwise defile the temple of God by hurting his true purpose in the earth "To FREE MANKIND FROM THE WORK OF SATAN"?
So in effect religion is a form of the Occult because it fulfills the purpose of the occult which is to spread the words of darkness throughout the earth - Anything that disobeys the word of God is IN DARKNESS!
Remember well that "Witchcraft"has received a BUM RAP OVER THE YEARS BY HOLLYWOOD IN THAT MOST OF THE SO-CALLED witch crafts on the screens that we see are nothing more than HYPED UP WISHFUL THINKING.
The Salem witch trials were more "Religious-craft" than witchcraft, the real witches were the PHONY RELIGIOUS PEOPLE THAT SHOWED THEIR PIOUS CONTEMPT FOR ALL THAT WAS TRULY GODLY IN NATURE IN EXCHANGE FOR SELF-GRATIFICATION and PERSONAL HATRED!
At times Jesus spoke directly to demons, and they to Him (Mark 3:11-12; 5:6-13).
However, there is no New Testament pattern for holding lengthy USELESS conversations with demons and I know personally this only works to the advantage of Satan keeping him in the host longer while we reveal info that he can use to stay there. This should be avoided since their basic nature is that of deception (1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 20:3,7,8,10).
What deliverance ministries do is to be specific and to the point in their questions to demons
1.)"What is your name (Nature)?
2.) Why are you here? revealing the root cause of infection
3.)and When did you come in? revealing the first reason and generational bind of the devil. But facts prove that this method is not always successful for the ground that gave the demon a place to reside cannot be cast out.
Deliverance from demonic influence will not be obtained by "casting out" only. The ground which admitted the evil spirit in the first place is the ground that can keep a person in possession or oppression (Ephesians 4:27 - "foothold").
Evil spirits can be cast out in the Name of the Lord Jesus, but the ground they have gained can only be removed by the intelligent choice of our wills refusing the territory given to them, and appropriating the deliverance by death with Christ on Calvary.
This should not surprise us for Jesus Himself plainly warned that demons will seek to return and may bring others with them (Matthew 12:43-45).
Upon at least one occasion Jesus commanded the demon to come out and specifically added "and never enter him again" (Mark 9:25).
Unless the ground of demonic influence is dealt with, no full relief can be obtained, or change seen, in the majority of deliverance's
The Art Of Knowing Your Enemy In Order To Defeat Him!By Clarence SargentUnderstand that demons ARE what they do...demons of (rebellion,sickness,doubt,unbelief..etc.) ARE BOUND TO ACT WITHIN THEIR PARTICULAR MISSION (Murder,Lust, etc..a devil of deception is as much deceived by his nature as the person he inhabits. Devils are filled with "Infighting among themselves" and ONLY WORK TOGETHER FOR THE COMMON GOAL OF DESTROYING YOU so they CANNOT do anything beyond what YOU allow them to do or to get away with in your life! THEY ARE BOUND TO "Flesh/Soul existence" doomed to eternal death, UNABLE TO ATTACK US IN THE SPIRITUAL REALM (Remember they were CAST OUT of heaven and INTO the heaven lies surrounding the earth.)- In fact DEMONS MUST ASK PERMISSION TO STAND BEFORE US IN ORDER TO TEMPT US,( Unless of course they have LEGAL GROUND to attack our lives. This can come through "Bloodline"curses or simply because YOU have invited the attack by playing around with witchcraft's of ANY TYPE.) All THAT Satan can do is DECEIVE, LIE AND MANIPULATE US AND THE LAWS OF SCIENCE WHICH HE IS BOUND TOO HIMSELF.Understand this simple truth about Satan and demons, NATURE ITSELF was created to be bound by certain laws of motion and energy, God HAS TOTAL CONTROL OVER SATAN because of these laws, he cannot go beyond the natural realm of science and nature. BUT understand something important here, SCIENCE AS WE KNOW IT IS STILL A LIMITED CONCEPT (IN OTHER WORDS SATAN KNOWS THINGS ABOUT NATURE AND ALL PHYSICAL LAWS THAT HUMANS ARE ONLY BEGINNING TO LEARN ABOUT. Thus he can APPEAR AS AN ANGEL (Messenger) OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (or Light) which he did to me as a black witch...HE'S VERY GOOD AT BEING VERY BAD..BUT HE'S EVEN BETTER AT DRESSING UP AS YOUR FRIEND UNTIL IT'S TIME TO PAY THE PRICE! Then all of a sudden he's on the inside as your conscience, condemning the actions he helped you produce.The problem is Most people think of demons in terms of Ugly, revolting, lizard like, or ghostlike creatures which are easy to detect well, they can appear as that if it suites the purpose at hand (i.e. Hunting's or Fantasy Illusions of the mind) BUT The real truth is that demons are most likely to appear in an attractive form that you relate to and even love to be with, a form that fulfills deep seated desires and practice THAT YOU ALREADY ARE COMFORTABLE WITH (i.e. Religious practices or even personal habits). Demons are deceivers.They love to masquerade, so even Christians are fooled by them (If it were possible even the elect could be fooled but it were for the spirit of God within to WARN US). They really love the deception of appearing as "PASSED ON LOVED ONES" with the end result being a misrepresentation of the spiritual laws which the bible makes very clear cannot ever happen (i.e. The fact that scripture says in the book of Hebrews that "After death is Judgment NOT HANGING AROUND IN A LIFE THAT CANNOT SUPPORT THEIR EXISTENCE)
A Demons NATURE (or How they act because of what their individual MISSIONS IN THE LIVES OF CERTAIN HUMANS are.) binds them within a certain moral framework by which they are controlled.
For instance a demon of LUST is bound to his lust just as his host is and this can be the undoing of his power over you if you learn how to counter it with scripture and DELIVERANCE.
The Bible clearly portrays them as personal beings.
They have personal intellect (Mark 5:7), knowledge (Acts 19:15), emotion (Matthew 9:31; Mark 5:7; James 2:19), self-awareness (Mark 5:9), will (Matthew 8:31), and ability to speak (Mark 1:24; 5:7-12; Acts 19:15).
They are in all ways just as PERSONAL as you are!
Demons act in conjunction with Satan's planed purpose BUT do not always obey his lead because they are inherently rebellious in their innermost being and can be TURNED UPON EACH OTHER as God has done many times in Scripture, turning whole armies upon themselves to protect Israel.
Each demon has its own "personal Agenda"aside from Satan's ultimate purpose, just as human hosts have personal agendas that drive them to success or failure aside from what family or friends might suggest.
The occult can certainly be a gateway for demonic activity and the Bible forbids us to be involved in occult activities EVEN IF IT SEEMS INNOCENT TO US THE DANGER IS THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE NOT ABLE TO RESIST IT'S ALLURE!
(Deuteronomy 18:9-14; Leviticus 19:26b,31; Isaiah 47:8-15):
1.) Divination = fortune telling (i.e. Taro cards, Crystal balls, E.S.P.) ,
2.) clairvoyance (Physics, Ghost whisperers).
3.)Sorcery which operates by charms (This also includes RELIGIOUS ITEMS worn to protect from evil as in Voodoo),
4.) music ( that instills or inspires to NEGATIVE EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENTS),
5.) drugs (Including anything that diminishes your ability to resist Demons from attaching to our past bloodline or current fleshly habits)
.6.) Witchcraft that operates by spells, curses, hypnosis and in some cases a form of MASS HYPNOSIS IS EMPLOYED TO DECEIVE LARGE AMOUNTS OF ADHERENTS AT ONE TIME.
7.) A Medium or spiritualist is someone who acts as a channel through whom the spirit {demon} speaks. They are Consulting the dead (or necromancer's), calling up the dead (spiritual entities)
Yet think about this : most of those whom Jesus delivered from demons were religious Jews, forbidden ever to practice witchcraft or idolatry.
They were "normal" people, neither criminal, insane, nor spooky (Matthew 8:16; Mark 1:39).
Demons are active in less obvious ways than the occult.
a.) The worship of other gods or idols is in fact the worship of demons (1 Corinthians 10:19-21; Revelation 9:20; Deuteronomy 32:17; Psalm 106:36-37) . b.) Demons are involved in the teaching of false doctrines (1 Timothy 4:1-2; 1 John 2:18-22; 4:1-3).
c.) Demons preach from the pulpit of some churches (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).
d.) Causing jealousy and discord among God's people is an activity of demons (1 Samuel 18:8-10).
e.) So too is lying (1 Kings 22:21-24).
REMEMBER RELIGIOUS DEMONS ARE JUST AS DANGEROUS AS if not all the more dangerous than THOSE BEHIND THE OCCULT!
But let's look at this closer is not FALSE RELIGIOUS PRACTICE NOTHING MORE THAN "Witchcraft" anyway?
Do not false religious people curse and otherwise defile the temple of God by hurting his true purpose in the earth "To FREE MANKIND FROM THE WORK OF SATAN"?
So in effect religion is a form of the Occult because it fulfills the purpose of the occult which is to spread the words of darkness throughout the earth - Anything that disobeys the word of God is IN DARKNESS!
Remember well that "Witchcraft"has received a BUM RAP OVER THE YEARS BY HOLLYWOOD IN THAT MOST OF THE SO-CALLED witch crafts on the screens that we see are nothing more than HYPED UP WISHFUL THINKING.
The Salem witch trials were more "Religious-craft" than witchcraft, the real witches were the PHONY RELIGIOUS PEOPLE THAT SHOWED THEIR PIOUS CONTEMPT FOR ALL THAT WAS TRULY GODLY IN NATURE IN EXCHANGE FOR SELF-GRATIFICATION and PERSONAL HATRED!
At times Jesus spoke directly to demons, and they to Him (Mark 3:11-12; 5:6-13).
However, there is no New Testament pattern for holding lengthy USELESS conversations with demons and I know personally this only works to the advantage of Satan keeping him in the host longer while we reveal info that he can use to stay there. This should be avoided since their basic nature is that of deception (1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 20:3,7,8,10).
What deliverance ministries do is to be specific and to the point in their questions to demons
1.)"What is your name (Nature)?
2.) Why are you here? revealing the root cause of infection
3.)and When did you come in? revealing the first reason and generational bind of the devil. But facts prove that this method is not always successful for the ground that gave the demon a place to reside cannot be cast out.
Deliverance from demonic influence will not be obtained by "casting out" only. The ground which admitted the evil spirit in the first place is the ground that can keep a person in possession or oppression (Ephesians 4:27 - "foothold").
Evil spirits can be cast out in the Name of the Lord Jesus, but the ground they have gained can only be removed by the intelligent choice of our wills refusing the territory given to them, and appropriating the deliverance by death with Christ on Calvary.
This should not surprise us for Jesus Himself plainly warned that demons will seek to return and may bring others with them (Matthew 12:43-45).
Upon at least one occasion Jesus commanded the demon to come out and specifically added "and never enter him again" (Mark 9:25).
Unless the ground of demonic influence is dealt with, no full relief can be obtained, or change seen, in the majority of deliverance's
I was born in Ellsworth Maine in 1959 in the month of June and started out as a normal boy, as many before me..BUT that was soon to change when I came into my teen years.
As a young boy of a Baptist mother and an Agnostic Father (What a Mix?) I was an introvert with few friends of any real character and was raised an only child, As I grew up, my interest in the Occult and drugs became clearly evident .
My first introduction to the occult was from a famous T.V. show called "Bewitched" when I was only 6 yrs old, from that first show my interest was peaked and I went on a downward spiral from there..as a child I knew that "Hollywood Witchcraft" was not real but I desired to know about the real thing and dedicated myself to find out about this ancient wisdom of earth religion.
I began studying and looking for deeper truths in the darkness of this MOST ANCIENT world of magic and sorcery!
It was after my adopted Mom (The only real mom I ever knew, which I loved with all my heart.) died when I was only 17 that I was free to do as I pleased....and boy did I do as I pleased! Drug use, Drinking, and Partying was my only thought while keeping a c+ to b average in high school (A miracle in itself) I soon found out about Wicca and became a card carrying mail order Witch, taking a course in the art of magic by Gavin & Yvonne Frost; which did not satisfy my LUST for the ultimate power as I was hungry for more and more power and knowledge of the occult than even they were willing to share.
I began to delve deeper and deeper into the so-called "Deep things" of Occult Knowledge READING Anton LaVeys "Satanic Bible" which fueled my fleshly desires even more.I also studied Aleister Crowley's works on magic.
I studied on lunch breaks in the library at school (Reading Man,Myth,and Magic encyclopedias and other works on Witchcraft ) and on all my free time when I wasn't partying and abusing myself otherwise..the occult became an obsession with me!
I learned even more from friends (Questionable Friends at best) about how to tell fortunes and use the Tarot to make money from unsuspecting people, and learn I did..casting spells and worshiping the goddess. I mixed all my Occult knowledge together to form my own "Witches Book of Shadows" (A Book Of Shadows is a Witch's Greatest tool.
It provides a place for Craft secrets, spell work, rituals, family traditions, otherworldly info & almost anything else a Witch can think. )As I progressed through the Craft & figured out what my personal practices were, so I needed a place to write my thoughts down!
This book became my "Bible" I would turn to it anytime I needed help, my "Grimoire"or "Book of Shadows was my only friend and I worshiped it's contents as my own creation, when I cast spells on those I hated it worked,things were going my way .....
UNTIL...GOD,
Who had other plans for me..he and he alone had the nerve to put two Christians into my life that could not be SCARED OR MOVED by my appearance or actions and kept coming day after day,night after night inviting me to church (No GUTS No GLORY)..THEY NEVER GIVE UP ON ME!
I remember giving them the SLIP so many times I lost count.
But one fateful Wednesday night Bible Study I sat at the BACK of the this little Church of God in Cheyenne Wyoming, half Drunk and half High.
I don't remember much of the service BUT I do remember hearing that God did not hate me for what I'd done but that HIS LAWS REQUIRED HIS JUDGMENT on my soul,God's LOVE reached out and touched this Witch and suffered him NOT to live a life without hope but revived him into NEW LIFE in Christ!
I saw a literal Light of deliverance shine down into my mind and for the first time in years I could think for myself without the "VOICES OF DEMONS (My Familiars)
WERE "interfering with my thoughts,that night became as "DAYTIME for me and now I am a new creation,OLD things HAVE PASSED AWAY and Jesus is my Lord and Savior FOREVER!
Of course there will be those who think "Well, that's you..you were special to God and he loved you more than me..I've done to many sick things for God to love me!"
THAT IS A LIE! God loves ALL MANKIND EQUALLY AND WITHOUT BEING PARTIAL TO ANY PERSON
(Since all go to hell for the same reason, REJECTION OF JESUS AS PERSONAL SAVIOR and NOT PERSONAL SIN!)
... the MASTER of the HALF-TRUTH tells us these things because HE LOST IT ALL TO HIS OWN PRIDE and wants YOU to suffer for his stupidity. Don't let him lie to you, God thinks as much of you as he does of his own son..just give him your heart and he'll do the rest! As a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ I extend this invitation to know him as I do now, get free and stay free it's your personal choice and no ones business but yours alone.
Accept what God has done on your behalf
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Clarence_Sargent
Nature in the Christian view (as compared to our non-Christian worldviews such as witchcraft) is that nature is no longer an object of fear and worship, because let‘s face it…we only “worship in ignorance” what we “Fear in ignorance”. God on the other hand only DEMANDS KNOWLEDGEABLE WORSHIP.
It is “False Religion” that MYSTIFIES GOD to the point that you can’t relate to him BUT must “BLINDLY FOLLOW PRECEPTS AND RULES THAT MAKE NO SENSE” to a freethinking mind.
We need to do a self-check, to make sure we get rid of all of our idols, good luck charms, crosses, medallions, and demonic symbols.
We must repent fully of trusting in fate, destiny, and luck: and put our whole trust in the Living Christ, follow Him wholeheartedly without exception to our fears from the past. Trusting in fate or luck is clearly a dependence upon evil spirits which I knew as “familiars.”
Now as to my testimony, as I alluded to earlier God’s plan for my life was set long before I was ever born and no matter what bad decisions I was making; up to this point, in fact I was on the very path to running into his power; that I had been running from; because he had the nerve to put two Christians into my life that could not be SCARED OR MOVED by my appearance or actions and REMEMBER I was a full out witch in both dress and lifestyle, they kept coming anyway; day after day and that impressed me.
They were always inviting me to go to their church and NEVER GIVE UP ON ME! And so, one fateful Wednesday night Bible Study I sat at the BACK of this little Church of God in Cheyenne Wyoming.
I came into the sanctuary half Drunk and half High, not wanting to be there at all.
Much of the service I cannot recall BUT I do remember hearing the statement that God “did not hate me for what I'd done, no matter how bad but that HIS LAWS REQUIRED HIS JUDGMENT on my soul” God’s LOVE reached down and touched this Witch and suffered him NOT to live a life without hope, reviving me into NEW LIFE with Christ!
I witnessed a literal shaft of Light shine down into my darkened mind and for the first time in over 8 years I could think for myself without the "VOICES OF DEMONS" interfering with my thoughts, that evening the night became "DAYTIME for me and now I can proudly say I am a new creation; the OLD dark things HAVE PASSED AWAY completely and Jesus is my Lord and Savior!
Of course there are those who will think "Well, that's you, you were special to God and he loved you then more than me now, I've done too many sick and unforgivable things for God to love me!"
THAT IS A LIE! A HUGE MISTAKE!
God loves ALL MANKIND EQUALLY AND WITHOUT BEING PARTIAL TO ANY PERSON. It is Satan, the MASTER of the HALF-TRUTH that tells us these things.
It is only because HE LOST IT ALL TO HIS OWN PRIDE that he wants YOU to suffer for his stupidity by following his path. Don't let him lie to you, God thinks as much of you as he does of his own son. Just give him your heart and he'll do the rest!
If God is God then He should be able to accomplish anything no matter what it may be..right?
Well I'm here to tell you that JESUS CHRIST is God and HE CAN AND WILL SAVE YOU NO MATTER WHAT YOU'VE DONE...he looks past what you do and love's you deeply.
A spiritual adventure of another witch:
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
"My walk in darkness began when I was about three. I was sexually abused by my father. Unable to cope with the trauma, I developed alternate personalities to carry out the everyday demands of life. I retreated from life as much as I could, and had no real friends until Eighth grade.
Growing up in a hostile, abusive environment, I became addicted to seconals as a teenager, and I experimented with a great many drugs. My preference was always LSD. I dated and married abusive men. There was much violence in my life, a lot of death, a lot of horror. I never knew peace. Because my father read the Bible a lot, and shouted scriptures, I was confused about Jesus.
I became fascinated by the occult. I believed that my will, if strong and directed properly, could change anything. This is one of the foundations of witchcraft, which I started to embrace. I found the study appealing at the time, though difficult.
I began to be haunted in my dreams by a woman dancing in a way I had never seen before. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Supposing she must be another witch who wanted to teach me something, I began looking for her.
I was getting sick. Physically, the doctors could find nothing wrong. I was getting thinner, and increasingly, the spirits I thought I controlled were beginning to control me - taking over the body, while I was somewhere on the ceiling watching the horror they inflicted.
I called my best friend, who knew Jesus. She said, 'The Lord will bring a sword between us if you don't come out of witchcraft.' She had never known I was involved in witchcraft. I had kept her from knowing my beliefs.
Then she asked me to visit a church where she knew they weren't afraid to help abused women. She asked me to promise to just sit through one service. I promised. She knew I would do all I could to keep my word.
I'm glad of that promise, because it was the only thing that kept me in my seat. I had been in and out of all kinds of churches, but none of them affected me because they were spiritually dead. The presence of the Lord was not there. But it was very different in this place! I was ill before I reached the door.
Nauseous, and in pain - tearing pain - I rode an emotional rollercoaster. It was like some bad drug having an alien affect on me. Suddenly, I wanted to hurt people in the church.
I wanted to hit them and tear the skin off their faces. I knew I had no personal problem with these people, to cause all these feelings to erupt. Then, when the haze of pain began to clear, who should I see dancing before the altar worshipping the Lord but the woman in my dreams!
Now, beside the promise, I had another reason to fight to stay. I was beginning to realize that there must really and truly be a God, a supreme God, just like all the Bible stories. That woman in my dreams was here. I gripped the chair in front of me until my knuckles turned white, and I stayed.
The pastor was such a gifted speaker, that even the pain and nausea began to fade as I concentrated on what he was saying. He was talking about Jesus but in a real way - one that I could relate to in everyday life. He had my attention.
As he was beginning to draw to a close, he stopped, as though he could hear something that we couldn't. Then he said, 'There is someone here whose only wish is to die, because she is so tired. Rae? Rachel? Rachel, will you come to me?'
In one overwhelming second, I suddenly knew that this God loved me, called me by name, and wanted to know me. Without hesitation I stood up. I had tried committing suicide several times in my life. I was so tired; all I had really wanted was to die.
But God knew this. He had to have told this man, who was a stranger to me and yet had called me by name. I had to get to the front of the church! But the spirits took over and the battle was on. They recognized the pastor, and told him in the ugliest voice ever to come from my body, 'I know you!'
The pastor, must have somehow known by the Holy Spirit about these spirits. 'You will stop tearing the child,' he told them.
The pain stopped, but I began slithering like a snake. Then pray-ers in the church surrounded me. I couldn't breathe. I discovered later that that is an important sign.
When evil spirits quit trying to intimidate, and show off by making the person unable to breathe, they are about to exit the body. When I accepted Jesus, I immediately saw a glorious Being that I could not lift my unworthy face to look at. But the light . . . !
I can't describe it!
There was a sword in his hands. It was covered in leaping flames. 'Take my sword,' he told me. When I reached up for it I came into his world - Christ's realm. I was whole, and crying a river of tears - me who before would never allow myself to cry.
There was healing in those tears. I was also aware of the fear that the demons were in in those final moments. The Bible really is true: Every knee shall bow before Jesus. He is indeed Lord of Lords, King of Kings, and the Savior of our soul.
There is no life and no peace without Jesus. This is my birth experience into the Kingdom of the Living God.
As 2 Timothy 1:7 says:
Fear was the first spirit to enter me, but one of the first things I learned is that God is love." I was a sold-out, goddess-worshipping witch!
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. . .by William Schnoebelen
"I was a witch! I was a sold-out, goddess-worshiping witch!
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When my "lady" and I chipped the ice out of a stream in the middle of Iowa wilderness to bathe and then celebrate the March equinox naked under the stars, we were totally consumed with zeal for the Wicca.
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We drove 170 miles one way every weekend to teach classes in Wicca in a car with a bumper sticker which said "In Goddess We Trust!"
We were kicked out of almost every apartment we tried to rent for wild circle dances and burning frankincense; and we had a firebomb thrown into one temple because we dared to publicly proclaim the goddess!
Wicca is one of the more seductive deceptions that Satan has come up with.(1) It is the contemporary name for the cult of so-called "white" witchcraft or Neo-Paganism, which has been enjoying a renaissance in the United States.
It claims to be a "back to nature" religion which worships the sky and earth, and thus has attracted many adherents among those sympathetic to environmental and ecology issues. Yet, for all its charm and nostalgic fantasy, Wicca drew me into the deepest quagmire of satanic evil imaginable.
Almost everything we did back then raised eyebrows. Regrettably, we see people today doing things openly that we had to do in secret. We see books that used to only be available in dark, musty occult bookstores now being sold openly in shopping malls.
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The meditation practices we taught in secret witchcraft circles are now being taught in "respectable" churches.
Naturally, we believed we were doing good. I was a sincere devotee of the chief deity of Wicca, the Great Mother. At first I believed the rites we did were for the benefit of humanity and the earth itself. I also believed what I was told: that there was a profound difference between the Wicca and those called satanists or devil-worshipers.
I thought that the whole meaning of Wicca was beneficial rituals to nature deities like Pan, Diana or Cernunnos; and of course rites of passage and initiation. I stood, blindfolded, naked and bound at the edge of the Circle "which is placed between the worlds."
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I heard the words of the Great Mother and felt the prick of the swordpoint challenging my courage. I was anointed as a "Priest of the Goddess" and learned her secret name. I gave my life to her service.
I truly believed that she was the One "who was with me from the beginning, and who was attained at the end of desire." I walked the earth and felt her a living, breathing thing; and I worshiped her as "Holy Mother Earth."
It took me sixteen years of ardent devotion to her and the Craft to find out that I was terribly wrong. I had to learn the hard way that my only hope for true spiritual fulfillment in life was Jesus Christ!
I finally learned in the most graphic fashion imaginable that the difference between witchcraft or Wicca and satanism is actually non-existent.
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To be sure, an anthropologist or sociologist of religion might find them different, but such distinctions mean little when you are gambling with the eternal fate of your own immortal soul.
The actual spiritual difference between Wicca and satanism might best be illustrated this way: Practicing Wicca is like having a hand-grenade blow up in your face, in terms of the spiritual impact.
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Practicing satanism is like having a neutron bomb detonate in your face. The difference is there and discernable, but it is still an utter disaster for you, either way.
In eternal perspective, the disaster of Wicca is altogether real and no less dangerous than that neutron bomb.
Why Should YOU Believe This Warning?
Before we discuss this subject, allow me to give my credentials. I was initiated into the Alexandrian Wicca on Imbolc, February 2, 1973 and made a High Priest and Magus is September of the same year.
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That summer my lady and I were also promoted to the High Priestly rank in the Druidic Craft of the Wise. We also helped establish a Church of All Worlds "nest" in Milwaukee and studied under Gavin and Yvonne Frost and their Church and School of Wicca.
Wicca has many "denominations" or traditions. Some are large and well-known, like the Alexandrian, Gardnerian, Druidic, Welsh Traditionalist, Gerogian, Dianic and Church of Wicca. Others are as small as a single coven or 13, or even a family tradition.
My wife and I established covens all over the Midwest; Dubuque and Davenport, Iowa; Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Chicago. Over the years, we advanced to higher levels of witchcraft.
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Up to our departure from the city of Milwaukee in 1984, we were presiding over one of the oldest and largest networks of covens in the Midwest.
About a year after becoming a High Priest (1974), I was told by our initiators that Wicca was not what it seemed.
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Although much of the extant literature written by witches (and Dr. Margaret Murray's work(2)) would lead one to believe that Wicca is a survival of the ancient pagan fertility cults, especially of Northern Europe and the British Isles; there is not a shred of real historical proof for any connection between Bronze Age cults and modern witchcraft.
I learned from our initiators that it seemed that Wicca is, in fact, a manufactured religion not much older than this century. There did not seem to be evidence for any Book of Shadows (a combined "bible" and ritual book for Wiccans) much older than the 1910's!
You see, Wicca is one of Satan's "nicer" creations, tailor-made for the last half of this century.
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Although it may have existed for perhaps a century at most, it "came out of the broom closet" in 1951, when the British laws against witchcraft were repealed.
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It is nothing really new, but its packaging is subtly different, tailored to a world strangling on its own technology and dying for romance, idealism and meaning.
A Cult of Deception
You may say:
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"So you got sucked in too deep. So what? I've been a witch for years and never got into that satanic junk. It's just a Christian myth for real losers. As long as I stay where I am, I'm cool. I'm happy!" That may be so, but do you honestly want to belong to a cult that deals in deception?
Let's look at the word, "Wicca," as an example. The OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY reveals that the word does not mean "wise one." It means twisted, bent, or warped.
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Even Margot Adler admits that the word has its roots in the Indo-European roots "wic" or "weik" meaning "to bend or to turn." Of course, she tries to put the best possible face on it by saying that:
"According to this view, a Witch would be a woman ( or man) skilled in the art of shaping, bending and changing reality." (4)
Elsewhere, she asserts that:
"The lexicographical (dictionary) definitions of witch are rather confusing and bear little relation to the definitions given by Witches themselves."(5)
But this is playing games, the same sort of word games most cultists play to conceal the truth. By this standard, anyone, including Anton LaVey, could say they were a witch and be right.
Yet you should hear the howls of rage among the Neo-Pagan community when even Gavin and Yvonne Frost first claimed to be witches. They couldn't be witches, they were monotheists, fakes and gay-bashers!
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So all of a sudden there WAS an objective standard of what makes one a witch. Yet like many things in occultism, it vanishes like mist when you try and pin it down.
In my own personal development as a witch, and the development of almost all our colleagues, I found that after about five or six yeaars it was necessary to begin pursuing the study of the "Higher Wisdom" of Satan in order to keep growing. Magick is like a drug. You keep needing more in order to stay at a level at which you feel fulfilled. There is no end to it!
If you've stayed a Wiccan or "white" witch for a long time, it's only because you don't have enough of the Promethean itch to grow. OR it may be that you have many Christian friends or loved ones praying for you. Did you ever think of that?"
Footnotes Introduction
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1. Wicca, pronounced "Wicha," contrary to popular practice, is the term most witches prefer to use for their faith. They pronounce it "Wikka" and frequently assert that it means "Wise One."
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2. Margaret Murray's books, THE WITCH CULT IN WESTERN EUROPE and THE GOD OF THE WITCHES, did much to popularize the concept that Wicca is a survival of ancient religions. In recent years, though, their scholarship has been seriously challenged.
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3. See Margot Adier's DRAWING DOWN THE MOON, Beacon Press, Boston, 1986 rev. ed., p.46.4. Adler.p.11.5. lbid.p.10.
* This chapter was used by permission from William Schnoebelen's book.Wicca:Satan's Little White Lie".
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Kimberly's Story - From Wicca to Christ
"When I read Candace's story I couldn't help but feel an eerie sence of familiarity. Much of what had happened to her happened to me, just not to the same harsh extent.
Growing up I had never been to church (beyond the occasional wedding) and my family never really spoke much of God or religion.
We were a happy family and maybe that's why we never talked about God or questioned his existence. We never had anything bad happen to make us ask "why?"
Then I became a teenager.
I don't know why I was attracted to the rebellious side of being a teen.
I wasn't doing it on purpose, it's just what I really wanted to be like. My "crowd" wasn't a bad one, at least we didn't think so, but we got into trouble now and then. I started smoking, ciggerattes and marijuana,drinking and staying out all night and lying to my Mother.
I was having sex at 13 and pregnancy scares at 14. I didn't care, I was having fun. Then it all went downhill.
I had broken up with my boyfriend of 5 years, and I was only 16. I started to do anything for any guy who would give me the time of day.
Then I did get pregnant, and I thought maybe I had found love again, but it wasn't so.
He never beat me but the verbal abuse I put up with threw me into a deep depresion. I tried so hard to be a good mother and house wife (even though we were not married) and nothing was ever good enough. He called me a slut and a whore.
He refused to claim his daughter when he knew I was with no one else. He called me fat and lazy while I was pregnant.
Sometimes I wished he would have beaten me. It probably would have hurt less. When I thought I could not take it anymore and was on the verge of suicide I happened upon something that would change my life.
I was watching an afternoon talk show one day. The subject was a new religion called Wicca. I heard them talk of thier love and worship of nature and all living creatures and the spiritual force of the earth and I was hooked.
I went out and found everything I could on wicca. I trained and practiced and finally I proclaimed myself a bonafide witch.
Wicca had opened up a whole new world for me. It gave me hope, it helped me with struggles, and it made me friends. It was a community where I belonged. For once I was happy.
I found the courage to take my 3 year old daughter and leave her father, and it was the best choice I had ever made. I moved into my own apartment and I was in total bliss. No more complaining if something wasn't cleaned right or put away in the right place.
I was finally on my own. But on your own can be a very lonely place.
I started to pray to my God and Goddess for someone to love me the way I needed to be loved. Someone that understood me. And it happened.
He was perfect in every way and we really got along great. We saw each other for a couple of weeks and then we slept together and I never heard from him again. I found out a while later that he was a virgin and that he had only used me to "get it over with" so to speak.
I was crushed. What self-esteem I had rebuilt was gone and I went wild. I started sneaking into bars and taking guys home I didn't even know for meaningless sex.
Sometimes these guys were 30 or 40 years old and I was only 19 going on 20. I had gone from having had slept with nine people to twenty seven people in two months. I had given up all hope of ever finding someone to love. Then I met Jeff.
I met him while I was working at one of my twelve jobs that I had had in that year. I had never seen him before but I just couldn't get him out of my head.
Well he kept coming back and it turned out that his ex-girlfriend was my co-worker and he had her ask me out. I said yes and we went to the only place I knew how to talk to guys at, the bar.
We hit it off instantly and I could tell that he wasn't like other guys. At the end of the night he asked for my phone number but I knew as I handed it to him that he would never call.
Much to my surprise the phone rang the next day and it was him asking me out on a second date. I twas the start of a long and beautiful relationship. But there was one problem. My beliefs were a conflict to his.
He was a strict christian and I was a witch. He never said anything but I could tell it bothered him. So finally one night we sat down and talked about it. I explained to him that it was what I had chosen because I knew of no other choice. He would talk to me about God and the Bible and I had no idea of anything that he said.
So he taught me. I resented it at first but then I started to see so many things falling in to place that I had given dumb luck and Wicca credit for.
He explained to me that Christianity was not a religion, it was a relationship. He never got frustrated, even when I did and was patient.
Almost a year into our relationship I accepted Jesus Christ and became a Christian. I have never been happier. I realize now that my ultimate unhappiness came from not knowing where I was going. I know now. "
Kimberly S. Pa
Deliverance From Satan and His Demonic Forces
If the person for whom you are interceding has not confessed Jesus as Savior and Lord, pray specifically for his/her salvation if you have not already done so. Stand and thank the Father that it is done in the name of Jesus. Then pray:
Father, in the name of Jesus, I come boldly to Your throne of grace and present ___________ before You. I stand in the gap and intercede in behalf of ___________, knowing that the Holy Spirit within me takes hold together with me against the evils that would attempt to hold ____________ in bondage. I unwrap ___________ from the bonds of wickedness with my prayers and take my shield of faith and quench every fiery dart of the adversary that would come against ___________.
Father, You say that whatever I bind on earth is bound in heaven, and whatever I loose on earth is loosed in heaven. You say for me to cast out demons in the name of Jesus.
So I speak to you, Satan, and to the principalities, the powers, the rulers of the darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places and the demonic spirits of_____________________________(names of spirits) assigned to __________. I take authority over you and bind you away from __________ in the mighty name of Jesus. You loose __________ and let him/her go free in the name of Jesus. I demand that you desist in your maneuvers now. Satan, you are a spoiled and defeated foe.
Ministering spirits of God, you go forth in the name of Jesus and provide the necessary help to and assistance for __________.
Father, I have laid hold of __________?s salvation and his/her confession of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. I speak of things that are not as though they were, for I choose to look at the unseen ? the eternal things of God. I say that Satan shall not get an advantage over __________, for I am not ignorant of Satan?s devices. I resist Satan, and he has run in terror from __________ in the name of Jesus. I give Satan no place in __________. I plead the blood of the Lamb over __________, for Satan and his cohorts are overcome by that blood and Your Word. I thank You, Father, that I tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy in __________?s behalf. __________ is delivered from this present evil world. He/she is delivered from the powers of darkness and translated into the Kingdom of Your dear Son!
Father, I ask You now to fill those vacant places within __________ with Your redemption, Your Word, Your Holy Spirit, Your love, Your wisdom, Your righteousness and Your revelation knowledge in the name of Jesus.
I thank You, Father, that __________ is redeemed out of the hand of Satan by the blood of Jesus. He/she is justified and made righteous by the blood of Jesus and belongs to You ? spirit, soul and body. I thank You that every enslaving yoke is broken, for he/she will not become the slave of anything or be brought under its power in the name of Jesus. __________ has escaped the snare of the devil who has held him/her captive and henceforth does Your will, Father, which is to glorify You in his/her spirit, soul and body.
Thank You, Father, that Jesus was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil. Satan?s works are destroyed in __________?s life in the name of Jesus. Hallelujah! __________ walks in the Kingdom of God, which is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit! Praise the Lord! Amen.
Once this prayer has been prayed, thank the Father that Satan and his cohorts are bound. Stand firm, fixed, immovable and steadfast on your confessions of faith as you intercede on this person?s behalf, for greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4).
© Copyright 2006http://www.occultresearch.org/- occult, cults, witchcraft & black magic - All rights reserved. Witchcraft explained
Witchcraft is said to be the use of magic through gardless of sex.
Practices which are classed as witchcraft
Throughout time, any practice which is thought to harm others by intent is said to be a form of witchcraft, some of the more common types of witchcraft are
Wishing harm on another’s person or property
This is perhaps the most well known of all witchcraft and usually involves the use of a curse or hex performed with the sole purpose of bringing harm to the intended victim or that persons property.
Spells can also be used to change a persons will and make them do something they otherwise wouldn’t, an example of this would be to make someone fall in love with you and this type of witchcraft is said to be white magic.
Spell casting
Perhaps one of the most well known aspects of witchcraft is the witches ability to cast spells, we all visualise the witch stirring the bubbling cauldron whispering an incantation over the spell.
However concocting spells in cauldrons is not the only way witches cast spells, spells can be cast through a variety of means. Some of the more popular methods involve the use of candles burning, chanting and reciting incantations, physical rituals and the preparation of herbal remedies.
Awakening the dead
Awakening or conjuring the spirits of the dead is a practice of witchcraft known as necromancy, the “witch of endor” is said to have routinely practiced this form of witchcraft for divination and prophecy, and it is also a form that the witch doctors of Jamaica performed in their voodoo ceremonies.
Witchcraft in the past
The practice of witchcraft using the methods described above was widespread in the past and was foremost in ancient Egypt and Babylonia as documentation has shown. During the Vedic, age witches were then called yoginis and the form of witchcraft was abhichara, witchcraft in this era was mainly aimed at Aryan people and took on the form of magical incantations.
The Hebrew bible constantly makes reference to witchcraft and condemns the practices as does also the New Testament in the bible, other popular forms of witchcraft which have been documented is African witchcraft and neopagan witchcraft.
The African form of witchcraft we all know is the witch doctor, the witch doctor traditionally practiced medicine as ways of healing people and also putting a curse or hex on unfortunate victims.
During the 20th century a lot of interest was taken into neopagan witchcraft with the most famous documentation being that of Margaret Murray in 1921 when she documented the theory of a pan European witch cult. Magical terms & traditions
* Alchemy – alchemy combines elements of chemistry, physics, medicine and spiritualism and was practiced in ancient Egypt, China, Persia and India. Today alchemy is mainly of interest to historians of science and philosophy for its mystic and artistic aspects.*
Astrology – there are many systems, traditions and beliefs that make up astrology and it is thought that knowledge of the positions of the stars can help us to get a better understanding and bring more knowledge of human affairs and events.
* Athame – the Athame is a ceremonial knife that witches use in ritual magic, the witch will take great care when purchasing or choosing the Athame and very often will use a family heirloom as their ceremonial knife.
* Banishing – this is the banishing of evil forces or spirits and is often performed before and after the main ritual.
* Black magic – this is a form of magic that is used to summon evil and direct evil which in turn brings bad luck and destruction to those on the receiving end.
* Ceremonial magic – this is a very elaborate and complex ritual and practitioners will use a variety of aids and accessories when performing the ceremonial ritual.
* Curse – a curse is the effect of a supernatural power aimed at someone to bring them bad luck and trouble, the gypsy curse was the more well known among curses.
* Demonology – demonology refers to a group of people that attempt to name demons and spirits which are said to be malevolent, it is the opposite of angelology which attempts to compile information from the angels for good intentions.
* Divination – this is an attempt to gain information by interpreting omens or a supernatural agency, it is a universal cultural belief which is seen in many cultures and religions up to the present day.
* Dowsing – dowsing has existed for thousands of years and has also been called water witching, those who practice it are said to be empowered with the ability to find water, precious metals, gemstones and hidden objects. Those practicing divination will use a rod, pendulum or y shaped twig over a piece of land or map.
* Geomancy – this is a form of divination which relies on interpreting markings on the ground, or how a handful of dirt will land when thrown back to the ground, it is a form of divination which was chiefly practiced in Africa.
* Hoodoo – hoodoo is an African traditional branch of folk magic which has been around for thousands of years, it is often used to describe a potion or spell and those who practice it are called hoodoo man. Some people also refer to this type of magic as hoodooism.
* Invocation – this is a spell or chant that is used to call upon the god or goddess for a favour or for protection.
* Magic circle – wicca and pagan traditions use what is known as circle casting, this is generally done with salt, crystals, candles or some other purifying substance, the circle is said to offer protection.
* Mojo – the mojo is a tiny bag which is normally worm under the clothes and holds a charm, it is used for protection and can also be used when practicing black magic with the intent to bring harm to others.
* Necromancy – this type of black magic involves conjuring the spirits of the dead in order to gain knowledge of future events.
* Obeah – those who practice magic in the west Indies call it obeah and it is similar to voodoo and hoodoo.
* Paganism – this refers to a broad range of spiritual and religious beliefs and is generally associated with someone who worships someone other than god.
* Shamanism – this is a type of magic which users are said to be able to cure suffering and illness, shamans are thought to have some control over many aspects such as the weather, interpretation of dreams and astral projection.
* Tarot – a deck of tarot cards consists of 78 cards which are used for divination, the tarot cards are thought to date back to 12th century Italy when they were used as a game.
* Voodoo – voodoo is a form of black magic that is practiced in west Africa, it is a system of religious worship and practices that is widespread in a multitude of African groups.
* Wicca – wicca is a form of neopagan religion which is found in many countries, the wiccan only practice magic for good and follow the rule of do no harm to others.
* Witchcraft – there are many forms of witchcraft and the term witchcraft is used when someone practices magic or sorcery of any kind both white and black magic. Types of witchcraft
There is a lot more to witchcraft and witches than the haggard, wart nosed old woman with the black cape, broomstick and black cat. Witchcraft comes in many shapes and forms and has been practised the world over in many different cultures. The renaissance and gothic Satanism
During the renaissance in the middle ages, the Roman Catholic Church proclaimed that evil people, mostly women had sold their sole to the devil and worshipped him in exchange for certain supernatural powers the devil bestowed upon them.
They were said to be witches who worshipped Diana and other goddesses of this time, they were classed as pure evil and are said to have took part in the kidnapping of babies and killing and eating their victims.
They were said to posses the ability to fly through the air in the middle of the night and hold meetings where spell casting took place and evil wrong doings.
These were all beliefs that the people during this period held and thousands of people were convicted of being a witch and worshipping the devil and were executed in what has come to be known as the “burning times”.
Wicca
Wicca is a more recent form of witchcraft and is a religion-based form of witchcraft; it is based on deities, seasonal times and symbols and is a form of celebration for the Celtic people.
Some followers of Wicca call themselves witches, pagans or neo-pagans and both men and women who follow this religion are called witches.
There are basically two laws that must be followed and these are the Wiccan rede and the three-fold law. The Wiccan rede says that those following the religion are free to do as they please as long as they harm no other; the three-fold law says that any evil that is done to others will return three times over.
These laws obviously encourage the Wiccan to do only good and any magic they practise is white magic and usually involves healing spells and incantations.
Religious Satanism
Modern day Satanists worship Satan and there are three main traditions to the followers of this religion, the church of Satan, the temple of set and church of satanic liberation. The church of Satan is thought to be the biggest of these and currently holds thousands of members in the United States.
Most Satanists believe that Satan is a force of nature not a particular deity and has nothing to do with the usual associations we think of when we think of Satan or the devil.
Satanists as you would expect are the total opposite of Wiccan and delight in causing harm and destruction wherever possible and only practise black magic.Witchcraft & wicca FAQs
* Can I follow the path of Wicca and witchcraft and still be a Christian?
There are many common factors of Wicca and being a Christian so the two are not worlds apart, so some say that yes the two can go hand in hand while others (Myself included) claim that there are no real connections of substance at all to Wicca and Christianity.
The two seem to compliment each other and the most important issue is doing what GOD SAYS FOR YOU TO DO NOT WHAT "FEELS GOOD" Because feelings can deceive the Heart. Having been a Wiccan I can attest to the fact that most Wiccans HAVE GOOD INTENTIONS TO HARM NO ONE ELSE, BUT ONLY TO LIVE AND ENJOY LIFE AS THEY SEE FIT, the problem is not in the intent of the witch but in the intent of the spirits that truely control the witch even if they do not see it.* Are witchcraft and Wicca the same thing?
People have different views regarding this; however, there are some main differences to the two which are worth noting, in general, Wicca’s are free to review different systems of belief and take what they want from the different beliefs and blend them together.
Pure witchcraft however relies on using magic and rituals to work with elemental and spiritual forces of nature. Some feel these differences are only slight and Wicca and witchcraft both have the same goals of working to achieve balance and harmony within nature.
* Whom does the witch worship?
Witches believe that there is a single force and this force is defined as “the one”, with the force being the universe. This divine energy is usually personified and witches will call it the goddess or god; however, this title is only put there to make it easier for the human mind to comprehend.
When some witches invoke the god or goddess, they might give those names such as Odin, pan, Dianna or Astarte, but this is only a matter of personal preference.
* Are witches anti-Christian?
Witchcraft and followers of Wicca are very tolerant towards other religions and views, Wiccan withhold the law of “harm no other” and as such allow others to speak their beliefs freely.
Wicca’s believe that there are many paths to the same destination and it doesn’t matter which one you choose to get there as long as no harm is done along the way.
* Wicca’s profess to follow the Wicca rede and this says, “harm no others and do as you will”, does this mean that the witch can do anything they want as long as they can justify it?
The whole philosophy behind Wicca is based on living in complete harmony with all other things; this includes every living thing in the world around them.
Following this rule, the witch has to make sure that no harm comes to any living thing in the world so the answer would be no, they could not please themselves if they thought that harm was going to come from something no matter how much it could be justified. The tools of witchcraft
There are many sacred tools that witches have used for thousand of years and there are numerous systems and traditions that they use, with some witches choosing to work in very elaborate settings while others use only the bare essentials and prefer a more natural approach.
Listed below are some of items and tools that witches commonly use and items which we associate with witches.Athame
The Athame is more commonly know as a knife and most witches will own several ritual knives, the Athame is a very personal and magical tool which the witch will take great care over when obtaining. The Athame should fit comfortably in the hand and feel right with many witches going to great lengths to make their own blades and hone them to perfection.
They also personalize them with great care with runes, carvings and other symbols with special meanings to them, with some witches preferring to use family heirlooms such as letter openers as their Athame.
The broom
Who doesn’t think of witches without thinking of the broom, this has been a symbol of the witch for thousands of years and indeed they do use it for the cleansing ritual. Many witches will also place a broom outside of their door with the brushy side up to ward off evil spirits and to stop unwanted outside energies from entering the home.
The bell
Perhaps not one of the most widely known tools of the witch, the bell is said to have magical properties and for centuries, it was thought to posses magical or spiritual powers. Bells are also associated with the divine and are commonly used in the opening and closing of ceremonies and the start and closing of spell casting.
The cauldron
The cauldron is another symbol that we all associate with the witch; the traditional cauldron has three legs and is thought to represent bounty and blessings.
The cauldron has also come to be known as representing the reincarnation and the cycles of birth, death and rebirth.
Witches will burn incense in them or create spells in them and the witch will have cauldrons in different sizes for the different tasks they want to perform.
The chalice
The chalice is a cup which is used on the altar and normally represents the female principle of water, chalices can be made of any material but most witches prefer silver or pewter.
The chalice is used with the Athame in the enactment of the great rite, which is the union of male and female from which life springs forth. The chalice can also be used to form a bond and will be passed around from person to person so they can all drink from it.
The Paton or altar pentacle
The pentacle for the altar is usually a disk or plate which is inscribed with a five pointed star surrounded by a circle, this will be used to consecrate the various other tools used and is also used as a concentration point for other magical spells. The laws of witchcraft
Unlike most religions and beliefs witchcraft does not have a long list of rules which have to be adhered to, there are only two basic laws which must be followed and adhered to at all times. These two rules are known as the Wiccan rede and the three-fold law; these two principles hold what the witches define as ethic and moral behaviour within the practice of witchcraft. The three-fold law
Many people will have heard the three-fold law put a different way, some people call it cause and effect, it literally means “what we reap, we will sow” and get back three times.
This is thought to be the reasons why many witches of today are loathe to practice black magic as this would turn around and come back at them three-fold. The witches of today primarily belong to a group or coven called the Wiccan and this law and the Wiccan rede are strictly followed.
The Wiccan rede
The law of the Wiccan rede states that witches are free to do whatever they wish as long as no harm befalls themselves and others. Harm is defined as physical, mental and physic damage to themselves and others around them.
For the majority of today’s witches harming others is simply something that is unthinkable and as such only good or white magic spells are performed.
The universe plays a big part in modern witchcraft and all things are thought to be connected to all others.
All spells which are cast by the witch of today are directed towards a specific task and are only cast after a great deal of thought has been given to them and the outcome.
One question that is often asked of the modern witch is while upholding this law are they then to take mistreatment from others without retaliating, the answer of course is no, witches will place a protection spell around themselves and their loved ones.
The protection spell will then neutralize harmful energies back into the universe without doing harm, the witch then waits for justice to even out as what comes around goes around and therefore justice will take place.
Code of ethics for healers
Certain witches are pagan healers and as such, they are bound by a code of ethics which they must follow, the ethics are:
* The primary obligation of the healer is to those they are healing.
* Any knowledge gained during a consultation should be kept confidential.
* Always be self critical and acknowledge your limitations.
* Work in co-operation with other healers.
* Always take into account the customs, values and beliefs of your client.
* They must not act in any way that would bring the wicca community into disrepute.
* If you feel ethically or morally compromised you have the right to refuse treatment.
* The healer should seek help when treating with herbal treatments. © Copyright 2006 Occultresearch.org - occult, cults, witchcraft & black magic - All rights reserved
© Copyright 2006http://www.occultresearch.org/- occult, cults, witchcraft & black magic - All rights reserved. Black magic explained
Black magic or dark magic as it is sometimes called is a form of magic that is intended to draw malevolent spirits or entities and is usually performed for acts of evil.
During the inquisition, Christians were frightened of witches and warlocks who practised these black magic rituals but now in modern times witches will use the term black magic to offset the good magic they profess to practise, as black magic is said to be very rarely used.
In olden days, black magic was performed to gain benefit without regard to the harm that it caused others and indeed most performed black magic solely to hurt and inflict damage on others.
The difference between black magic and white magic is still debated amongst modern witches with several theories contrasting the two branches. Theories such as the “all as one”, “no connection” and “separate but equal” theories all being popular and open for debate. The most popular theories include
The all as one theory
Believers of this theory believe that all magic, black or white is evil with black magic generally being associated with the devil or Satan. Religions such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism all follow the belief that any type of magic is bad.
The dark doctrine theory
As black magic refers to powers of darkness, believers of this theory believe that this type of magic relates directly to Satan.
The formal differences theory
There are thought to be many forms and components to black magic and those casting the black magic have different interests and reasons for doing so, followers of this theory believe that black magic is only harmful when it involves the use of personal items such as clothing, hair or blood of those the spell is directed towards.
The no connection theory
Followers of this theory believe that black and white magic have no connection at all as both practises use totally different forms, followers to this theory see both forms as totally opposing each other.
The separate but equal theory
People who follow this theory believe black and white magic are the same thing with the only difference being the goals they accomplish and the means by which witches get there.
All spells are spells and the difference is only determined by the outcome of the particular spell cast.
Black magic is usually said to be performed more by those who worship the devil hence the term black magic, magic spells cast this way will usually involve the use of ones personal belongings such a piece of clothing, a lock of hair or blood.
The spells cast are said to usually be for the sole purpose of bringing harm to the one they are directed at.
White magic is usually thought to help people and do no harm to others; popular spells of this type are love spells and potions, with the hope of bringing the love of your life into your arms.
However, spells of this type usually involve the use of personal belongings too but for different means.Curses & hexes
The basic curse or hex is perhaps one of the oldest forms of magic dating back thousands of years with forms of hexes and curses being used in many cultures and traditions.
Hexes vary considerably in different hands and can range from the simple to the more elaborate and can be cast in a variety of ways, the most simplest of curses and hexes do nothing more than bring the person bad luck while the more elaborate can cause many problems with the victims wealth, health and even specified body parts.
The very basic hex or curse can be a spoken curse wishing bad luck and unhappiness on the intended victim; this is usually invoked by briefly describing what you want to happen to the victim followed by a sacred word or magical name.
Gypsy curses
Gypsy curses are perhaps the best known of all curses, exactly why is not known, but it probably stems from gypsy fortune telling of many years ago and one of the most famous of all gypsy curses which has been portrayed on TV many times is.
“May you wander over the face of the earth forever, never sleep twice in the same bed, never drink water twice from the same well and never cross the same river twice in a year”.
As you can see gypsy curses can be pretty elaborate and not just simply one or two words, after all if we could be cursed or hexed with just a couple of simple words the parents of almost every teenage child would drop dead on the spot.
Voodoo, curses and hexes
Voodoo has long been recognised as a form of curse or hex, this tradition involves the use of a figure crafted in the fashion of the intended victim and often has some trait of the victim such as hair or blood.
The practitioner of voodoo would then use pins to stick in the doll with the hope of causing the victim great pain and suffering; the practice of voodoo is thought to have come from the Caribbean.
Different forms of curses and hexes
People throughout the world have their own different beliefs on curses and hexes with all of them intending to bring trouble and strife to the unsuspecting victim, the Chinese believe that they can deliver a curse by leaving a few grains of rice and some pennies on the victim’s doorstep. This type of curse symbolizes a wish for the victim to have great financial difficulty.
More recently a Tanzanian member of parliament declared they would put an Islamic death curse on the board members of a Tanzanian executive branch if they didn’t clean up corruption.
The aboriginal Australians strongly believe that a curse can be put on someone by pointing a kangaroo bone at them and curses have always been associated with the Egyptians.
King Tutankhamen’s tomb is a great example of this and it has always been shrouded with mystery and anyone said to have been associated with the opening of the tomb was cursed with six of the people involved with the opening of the tomb meeting untimely and unfortunate deaths.
The curse of Rasputin
Perhaps one of the most famous of all curses was the one which Rasputin mumbled from his deathbed, Rasputin cursed Russia’s ruling monarchs due to being shot, almost drowned and castrated by the Romanov prince.
This curse was apparently very effective as the entire family were dead within one year. What is Necromancy?
Necromancy is a form of divination which is used to conjure the spirits of the dead in order to gain knowledge about the future and the outcome of events in the future, the spirits conjured this way are called spirits of divination.
The spread of necromancy
During the middle ages, illiterate members of society were either nobility or Christian clergy and it is thought that either of these groups was responsible for the propagation and practice of necromancy, even though in Christianity it is forbidden and denied.
Some people deny that necromancy has anything to do with witchcraft while others say that it is a form of black magic and witchcraft and necromancers were tried as witches and hanged, the confessions of those accused of necromancy suggest that a wide range of spell casting and magical practices were involved in necromancy.
The practice of necromancy
It is though that to be able to conjure up the dead the practitioner needs the help of powerful spirits for both the practitioners’ protection and to make the corpse or ghost of the dead submit to his will. An ancient spell is the used to call upon the powers of powerful spirits to bind the dead with two essential elements that are needed to summon the dead, a burnt sacrifice and a blood-drenched altar.
Elaborate preparations are made which includes the careful study of the planets and in particular the moon and the influence of Saturn.
The site for the ritual also has to be chosen with great care with the most favourable sites being crossroads, vaults, ruins or a deserted forest.
Once the site has been chosen and the alignment of the planets is in favour a concentric circle of power is drawn on the ground, within the circle are inscribed crosses and other symbols.
For the magic to work, the necromancer and his assistant must stand within the circles centre and the circle must be blessed or consecrated.
The summoning of the dead or spirit of the dead can then take place using the names of power, when this is successful the dead will return full of anger at being summoned against his will to return to the land of living.
The necromancer must then struggle to gain control over the dead and when control has been gained, the necromancer can then control them and questions will be asked which the dead must answer.
After the ritual has finished the necromancer must not leave the circle until the dead has been dismissed and all flowers must then be removed from the area and burned and the ashes buried deep into the earth.
The ritual is one of the darkest forms of black magic and is the most dangerous of all forms of witchcraft.
© Copyright 2006 Occultresearch.org - occult, cults, witchcraft & black magic - All rights reserved
© Copyright 2006 http:// www.Occultresearch.org/ - occult, cults, witchcraft & black magic - All rights reserved.
Séances and Ouija boards : are a form of black magic and witchcraft which are a method of divination involving the summoning of the dead in order to gain information about future or past events.
Séances involve the use of a medium, which is the person who will go into a trance like state and then invoke spirits of the dead and open a channel of communication with them.Séances are usually held in a darkened room with the participants being seated around a table holding hands.
During the séance, the table can tilt and move slightly and a breeze can often be felt when the presence of the spirit is said to be in the room, some say these are all tricks by the medium and associates.
When the spirit of the dead person is within the room they will then speak through the medium and questions can be asked, very often people will go to a medium and request that they speak with loved ones who have departed.
Another popular method of communication with the dead is by use of a Ouija board where people will place their fingers lightly on a planchette on a board with letters of the alphabet, once the spirit has been raised then questions are asked by the medium and the planchette will begin to form letters on the board resulting in answers.
Belief in communication with the dead stems back to the 1820`s and was widely known as a form of sorcery and witchcraft, it is a form that is still practiced today and many sceptics regard mediums and séances as nothing more than scams.
Channelling during the séance
Channelling is a very common practice to the séance and is the practice of allowing the spirit to enter the body of the medium in order for it to be able to communicate with those present. This process is thought to be entirely different from that commonly known as possession, possession is said to be the non-consensual take over of a persons body by a malevolent spirit or demon.
Channelling involves welcoming the spirit of the dead into the body for the sole purpose of gaining information and interaction between the living and the dead. The physical manifestations of the channelling is the onset of an unusual voce and uncharacteristic behaviour of the medium, due to the nature of this, this is why so many people are sceptical as to how genuine séances are.
Sceptics believe that, as the bereaved are so emotional over the loss of their loved ones they can easily be tricked into giving information before the ritual which the medium then uses to their advantage during the séance.
Very often, the bereaved will clutch at any straw and if they believe they have a chance of speaking with their loved one for one last time then they take it with open arms and wallets.
How genuine séances and Ouija boards are is something that has been debated for many years and will continue to be debated and regarded with scepticism for some time to come.Tarot cards
The exact origins of the tarot cards are unknown but they are thought to closely resemble a pack of cards which were used to play a game in 15th century Italy where the cards were known as tarocchi.
How exactly tarot cards came to be used for divination is unclear but as early as 1540 drawings show simple cards being drawn and used as methods of divination or fortune telling.
The tarot deck
The typical deck of tarot cards holds 78 cards and are in two distinct parts, the first part is called the trump cards and these consist of 21 cards without suits, with the addition of a 22nd card which is called the fool.
These cards are known as the major arcana or greater secrets; the second part consists of 56 cards which are divided into 4 suits of 14 cards in each.
In the traditional Italian card deck, they were known as swords, batons, coins and cups but decks that are more modern call the baton suit rods or staves while the coins suit is called pentacles or disks.
These cards are known as minor arcana or lesser secrets.
The use of the tarot cards
In most parts of the world, the tarot deck is widely used as a form of divination or as a tool for assessing the unconscious. The cards are shuffled as a deck and then dealt out in various formations or patterns; they are often thought to show a persons thoughts or desires.
The cards can be used to show events that have happened in the past, present or future and are able to give answers to questions regarding uncertainties and indecision.
Each card in the deck has a variety of meanings which have varied widely throughout the years and many decks are customized for a particular person’s use, the kings, queens, pages and knights signify different people in the readings of the cards and each suit can provide information about the person’s attitude, emotional state and physical characteristics.
Scepticism of tarot readings
Many religious groups oppose the use of tarot cards because of their association with divination and fortune telling and consider them a form of witchcraft, many sceptics also oppose the readings of the tarot deck and believe that readers mislead their clients and exploit vulnerable people.
These people often come to depend on the tarot reader and return on a regular basis for help with problems of course at great expense. The witches' pentacle
The pentacle has long been thought of as a symbol of witchcraft, the pentagram dates back over 8,000 years and is said to represent an ancient philosophical concept both in the east and in west and is the most misunderstood and stigmatized of all symbols.
For the modern pagans of today the five points of the pentacle symbolize the four directions with the fifth as the sanctity of the spirit, with the circle symbolising unity and wholeness.
The pentacle is used and is one of the most powerful symbols, by those involved in ceremonial magic and Wicca, in magic the shape of the pentacle is draw in the air with a sacred blade.
Altars feature a pentacle in the form of a flat disc and are widely used as a tool in rituals and are featured on many tools such as cauldrons, chalices or the handles of daggers.
Spells and invocations are often repeated 5 times to ensure the effectiveness of the spell and many pagans wear the sign of the pentacle for protection and to show others that they are involved in the practice of magic and divine wisdom.
The pentagram is used the world over and has been recognised as a sacred symbol since ancient times with almost all cultures having some form of five folds symbol which bears significance to religion.
The elements of the pentacle
When the pentacle is drawn or written, it is called a pentagram and was originally made from clay or dough but today pentacles are more often found crafted in metals such a copper, brass and silver or gold. Many witches wear the pentacle as a sign or their religion and when made out of silver it is said to represent the moon energy.
It is widely used in the practice of magic and is used to either invoke or banish energies when draw certain ways, the simplest of these magic spells will usually involve the use of a candle placed on the points.
Each of the five angles on the pentagram are said to represent the five metaphysical elements and these are:
* Earth – this is the lower left hand corner and represents stability and physical endurance.
* Fire – the lower right hand corner and which represents courage and daring.
* Water – the upper right hand corner which represents intuition and the emotions.
* Air – the upper left hand corner which represents the arts and intelligence.
* Spirit – the topmost point which represents the divine.
The circle which encloses the points is thought to represent God or Goddess which brings protection and gives the wearer universal wisdom.
The pentagram dates back to pre-Babylonian times and is used by many people in many different cultures and has slightly different meanings to each religion. Pagan cults & evil practices
The origins of witchcraft date back to times when drawings were found in caves revealing that from the beginning of time magic rituals involving animals, birth and death have been associated with evil doing and witchcraft.
Tribes and communities each had their own form of leader such as high priest or priestess, sorcerer or wizard or witch.
The sole functions of these were to assist the tribe or village with weather conditions causing poor crops, disease, wars, birth and deaths.
Many of these practices involved the use of elaborate rituals or ceremonies and included the use of certain objects and plants which had carefully been passed down over time.
It was the Romans who associated Christians with magic and witchcraft believing them to take part in rituals involving sexual orgies, worshipping a god who had the head of an ass and who were said to make sacrifices using babies.
The empress Theodora ordered the death of over one hundred thousand members of what was believed to be a sect or cult, however after the 6th and 7th centuries were past the witch hunts died down and there were only a handful of executions for practicing witchcraft until the beginning of the 12th century.
When the church became the official cult in Europe, the Christian monks and priests began trying to eradicate any religion or belief that wasn’t Christian or part of the churches beliefs. Witches and wizards became sworn enemies of the church and those who followed Christian beliefs; it was the theologians of the Middle Ages who created the appalling witch massacres that occurred in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.
The popular image of the devil or Satan as being horned with the hoofs of a goat was brought about by the early missionary church of the European horned god who was known in Greece as pan, to the Nordic people as Thor and to the ancient Gauls as cernununos.
The Jewish and Muslim religions were also considered as demons and heretics as these too opposed the church and their beliefs, as were the pre Christian cults of South America and India.
Christianity was therefore imposed upon the world and it is thought that only by sheer force on such a scale has the church maintained its dominance on religion for so many centuries.
Interesting facts
* A study into the victims of witch trials has shown that among the poor people, rich people were also condemned as witches; it was so easy to accuse and destroy reputations as tangible proof was claimed for the evidence of witchcraft.
It is thought that very often jealousy and rivalry were the prime motives for making accusations.
* Over 90% of all people accused during the witch-hunts were woman and many of these were old women, it is thought that the church believed that the devil could easily seduce women into joining him and so they were persecuted on this belief alone.
* The church itself used witchcraft in major accusations against other religions and followers of those religions, the albigensians of France were drowned in their own blood on the orders of pope innocent III.
When King Philip le bel of France tried to take over the vast knight’s templar wealth and dispose of his allies the templar’s were captured and tortured.
They subsequently confessed to worshipping an idol by the name of bapomet who was said to take on the form of a cat.
Perhaps the most famous was Joan of ark who it was thought became such a political threat to the hierarchy of power and being a woman, she was accused and burnt as a witch. What are Runes?
Runes are connected to witchcraft and they are a tool used in divination and magic which have been used throughout Europe, Scandinavia, the British Isles and Iceland from around 100 b.c.e.
They are used as an oracle for seeking advice and are said to work best on asking a specific question once having given details of the circumstances, although the outcome is sometimes questionable and unclear.
The runes at best will point you in the right direction but you will have to conclude the answer yourself from the information they give you and figure out exact details yourself, there is never a clear cut and dry answer to your problems.
However, rune casting or runic divination as it is called is not a way of fortune telling but rather a way of analyzing the particular path you are on and what the outcome is likely to be.
The word rune means mystery or secret and each rune has a special meaning and properties associated with it, each of them translates into a word or phrase that has a special meaning representing the forces of nature and the mind and each is associated with a Norse god.
The runes were also used as a method of writing and first made their appearance among German tribes in central Europe, it is thought that some of the rune symbols may have come from other languages such as Greek and early roman.
Inscriptions on the runic stones have been dated as far back as the 3rd century AD though it is thought that they existed a long time before then.
How to read runes
By far the simplest way of reading runes is to use the one rune method, after you have cleared your mind of all other thoughts ask the question in mind, concentrating on it.
When you have concentrated on your question and you feel the time is right take just one rune from your bag and from this stone, you will gather information relating to the question at hand, what you make of this information is entirely up to you.
If you think that more information is needed then you can take three runes instead of just the one from the bag, you will deduct information from the first rune regarding the circumstances of your question.
The second rune will give you an indication of the route you should take and the third is the likely outcome should you choose to go with the action.
This of course is only a very brief glimpse of casting runes and there are several books and websites you can read should you wish to delve deeper into the magic of runes. The tradition of Halloween
Obeah in the Virgin Islands
Perhaps the most famous form of obeah that we are all familiar with if we have visited the Virgin Islands is the mocko-jumbie or the stilt dancer.
Obeah tradition in the virgin islands proclaim that a jumbie is a lost or evil spirit and is thought to be related to the word nzumbi or as we more commonly know them zombies.
However as dark as the word suggests a jumbie might be they are totally opposite and wear brightly coloured clothing, they dance during the daylight hours and stilt dancing is very popular at holidays and at carnivals.
Obeah and wanga
The wanga is associated with obeah and it is a small magical charm packet which is used in the practice of black magic in Haiti, it is a form of magic that is associated with voodoo.
Wanga is also known as mojo, toby and jomo, it is usually a drawstring bag in which a charm is held and is worn under the clothing.
They are thought to hold supernatural powers and can protect the wearer from harm and evil, they are also used in the casting of evil spells with the intent to harm others, usually something relating to the person such as a lock of hair or fingernail clippings is used.
Particular attention is taken to the tying of the bag as this is thought to ensure that the particular spell works correctly and once it has been sealed then it is encouraged to work by using perfume or anointing oils on it regularly. The witches coven
When we think of a witches coven, we think of a group of old wart nosed witches standing around a simmering cauldron reciting incantations, however the true witch’s coven is nothing like this and they do exist today.
Of the covens existing today, the Wicca coven is perhaps the most notable and joining a coven or becoming the leader of one is is not a task that should be taken lightly.
There are many unqualified Wicca teachers out there who give bad advice and teachings, and it seems that just about anyone can and will set up a website claiming to be a Wicca.
Before letting you join the coven you will have to take a kind of interview and of course, you will have to decide as much as the coven if you want to be a part of the group.
The pagan belief system is very diverse and as such, practices from group to group will vary, however one thing that all groups or covens have in common is that they rely on the blending of spiritual energies within the group.
There are several questions you should ask of the group leader or high priest or priestess and also yourself before you join the group, questions to ask could be:
* What is this coven trying to accomplish?
* How many members are in the coven and how big do they expect to grow?
* What is the group’s general experience in the Wicca practice?
* What is the turnover rate of the coven, do members leave frequently? * Have the coven been forced to banish a member and if so why?
* What qualities are the groups leaders looking for and why?
* How do the covens leaders get to chosen as leaders?
* Do leaders have an excessive amount of power over the coven?
* Does the coven have a set of written rules they will let you see?
* What contributions are expected of its members?
* Who prepares and decides the rituals?
* What magical practices does the coven perform or use?
* Do the other members of the coven seem welcoming?
* Are the members committed to spiritual progress?
* Is input readily accepted from members?
Points to be wary of
* Be very wary of anyone who approaches you to ask you to join the coven, this is not normal wiccan behaviour, people aren’t asked to join.
* Beware of any covens that have young people under the age of 18 within their coven, responsible high priests and priestesses will never have anyone under the age of 18 in their coven.
* Beware of any coven that asks members to do chores or work for the high priest and priestesses, genuine high priests and priestesses never have this rule.
* Beware of any coven that abuses members for wrongdoing.
* Beware of any coven whose leader insists that a sexual ritual must take place with the high priest or priestess before being enrolled into the coven. The Salem witch trials
Perhaps the most famous of all witches and witch hunts were those accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials in what was then known as Salem village in Massachusetts U.S.A.
It was the bizarre behaviour of two of the daughters of the towns minister reverend Samuel Parris who started events in the small town in 1692. The events of the Salem witch trials
In January of 1692 Elizabeth parris age 9 and 11 year old Abigail Williams began to show signs of disturbing behaviour which ranged from seizures, trance like states, blasphemous screaming and shouting and mysterious happenings around them.
Within a very short space of time, other girls of similar age began to show these strange signs and symptoms, doctors were baffled as to the cause of these happenings and when they couldn’t find any medical cause for them they were declared to be under the influence of Satan.
By late February of that year after many prayer meetings and fastings conducted by the reverend parris in the hope of revealing their true identity and expose them as witches and under ever-increasing pressure, the girls named three women as witches.
By the end of February of that year these three women Tituba a Caribbean Indian slave of the parris family, Sarah good and Sarah osbourne were all arrested despite proclaiming their innocence.
However, the slave Tituba confessed that the devil sometimes appeared to her in the shape of part dog, part hog and said there was a conspiracy of witches at work in the village of Salem.
By march 1st after unrelenting questioning from the people of Salem Tituba finally admitted to practicing witchcraft, following this confession several of the towns people came forward and claimed they had seen or being harmed by strange apparitions of people in the community.
Accusations were made of many people in the village and among those accused were faithful churchgoers and upstanding citizens in the community along with those who had records of criminal activity.
During this period of time, several people were accused of witchcraft examined and denounced, with many of the townsfolk now starting to oppose the witchcraft trials petitions were being signed to protest people’s innocence.
By October 19th of that year over 20 people had been condemned as witches and hanged on the gallows during what was to be known as the Salem witch trials.
A letter was wrote during this time criticizing the trials and eventually the governor by the name of Phips ruled that spectral and intangible evidence no longer be admissible in the trials.
Salem today
Salem village is now known as Danvers and still standing is what was then known as the witch house on the corner of North and Essex in Salem, where guided tours with tales of the Salem witchcraft trials take place.
After all this time over 552 documents documenting the trials are still stored and preserved at the Peabody Essex museum along with several other pieces of memorabilia such as the pins used in the examination of the witches and what is said to be the finger bones of one of the victims of the Salem witch trials. What is Satanism?
Satanism is a form of witchcraft which is religion based and is more prevalent in the United States with the church of Satan being the most popular choice for followers of the devil. It is based on deep-seated philosophy and followers are bound by certain conditions and rules.The nine satanic statements
* Satan represents indulgence and abstinence is forgotten.
* Satan represents vital existence.
* Satan represents wisdom instead of self-deceit.
* Satan represents kindness to those who earn it.
* Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek.
* Satan represents responsibility to those who deserve it.
* Satan represents man as just another animal.
* Satan represents all of the so called sins.
* Satan is the church's best friend without him the church wouldn’t have lasted.
The eleven satanic rules of earth
* Do not give opinions or advice unless asked for it.
* Do not profess your troubles to others unless you’re sure they want to hear them.
* When in another lair treat them with respect.
* If a guest in your lair treats you disrespectfully treat them cruelly without showing mercy.
* Do not make advances sexually unless you are given a mating sign.
* Do not take something that doesn’t belong to you unless given it.
* Acknowledge the power of magic and use it successfully to obtain your desires.
* Do not complain about anything which doesn’t concern you.
* Do not harm small children.
* Do not kill non human animals unless they are food or for your protection.
* Bother no one but if someone bothers you ask them to stop, if they don’t destroy them.
The nine satanic sins
* Stupidity – Satanists must learn to see through the tricks that people can try.
* Solipsism – never show people your true feelings, reactions and responses.
* Self-deceit – never deceive yourself, the only time this is permissible is when self-deceit is for fun.
* Herd conformity – only conform to a person's wishes if it benefits you.
* Lack of perspective – never lose sight of who and what you are and the threat you can be to others.
* Forgetfulness of past orthodoxies – this is one of the keys to brainwashing people into accepting and trying something new.
* Counter productive pride – pride is acceptable up to a point but only if it works for you.
* Lack of aesthetics – aesthetics is important in lesser magic and should be cultivated. What is Voodoo?
Voodoo is one of the world’s oldest forms of religion which has been associated with witchcraft and has been around in Africa since the beginning of human civilisation.
Those who practice voodoo believe that nothing and no event happens on its own but that all things are connected, following this theory what you do to another, you do to yourself.
Rituals involved in voodoo ceremonies include prayers, singing, dancing and the sacrifice of animals, those following the beliefs of voodoo believe that god manifests through the spirits of dead ancestors and so must be honoured in these rituals.
Music and dance play a key role in the rituals and this has often been portrayed as the lead up to sexual frenzy and orgies, this however isn’t true. Voodoo dancing is an expression of spirituality, a way of connecting with divinity and the spiritual world.
The ancestors of those who follow the voodoo religion are thought to be part of the world of spirits and these spirits can be called on to help and give protection and guidance.
The voodoo priest or priestess can also use herbal remedies or medicines which have been passed down through families to help those who are sick, with faith healing playing a big part also in the religion.
Voodoo has always wrongly been categorised as an evil form of witchcraft with the rites and rituals being performed for evil doings however this is untrue.
The misconceptions of voodoo
Despite voodoo being one of the oldest of all religions it has been characterised as being barbaric and primitive based on superstition and fear, the Europeans seem to fear anything that comes out of Africa and especially anything they don’t fully understand.
Voodoo has however adopted several elements from Christianity but despite this when the French colonised Haiti they saw the voodoo religion as a threat and prohibited the practice of the religion severely punishing those who took part in rituals.
The struggle to banish the religion of voodoo lasted over three centuries but despite every effort it couldn’t be stopped and voodoo is still practiced today in a number of countries.
The power of voodoo
Due to the strength the Africans gained from their religion, voodoo survived the persecutions of the French and it is thought that the voodoo priests used their religion to determine how to fight the political battle in order to win it.
In 1804, the Haitians finally won the battle and independence and today the practice of voodoo reflects its history. © Copyright 2006 Occultresearch.org - occult, cults, witchcraft & black magic - All rights reserved
Below I will give links to TRUSTED web-sites that explain in small ways some of the so-called unexplained events that captivate Christian & non-Christian ALIKE!
In future blogs I will do detailed studies about all the unexplained things and HOW SATAN deceives MILLIONS into a belief system so close to the FACTS BUT OHHHH! SO FAR FROM THE TRUTH!
Remember the Occult is very real and just because "A FEW" PHONIES EXIST IN THE WHOLE DOES NOT MEAN THE THE WHOLE IS INNOCENT FUN.
Dangers of the Occult
By Richard F. Ames
Are witchcraft, astrology and spiritism just harmless hobbies, or are they deceptive sources of information and guidance?
Many do not realize that the occult now pervades modern culture, and that Christians must remain on guard against its evil influence.
Millions are pursuing astrology, witchcraft and the occult. Are they sowing seeds of doom and destruction? Are these just harmless hobbies, or can you face real dangers if you dabble in the occult?
Less than three months after its release, the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone became the second-highest-grossing film ever, selling nearly $1 billion of tickets to theatergoers eager for a tale of witchcraft, wizardry and the occult.
The first of seven installments in author J. K. Rowling’s planned series, Harry Potter is at the helm of a multi-billion-dollar media empire that has made Rowling one of the three highest-paid women in Great Britain. Her books have sold more than 60 million copies in 200 countries around the world.
Yet, for many, the occult is more than fiction. A May 2000 Zogby America poll revealed that 57.7 percent of Americans aged 18–29 believe in ghosts.
This phenomenon is not confined to the United States; Time Magazine reported recently that belief in ghosts is shared by 45 percent in Britain.
Melbourne’s Saturday Herald Sun reported that 46 percent of Australian women, and 34 percent of Australian men, believe in ghosts (January 16, 1999).
Leger Marketing reported in October 2001 that 30.2 percent of Canadians believe in ghosts. In Rowling’s books, characters routinely interact with ghosts.
Harry communicates with his dead parents through a special mirror. Characters seek guidance from astrologers, cast occult spells and use their paranormal powers to fight their enemies.
The Bible condemns this as sorcery, yet it is a part of the ordinary world of Harry Potter.
The Harry Potter series teaches young minds a false and evil worldview in which occult powers, condemned in Scripture, can be used as tools for good.
Sadly, instead of condemning the dangerous and un-biblical world of witches and wizards, some churches and clergy have tried to exploit its appeal to youth.
Last year, a vicar in one English church held a special "Harry Potter liturgy." A serpent was hung in the church, while a clergyman wearing a wizard’s robe led the service. Other elements of the Harry Potter story were brought into the church service.
Incredibly, many other pastors expressed interest in having that liturgy for their own churches.
What have the world’s churches come to?
As one American commentator observed:
"Nobody respects a religious institution willing to compromise willy-nilly with the secular culture, on a fool’s quest for popularity. A church that will try anything stands for nothing!" (Rod Dreher, New York Post, Sept. 5, 2000).
Today’s media fascination with the occult extends far beyond Harry Potter.
Thirty-five years ago, many considered the television series Bewitched controversial. Today, it seems tame compared to such popular television fare as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Charmed, which glamorize the occult.
And the occult is not just for teenagers or couch potatoes.
Even leaders of nations pursue the occult. Former White House chief of staff Donald Regan reported, in his autobiography For the Record, that President Ronald Reagan’s travels and activities were approved by an astrologer of his wife’s choosing.
The London Daily Telegraph reported that former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher consulted an astrologer "for signs of future dangers."
Most members of India’s Parliament have personal astrologers on retainer. Even in the former Soviet Union, once a bastion of materialism, the occult holds sway, as Russia is "swamped by astrologers, UFOlogists, soothsayers, parapsychologists, bogus doctors and other charlatans, whom genuine scientists make few efforts to contradict.… One of the main tasks of a senior official in the Presidential Security Service is to study astrology and prepare horoscopes" (London Daily Telegraph, July 29, 1996).
How Has Mankind Been Deceived?
Scripture reveals the source of occult deception. "So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him" (Revelation 12:9).
Satan deceives the whole world, not just a part of this world. And he also has spirit helpers, called demons.
How does Satan deceive the whole world? He does it through the occult, false religion and false education—and through a social system that seeks licentious pleasure rather than God!
The prophet Isaiah wrote:
"And when they say to you, ‘Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people seek their God?
Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?" (Isaiah 8:19).
Who are people seeking today:
mediums, wizards or the true God?
Isaiah wrote:
"To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20).
We need to understand that there is a real spirit world!
Notice this warning:
"When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations.
There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead" (Deuteronomy 18:9–11).
God Almighty condemns sorcery and witchcraft. If you are "playing around" with such darkness, then you need to reject that underworld of evil!
Seek the true God of your Bible! God’s warning continues:
"For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you.
You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you" (Deuteronomy 18:12–14).
Can anything be more clear concerning the evils of witchcraft and sorcery?
And yet millions of adults are teaching their children that there is nothing wrong with a Harry Potter actively pursuing witchcraft and wizardry.
But the prophet Samuel told King Saul that witchcraft is sin. "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king" (1 Samuel 15:23).
God says that participation in the occult is spiritual harlotry (Psalm 106:38–39)! How did God punish His people for their wickedness?
"Therefore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against His people, so that He abhorred His own inheritance. And He gave them into the hand of the Gentiles, and those who hated them ruled over them.
Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their hand" (Psalm 106:40–42).
The nation of Israel went into captivity because of these abominable practices. A great tribulation and captivity will also come upon our peoples, if we fail to repent of our evil practices!
Some might argue that dressing up in Halloween costumes is "innocent" fun, and rationalize that parents today are not encouraging their children to expose themselves to symbols and practices of the occult.
But parents who take this approach are risking their children’s spiritual lives by underestimating the devil’s influence (Ephesians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 4:4).
In Luke’s gospel, we find that our Savior cured many individuals who were plagued by evil spirits:
"And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight" (Luke 7:21). Do we live contrary to our Savior’s example?
Do we teach our children to attract and cultivate evil spirits at Halloween? Certainly, dressing up like a demon or a witch invites evil rather than opposes it!
The Apostle James advises us to resist evil, not entertain it!
"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).
That is your Creator’s instruction to you! He promises that the devil will flee from you. Yes, "Resist the devil!"
Do not join the masses in celebrating the dark world of Satan and the occult!
Do not participate in the dark traditions of Halloween or any other such practices.
Notice God’s warnings against mediums and familiar spirits:
"Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them:
I am the Lord your God" (Leviticus 19:31).
The Creator God plainly states that we should avoid mediums and spiritists.
He does not want you to be defiled by evil influence. Notice His strong language:
"The person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God" (Leviticus 20:6–7).
When a person consorts with mediums and familiar spirits, God says that he is prostituting himself. Christians are to be clean and wholesome.
They should be "holy" as we just read. Remember what the Apostle Peter wrote: "But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’" (1 Peter 1:15–16).
Astrology and False Prophecy
Satan also deceives mankind through astrology. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica: "Astrology originated in Mesopotamia, perhaps in the 3rd millennium bc, but attained its full development in the Western world much later, within the orbit of Greek civilization of the Hellenistic period.
It spread to India in its older Mesopotamian form. Islamic culture absorbed it as part of the Greek heritage; and in the Middle Ages, when Western Europe was strongly affected by Islamic science, European astrology also felt the influence of the Orient….
Although various Christian councils condemned astrology, the belief in the worldview it implies was not seriously shaken.
In the late European Middle Ages, a number of universities, among them Paris, Padua, Bologna, and Florence, had chairs of astrology."
Even though all true Christians have condemned astrology over the years, it has persisted. In our modern time, astrologers admit that the newspaper variety of horoscope advice is mainly entertainment.
But when world leaders consult astrologers for guidance, they are seeking the wrong god!
Listen to God’s warning through the prophet Jeremiah:
"Thus says the Lord: ‘Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the Gentiles are dismayed at them" (Jeremiah 10:2).
We have already seen that Jesus predicted that signs and wonders would deceive the many.
The book of Revelation reveals dramatic events leading up to the Second Coming of Christ. There will be a great false prophet and religious system that will perform miracles, signs and wonders.
The Apostle John writes this about the great false prophet. "He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men" (Revelation 13:13).
Millions, if not billions, of people will be deceived by these impressive miracles. "And he [the false prophet] deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast" (Revelation 13:14).
How can you tell whether someone is truly a minister of God, and not someone controlled by the occult world? Deuteronomy gives us a key.
"If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’; which you have not known; ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him" (Deuteronomy 13:1–4).
A false minister or prophet may even prophesy accurately concerning some sign or wonder.
But God says that if he leads you after other gods—if he leads you away from the God of the Bible and the true Jesus Christ of your Bible—then he is a false prophet. Notice also that God may be testing you, to see if you will be faithful to His Word and to His way of life!
Satan has deceived the whole world. He has many methods of deception, including witches, wizardry, channeling, sorcery, astrology, spiritism and false religion.
You need to be on guard against the dangers of the occult. The Apostle Peter gave us this instruction in 1 Peter 5:8–9:
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world."
God promises us protection from evil. Jesus taught us to pray:
"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" (Matthew 6:13).
Paul exhorted Christians: "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:11–12).
You can overcome the wicked one by knowing the word of God—the Bible—and living by it.
You can overcome the temptations and deceptions of the occult and false religion. As the Apostle Paul encourages us in Philippians 4:13:
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." May God empower you to go forward in faith. May you live not by the dark deceptions of this world, but by the light of truth, God’s Word.
King Saul's Séance
Movies like The Sixth Sense, and television programs such as Crossing Over With John Edward, play on mankind’s wish that the dead could communicate with the living.
This is an age-old wish; nearly 3,000 years ago, a desperate King Saul sought help from a medium—and suffered greatly for doing so.
Saul had disobeyed God’s instructions regarding the Amalekites. He received God’s judgment that "rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king" (1 Samuel 15:23).
Because of Saul’s disobedience, the Spirit of God was no longer guiding him (1 Samuel 16:14; 28:6).
Desperate for guidance, Saul asked a medium to perform a séance, though he knew this violated God’s law, which prescribed the death penalty for witchcraft or mediumship (Leviticus 20:27).
During the séance, a spirit identified as Samuel (1 Samuel 28:14–15) warned that the Philistines would defeat Israel’s armies, and Saul would soon die.
Saul became "dreadfully afraid" because of these words, and "fell full length on the ground" (v. 20).
Clearly, this spirit’s message terrified Saul. But was the summoned spirit really Samuel?
No, it was not.
Scripture explains that Saul never actually saw Samuel; he only perceived that the spirit was Samuel because of the medium’s descriptions (1 Samuel 28:14).
The Bible faithfully records Saul’s experience, from his terrified point of view, but does not teach that the spirit was Samuel.
Interestingly, most of today’s mediums follow a similar practice, claiming to communicate with deceased spirits even though—like Saul—their clients never actually see those spirits.
Crossing Over With John Edward is wildly popular in some circles, and has even spawned imitators like The Pet Psychic, whose host claims to communicate with families’ dearly departed pets.
Spirit communication is not only the stuff of horror movies and cable television; even "innocent family fare" like Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol stirs the hope that our loved ones can still call to us from beyond the grave. But this is a false hope.
Our dead friends and relatives are unconscious, and will remain so until the resurrection (Ecclesiastes 9:5; Psalm 146:4). Their state in death is compared to a sleep from which only God can wake them (1 Corinthians 15:51). No medium can summon the dead.
The Apostle Paul warned that some in the "latter times" would give "heed to deceiving spirits" (1 Timothy 4:1). Some modern mediums may be charlatans, who infer details about the dead by "reading" their living, paying clients.
But other "genuine" mediums may be genuinely deceived, communicating with demonic spirits who impersonate the deceased.
"Genuine" or not, mediumship is dangerous business. But few today realize the serious consequences of rebelling against God’s law and seeking after spirits.
What was the result for Saul?
Scripture explains:
"So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance" (1 Chronicles 10:13).
Christians today should heed Saul’s cautionary example.
It has come to my attention through some contacts I have in Wicca and I have confirmed it to be true, that "Born Again Bible thumping Church Goers" are CONDEMNING, ACCUSING, and INSULTING PEOPLE OF OTHER FAITHS without knowing the facts about what they critisize.
{FACTS SHOULD NEVER BE USED TO CLUB PEOPLE OVER THE HEAD WITH, BUT ONLY TO CONVINCE AND LEAD us in the proper direction.}
This behavior of beating people up with "Bible Facts" IS NOT a GODLY practise, and God will not hold you ,whoever you are male or female blameless for these actions!
This behavior is "Mid evil"at best and shows a complete LACK of the love of God, for it is and ALWAYS HAS BEEN GOD THE FATHERS JOB TO LEAD THEM TO HIS SON...JESUS....NOT OURS! John 3:16-21 (GW)
" God loved the world this way:
He gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but to save the world.
18 Those who believe in him won't be condemned. But those who don't believe are already condemned because they don't believe in God's only Son.
This is why people are condemned:
The light came into the world. Yet, people loved the dark rather than the light because their actions were evil. People who do what is wrong hate the light and don't come to the light.
They don't want their actions to be exposed. But people who do what is true come to the light so that the things they do for God may be clearly seen."
It is NOT the place for Christians (If you can call yourselves that)I RECENTLY READ A BUMPER STICKER ON THE CAR OF A WICCAN THAT HURT MY HEART, NOT BECAUSE IT WAS SOME MOCKING OF GOD BUT BECAUSE IT STATED WHAT I'M SAYING HERE...."GOD...SAVE ME FROM YOUR GOOD PEOPLE!"
Please understand that God HATES SIN BUT REALLY DOES LOVE THE SINNER,therefore YOU have no RIGHT to call a sinner anything that God would not call them!
I was angered (Righteously) when a friend (ON YAHOO 360) I treasure as a good,honest,and caring person was SLANDERED by a SO-CALLED CHRISTIAN for being a Wiccan...This is wicked behavior CHURCH (I know you are few,but it only takes one rotten apple to spoil the good ones) Witches, Satanists, Atheist's and Skeptic's view "God and Jesus" through OUR BEHAVIORS and if we can't truly show the love of God to them then WE NEED TO SHUT UP and go away UNTIL WE GROW UP INTO HIS LOVE.
Psalms 101:5-7 (GW)
" I will destroy anyone who secretly slanders his neighbor. I will not tolerate anyone with a conceited look or arrogant heart. My eyes will be watching the faithful people in the land so that they may live with me.
The person who lives with integrity will serve me. The one who does deceitful things will not stay in my home. The one who tells lies will not remain in my presence. "
2 Corinthians 3:2 (KJV)
Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
Romans 2:24 (GW) As Scripture says, “God's name is cursed among the nations because of you.”
PRAY THIS PRAYER IF YOU ARE AFRAID OF THE DARKNESS AND I PROMISE IF YOU PRAY WITH FAITH,BELIEVING YOU WILL BECOME FEARLESS IN THE LORD'S WORK AND NO-LONGER NEED TO CONDEMN THOSE WHO ARE DIFFERENT,BECAUSE YOU'LL BE FREE!!!
Let's all learn to get along with those we don't agree with in the spirit of Christian LOVE,you will draw more bees with HONEY(LOVE) THAN WITH VINEGAR (UNWISE ZEAL).
There are many people out there that WON'T LISTEN TO US BECAUSE WE SHOW IGNORANCE OF WHAT THEY BELIEVE AND THEREFORE CAN'T REASON WITH THEM!
I know first hand how ignorant believers are for they condemned and beraded me for ever being a witch in the first place, NOT understanding that circumstances in my life led me into wiccan and black witchcraft..those were my choices at the time and I thank God that he had "a Remnant"of faithful followers that LOVED and reasoned with me for "Months"before God finally broke through my stubborn heart!
DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF PATIENCE WHEN DEALING WITH PEOPLE.The high value of a person's heart is WORTH THE WAIT,and above all don't be so naive as to believe that you can't learn from others..some of my Witch friends have good hearts that get HURT and BLEED just like yours..so be very careful with their hearts...please! to condemn and cause people to hate our God because of your misplaced ZEAL.
The Following Article is needed in the Church today because it says it all.....I have experienced both side of this issue and can confirm to you that it is true, so take back this holiday in confidence knowing the facts and tossing out the bull that religion has created!
The History of Halloween -- It's Probably Not What You Think
by Dennis Rupert, pastor New Life Community Church of Stafford Last update: 05/30/2008
This article has been carefully researched in an attempt to separate fact from hype and exaggeration.
Sources include scholarly works by folklorists, books by Celtic experts, internet sites, and various reference works. I read and talked with pagan sources to find out how they viewed Halloween, but did not rely upon them for information on the origins of Halloween.
I am especially indebted to folklorist W.J. Bethancourt III for initially bringing this history to my attention.
I have confirmed his research by my own limited study and highly recommend his site as the first place to view for information on Halloween practices (History of Halloween : Myths, Monsters and Devils).
The Celtic Connection
Our modern celebration of Halloween is a VERY distant descendant of the ancient Celtic fire festival called Samhain. (The word is pronounced "sow-en" rhyming with cow, because "mh" in the middle of an Irish word has a "w" sound.) It was the biggest and most significant holiday of the Celtic year.
The Celts (pronounced 'Kelts") lived more than 2,000 years ago in what is now Great Britain, Ireland, and France. Their new year began on November 1.
Celtic legends tell us that on this night, all the hearth fires in Ireland were extinguished, and then re-lit from the central fire of the Druids at Tlachtga, 12 miles from the royal hill of Tara. (The Druids were the learned class among the Celts.
They were religious priests who also acted as judges, lawmakers, poets, scholars, and scientists.) Upon this sacred bonfire the Druids burned animals and crops.
The extinguishing of the hearth fires symbolized the "dark half" of the year. The re-kindling from the Druidic fire was symbolic of the returning life that was hoped for in the spring.
The feast of Samhain is described by MacCane as order suspended.
"During this interval the normal order of the universe is suspended, the barriers between the natural and the supernatural are temporarily removed, the sidh lies open and all divine beings and the spirits of the dead move freely among men and interfere sometimes violently, in their affairs" (Celtic Mythology, p. 127).
The Celts believed that when people died, they went to a land of eternal youth and happiness called Tir nan Og. They did not have the concept of heaven and hell that the Christian church later brought into the land.
The dead were sometimes believed to be dwelling with the Fairy Folk, who lived in the numerous mounds or sidhe (pron. "shee") that dotted the Irish and Scottish countryside.
The Celts did not actually have demons and devils in their belief system. Some Christians describe Halloween as a festival in which the Celts sacrificed human beings to the devil or some evil demonic god of death.
This is not accurate. The Celts did believe in gods, giants, monsters, witches, spirits, and elves, but these were not considered evil, so much as dangerous.
The fairies, for example, were often considered hostile and menacing to humans because they were seen as being resentful of men taking over their lands.
On this night of Samhain, the fairies would sometimes trick humans into becoming lost in the fairy mounds, where they would be trapped forever.
Folk tradition tells us of some divination practices associated with Samhain. Among the most common were divinations dealing with marriage, weather, and the coming fortunes for the year.
These were performed via such methods as ducking for apples and apple peeling. Ducking for apples was a marriage divination.
The first person to bite an apple would be the first to marry in the coming year -- like the modern toss of the wedding bouquet. Apple peeling was a divination to see how long your life would be.
The longer the unbroken apple peel, the longer your life was destined to be. In Scotland, people would place stones or nuts in the ashes of the hearth before retiring for the night. Anyone whose stone had been disturbed during the night was said to be destined to die during the coming year.
Inaccurate Christian Teaching about Halloween
You will often read in the literature published by Christian organizations (such as the tracts and comic books from publisher Jack Chick) that, "Samhain was the Celtic God of the Dead, worshipped by the Druids with dreadful bloody sacrifices at Halloween."
Chick embroiders this fantasy in a tract called "The Trick" and a full-sized comic book called, "Spellbound?", shown here.
His writings describe evil Druids going from castle-door-to-door seeking virgin princesses to rape and sacrifice, leaving carved pumpkins illuminated by candles ("made from human fat!") for those who cooperated, and arranging demonic assassinations for those who refused to give them what they wanted.
This, according to Mr. Chick, is supposed to be the "true" origin of trick or treating.
Let's look at a few historical facts : Contrary to information published by many Christian organizations, there is no historical or archeological evidence of any Celtic deity of the dead named "Samhain."
We know the names of some 350 Celtic deities and Samhain isn't found among them. The Celtic gods of the dead were Gwynn ap Nudd for the British, and Arawn for the Welsh. The Irish did not have a "lord of death" as such.
McBain's Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language says that "samhuinn" (the Scots Gaelic spelling) means "summer's end."
It's not just Christian organizations that perpetuate this fallacy -- even the World Book encyclopedia (1990) writes about "Samhain, the Celtic lord of death" (World Book is in discussion with scholars in order to change this in future editions.)
This idea is based on a fallacy that seems to have come from Col. Charles Vallency's books in the 1770s before the reliable translations of existing Celtic literary works and before archaeological excavations.
(Col. Charles Vallency also tried to prove that the Irish were descended from the inhabitants of Armenia!) Samhain is the name of the holiday.
There is no evidence of any god or demon named "Samhain," "Samain," "Sam Hane," or however you want to vary the spelling.
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Contrary to Christian criticism from many sources, Halloween did not originate as a Satanic festival, but was religious in nature (of course, the religion I am referring to is the Celtic faith of the ancient Druids rather than Christianity).
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This is an important distinction, for Halloween’s association with Satanic worship is a modern phenomenon. The Celts didn't worship the devil (or any god of death) on Halloween.
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It is important to distinguish between paganism and Satanism. Pagans are people who believe in more than one god.
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Some modern day pagans call themselves Wiccans. [For more on Wicca and modern witchcraft see What is Witchcraft?] Pagans are quick to emphasize that they do not worship Satan or the devil.
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The devil is a Judeo-Christian concept, they say, because one has to believe in a single God to believe in God's opposite: "We do not accept the concept of 'absolute evil,' nor do we worship any entity known as 'Satan' or 'The Devil.'" (Drawing Down the Moon, pp. 103).
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Celts were pagans, not Satanists.Of course, from a Christian standpoint both are in error. But to my mind there is a major difference between:
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(1) pagans (who have not heard the gospel) practicing a holiday containing fairies and elves and
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(2) Satanists (in rebellion against God) who sacrifice children to the devil. There is no original evidence to indicate that Samhain was any more Satanic than pagan harvest festivals of other religions, like the Romans or the Greeks.
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We have no evidence any where (from tradition, Celtic texts, or archaeology) that virgin princesses or any one else were being offered to the lord of death on Halloween.
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There is general agreement that the Celts did in fact practice some form of human sacrifice or human execution, but this seems to have been limited to criminals, prisoners-of-war, or volunteers.
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(For more information on human sacrifice and the Druids see History of Halloween : Myths, Monsters and Devils.)
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We have no evidence that Druids practiced human sacrifice on Halloween (let alone sacrificed "virgin princesses").
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The pumpkin is a New World plant that never grew in Europe until modern times, so it couldn't have been used to make jack-o-lanterns by the Druids.
Contrary to Christian criticism from many sources, Halloween did not originate as a Satanic festival, but was religious in nature (of course, the religion I am referring to is the Celtic faith of the ancient Druids rather than Christianity).
This is an important distinction, for Halloween’s association with Satanic worship is a modern phenomenon. The Celts didn't worship the devil (or any god of death) on Halloween.
It is important to distinguish between paganism and Satanism. Pagans are people who believe in more than one god.
Some modern day pagans call themselves Wiccans. [For more on Wicca and modern witchcraft see What is Witchcraft?] Pagans are quick to emphasize that they do not worship Satan or the devil.
The devil is a Judeo-Christian concept, they say, because one has to believe in a single God to believe in God's opposite: "We do not accept the concept of 'absolute evil,' nor do we worship any entity known as 'Satan' or 'The Devil.'" (Drawing Down the Moon, pp. 103).
Celts were pagans, not Satanists.Of course, from a Christian standpoint both are in error. But to my mind there is a major difference between:
(1) pagans (who have not heard the gospel) practicing a holiday containing fairies and elves and
(2) Satanists (in rebellion against God) who sacrifice children to the devil. There is no original evidence to indicate that Samhain was any more Satanic than pagan harvest festivals of other religions, like the Romans or the Greeks.
We have no evidence any where (from tradition, Celtic texts, or archaeology) that virgin princesses or any one else were being offered to the lord of death on Halloween.
There is general agreement that the Celts did in fact practice some form of human sacrifice or human execution, but this seems to have been limited to criminals, prisoners-of-war, or volunteers.
(For more information on human sacrifice and the Druids see History of Halloween : Myths, Monsters and Devils.)
We have no evidence that Druids practiced human sacrifice on Halloween (let alone sacrificed "virgin princesses").
The pumpkin is a New World plant that never grew in Europe until modern times, so it couldn't have been used to make jack-o-lanterns by the Druids.
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There's zero evidence that the ancient Druids or their congregants ever dressed in costume or engaged in ritualized begging at harvest time. One Christian tract entitled Trick or Treat says:
The Druids went from house to house asking for a contribution to their demonic worship celebration. If a person didn't give, their trick was to kill him. The people feared the phrase "Trick or Treat."
The Druids went from house to house asking for a contribution to their demonic worship celebration. If a person didn't give, their trick was to kill him. The people feared the phrase "Trick or Treat."
This charge has been laid at the door step of the Celts so often that it's hard to believe there is no evidence for it, but there is absolutely none.
Tad Tuleja (a folklore expert) writes:
An exhaustive Victorian survey of Irish calendar customs mentions divination games and apple bobbing as Halloween pastimes, but says nothing about food collection or a procession of "spirits."...On the question of masked begging at the Celtic New Year, authorities on the Druids do not say a word. (Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life, p. 83).
Where did costuming at Halloween come from? There is a lot of confusion on this point.
But in spite of what you may have read in an encyclopedia or seen on the History Channel, I can find absolutely NO historical evidence of costumed begging among the Druids or as part of the Samhain festival.
We do have records of costumed processions in a much later time (Christian times), but these costumed processions were NOT limited to the Halloween holiday. They appear much more frequently at Christmas.
The earliest actual historic practice seems to have been poor folk in masks and costumes going from house to house.
They would put on a simple play or musical performance in return for food and drink. This practice is called mumming or guising and has no discernable connection to the Celts.
You may be surprised to learn that your parents or grandparents know nothing about costuming on Halloween. A reader sent me this email:
You mentioned in your article that the American custom came about in the 1930s as a reaction to vandalism.
My parents were kids in New York City in those days, and I started looking for more info because of a comment my mom made on Halloween night.
It seems that Halloween as we know it did not exist at the time--it was all pranks, as you mentioned (my mom mentioned taking gates off posts and moving outhouses, as you did, and my dad said that in the days of coal fuel there were big cans of ashes that the kids would tip over--a big mess).
The interesting part was that both of them said (Dad was born in 1924 and Mom in 1927) that each year as kids, they did go from door to door begging for food--but it was on Thanksgiving Day, not Halloween!
My mom said that rather than "Trick or Treat!" their line at each door was "Anything for the poor? Anything for the poor?"
They were given fruit, nuts, a cup of cider, or the occasional coin--that sort of thing.
This email is similar to conversations with my own father and mother (born 1928 and 1930 in western Pennsylvania), who told me that no one dressed in costumes or went door-to-door when they were children.
There were lots of pranks on Halloween (some of which make great stories for the grandchildren), but they know nothing of dressing up.
So where did costuming come from? That's a big question mark. Folklorist Tad Tuleja says that costume parties are frequently mentioned in the early decades of the 1900s (but nothing about going door-to-door in costume).
The costume parties themselves seem to be an attempt to involve children in disciplined "fun" as opposed to destructive "fun."
An exhaustive Victorian survey of Irish calendar customs mentions divination games and apple bobbing as Halloween pastimes, but says nothing about food collection or a procession of "spirits."...On the question of masked begging at the Celtic New Year, authorities on the Druids do not say a word. (Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life, p. 83).
Where did costuming at Halloween come from? There is a lot of confusion on this point.
But in spite of what you may have read in an encyclopedia or seen on the History Channel, I can find absolutely NO historical evidence of costumed begging among the Druids or as part of the Samhain festival.
We do have records of costumed processions in a much later time (Christian times), but these costumed processions were NOT limited to the Halloween holiday. They appear much more frequently at Christmas.
The earliest actual historic practice seems to have been poor folk in masks and costumes going from house to house.
They would put on a simple play or musical performance in return for food and drink. This practice is called mumming or guising and has no discernable connection to the Celts.
You may be surprised to learn that your parents or grandparents know nothing about costuming on Halloween. A reader sent me this email:
You mentioned in your article that the American custom came about in the 1930s as a reaction to vandalism.
My parents were kids in New York City in those days, and I started looking for more info because of a comment my mom made on Halloween night.
It seems that Halloween as we know it did not exist at the time--it was all pranks, as you mentioned (my mom mentioned taking gates off posts and moving outhouses, as you did, and my dad said that in the days of coal fuel there were big cans of ashes that the kids would tip over--a big mess).
The interesting part was that both of them said (Dad was born in 1924 and Mom in 1927) that each year as kids, they did go from door to door begging for food--but it was on Thanksgiving Day, not Halloween!
My mom said that rather than "Trick or Treat!" their line at each door was "Anything for the poor? Anything for the poor?"
They were given fruit, nuts, a cup of cider, or the occasional coin--that sort of thing.
This email is similar to conversations with my own father and mother (born 1928 and 1930 in western Pennsylvania), who told me that no one dressed in costumes or went door-to-door when they were children.
There were lots of pranks on Halloween (some of which make great stories for the grandchildren), but they know nothing of dressing up.
So where did costuming come from? That's a big question mark. Folklorist Tad Tuleja says that costume parties are frequently mentioned in the early decades of the 1900s (but nothing about going door-to-door in costume).
The costume parties themselves seem to be an attempt to involve children in disciplined "fun" as opposed to destructive "fun."
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The actual phrase trickor treat" is not Druidic! The earliest known reference in print dates only to 1938 in an article in the Los Angeles Times entitled "Halloween Pranks Plotted by Youngsters of Southland," Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California), October 30, 1938, p. A8:
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"Trick or treat!" is the Halloween hijacking game hundreds of Southern California youngsters will play tomorrow night as they practice streamlined versions of traditional Allhallows Eve pranks."
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The phrase is not recorded by the Merriam-Webster Company until 1941. And the term is actually American, not European (Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life, p. 47,86-90)!
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It's not only the phrase that is American, the practice is too!
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In America in the late 1800s and early 1900s, there was a custom of playing pranks on Halloween.
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This custom appears to have come from immigrants from Ireland and Scotland which had a practice called Mischief Night.
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Favorite pranks included tipping over outhouses and unhinging fence gates (Charles Panati, Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things).
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The pleasant fiction was that such rambunctiousness was the work of "fairies," "elves," "witches" and "goblins" (Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life, p. 87). That's the "trick" part of Halloween.
Where did the "treat" part of Halloween come from?
Jill Pederson Meyer writes:
"By the turn of the century, Halloween had become an ever more destructive way to “let off steam” for crowded and poor urban dwellers.
As Stuart Schneider writes in 'Halloween in America' (1995), vandalism that had been limited to tipping outhouses; removing gates, soaping windows and switching shop signs, by the 1920’s had become nasty -- with real destruction of property and cruelty to animals and people.
Perhaps not coincidentally, the disguised nighttime terrorism and murders by the Ku Klux Klan reached their apex during this decade.
Schneider writes that neighborhood committees and local city clubs such as the Boy Scouts then mobilized to organize safe and fun alternatives to vandalism.
School posters of the time call for a “Sane Halloween.” Good children were encouraged to go door to door and receive treats from homes and shop owners, thereby keeping troublemakers away.
By the 1930’s, these “beggar’s nights” were enormously popular and being practiced nationwide, with the “trick or treat” greeting widespread from the late 1930s."
The Halloween begging activity known as trick-or-treat comes from America in the 1930s, not the British Isles (for confirmation see A Letter from a MacDonald). The custom was intended to control and displace disruptive pranks.
Where did the "treat" part of Halloween come from?
Jill Pederson Meyer writes:
"By the turn of the century, Halloween had become an ever more destructive way to “let off steam” for crowded and poor urban dwellers.
As Stuart Schneider writes in 'Halloween in America' (1995), vandalism that had been limited to tipping outhouses; removing gates, soaping windows and switching shop signs, by the 1920’s had become nasty -- with real destruction of property and cruelty to animals and people.
Perhaps not coincidentally, the disguised nighttime terrorism and murders by the Ku Klux Klan reached their apex during this decade.
Schneider writes that neighborhood committees and local city clubs such as the Boy Scouts then mobilized to organize safe and fun alternatives to vandalism.
School posters of the time call for a “Sane Halloween.” Good children were encouraged to go door to door and receive treats from homes and shop owners, thereby keeping troublemakers away.
By the 1930’s, these “beggar’s nights” were enormously popular and being practiced nationwide, with the “trick or treat” greeting widespread from the late 1930s."
The Halloween begging activity known as trick-or-treat comes from America in the 1930s, not the British Isles (for confirmation see A Letter from a MacDonald). The custom was intended to control and displace disruptive pranks.
-------
Every year, right around Halloween, we are treated to an outpouring of literature making false statements about the origins of Halloween.
(In years past, I even helped distribute this type of literature to my congregation.) But my research on this subject has found that the Christian Halloween literature is vastly mistaken. Christians are guilty of spreading falsehood (perhaps out of ignorance, but falsehood none the less).
Believers do no service to God or to other Christians by creating very frightening fantasies masquerading as historical facts.
Sloppy and improper scholarship makes Christians look deceitful. It also makes God appear deceptive to unbelievers.
What I am arguing for is accurate information, rather than falsehood. No, I'm not a "closet pagan." No, I'm not "a wolf in sheep's clothing."
No, I haven't "bought into pagan propaganda." I'm a born-again, fundamentalist, Bible-believing, filled with the Spirit Christian (did I use enough labels?) trying to get at the historical truth.
At the Christian college I attended, I was taught that all truth was God's truth and that we don't need to fear truth -- whether it comes from secular, pagan, or Christian sources.
Over a period of years I have been reading and talking with folklorists, historians, Christians, pagans, and people from Scotland and Ireland.
The origins of Halloween are NOT what most Christian literature teaches. Sorry, no pumpkins with candles of human fat!
Sorry, no human sacrifices by evil druids.
Sorry, dressing up can't be historically connected to the Celts.
Sorry, treat-or-treat is not a Satanist plot to captivate our children.
Halloween and the Middle Ages
What do Christians do with a holiday when pagans refuse to stop practicing it?
This was the dilemma that faced Christians in the Middle Ages.
(It is also the dilemma facing Christians today with 40 million children going door-to-door each Halloween.)
In 601 A.D. Pope Gregory the First issued a now famous edict to his missionaries concerning the native beliefs and customs of the peoples he hoped to convert.
Rather than try to obliterate native peoples' customs and beliefs, the pope instructed his missionaries to use them:
if a group of people worshipped a tree, rather than cut it down, he advised them to consecrate it to Christ and build a church around it.
In terms of quickly adding people to the Christian faith, this was a brilliant concept and it became a basic approach used in Catholic missionary work.
In many cases, church holy days were purposely set to coincide with native holy days. Christmas, for instance, was assigned the arbitrary date of December 25th because it corresponded with the mid-winter celebration of many peoples.
In 835 Pope Gregory IV decided to move the practice of All Saints' Day to November 1.
This was possibly done to correspond with the Celtic practice of Samhain. The Mass that was said on this day was called Allhallowmas ("the mass of all the holy ones")
. The evening before All Saints' Day became known as All Hallow e'en ("the evening of all the holy ones"). So you see the name "Halloween" is actually Christian, not pagan. It is derived from All Saints Day.
The old beliefs associated with Samhain never died out entirely. The powerful symbolism of fairies, elves, and the traveling dead had a strong tie with the people and they were not satisfied with the new Catholic feast honoring dead saints. When people continued some of the beliefs and practices associated with Samhain, the church increased the rhetoric against Samhain.
They branded the earlier religion's practices as evil, and began to associate them with the devil. As representatives of the rival religion, Druids were considered malevolent worshippers of devilish or demonic gods and spirits.
Celtic belief in supernatural creatures (like elves and fairies) persisted, while the church made attempts to define them as being no longer merely mischievous, but wicked.
People continued to celebrate All Hallows Eve as a time of the wandering dead, but the supernatural beings were now thought to be Satanic.
How did witches become connected to Halloween? Once the Druids were branded as evil by the church, their practices were looked at as "witchcraft."
Followers of the old religion were persecuted, went into hiding, and were branded as witches who worshipped Satan.
This is why European witchcraft became connected with Satan, whereas witchcraft in other areas of the world is animistic in nature. October 31 became known as a witch holiday.
It was called "The Witches' Sabbath" by witch hunters and eventually European witches began celebrating October 31 as one of their four great Sabbaths held during the year.
Of course, in some ways from a Christian standpoint the church's response makes sense.
Doesn't the Bible view the worship of other gods as deception by demons (1 Corinthians 10:18-22)?
Yes, but the Bible also says that Satan often preaches in Christian churches (2 Corinthians 11:13-14).
Pagans don't have a monopoly on evil, demonic deception, or harmful practices. As a Christian (in spite of a good, pure, and holy God) I often do evil things and fall into deception.
Christians can also do very hurtful things in the name of Christ. (Some of the worst hate mail that I get comes from Christians who don't agree with me about baptism or giving or eternal security or grace or Halloween.)
I'm not sure that anything is gained by calling pagans, Satanists or demon worshippers. It's easy to view yourself as God's agent and to brand people with strong labels. Then you can justify not relating to them in grace.
You can begin to hate and fear them. And eventually you can persuade yourself that as agents of Satan they deserve persecution (i.e. the inquisition and witch burnings).
This goes against everything that Jesus taught about reaching out to pagans (1 Corinthians 5:9-13) and loving our enemies (Matthew 5:43-48), and showing mercy to them (Luke 6:27-36).
The truth is that sometimes Christians end up acting more like Satan, than pagans
The Present Day Celebration of Halloween
Halloween celebrations (of any kind or form) did not become popular in the United States until the late 1800s.
It appears to have arrived after 1840, when large numbers of immigrants arrived from Ireland and Scotland and introduced elements like Mischief Night, beliefs about elves and fairies, and practices such as jack-o'-lanterns.
(Many of the Halloween customs that they brought to America probably did not enter Irish and Scottish culture until after 1750.) The practice does not come from ancient times, but modern.
It must be said that "Halloween" as we know it in America, with all the folk stories and urban legends attached to it, is a distinctly American phenomenon, with the "Trick or Treat" bits occurring after 1930.
Halloween is celebrated in many countries today, but this is actually a result of secular American influence:
...the trick-or-treat and masking customs on 31 October in England and Finland have been introduced from the United States and Canada (Halloween and Other Festivals of Death, p. 162).
...the trick-or-treat and masking customs on 31 October in England and Finland have been introduced from the United States and Canada (Halloween and Other Festivals of Death, p. 162).
Does anyone today celebrate the Celtic holiday of Samhain as a religious observance? Yes. During the mid-1900's, a new interest in pagan religion occurred in Europe and the United States.
As a result, paganism as an organized religion has attracted large numbers of people. Many followers of various pagan religions, such as Druids and Wiccans observe Samhain as a religious festival.
They view it as a memorial day for their dead friends, similar to the United States' national holiday of Memorial Day in May.
Modern pagans (and non-Satanic witches) would vehemently deny that their celebration has anything to do with the demonic horrors depicted in such films as Friday the 13th.
To them, Halloween is one of the four greater Sabbats (holidays) held during the year. Halloween for them is a time of "harvest celebration.
It is a time of ritual, a time for ridding oneself of personal weaknesses, a time for feasting and joyful celebration. It is also a time for communing with the spirits of the dead. It is still a night to practice various forms of divination concerning future events."
Contrary to popular belief Halloween is not the most important celebration for Satanists.
Most Satanists celebrate their own birthdays as their most important "unholi"-day, which is to be expected from adherents of a religion who believe that the highest form of religion is "worship of self" (The Satanic Bible, Anton LaVey).
Some of the stories of Satanic ritual abuse that are passed around in Christian circles may have no basis in fact (like those found in Rebecca Brown's book "He Came to Set the Captives Free").
According to Christian researchers Bob and Gretchen Passantino (see their well-researched book entitled Satanism by Bob and Gretchen Passantino, Zondervan, 1995):
"The actual incidence level of satanic-associated crime is very low, and on Halloween consists mostly of petty vandalism and desecration of graveyards and churches; satanic graffiti; raucous rituals including drug and/or alcohol use and sexual promiscuity; and very rarely sexual violence or animal killing.
The most well-known documented criminal activity associated with Halloween are the "Devil's Night" fires that were rampant in the Detroit area.
These destructive bonfires were not religiously inspired, but were a convenient excuse for out-of-control juveniles to act destructively, often in their own communities.
It is not true that satanists look for "Christian virgins" to rape during Halloween rituals.
A young Christian is much more likely to be in danger of a drunk driver, or a party that gets out of hand with drug or alcohol use than of satanic abduction.
Occasional anti-social, criminally committed individuals or small groups that also practice self-styled satanism commit crimes on Halloween, but they invariably betray a pattern of sociopathy at other times as well.
It is not true that poisoning or sabotaging of Halloween treats is a significant risk if parents take sensible precautions. Most horror stories are unsubstantiated rumors that quickly cross the country, gaining embellishments, and unnecessarily frightening parents.
If parents are careful about restricting their children's treats to ones from people they know and trust, or from a formal program run by a church, community group, or merchant association, they should be fairly safe.
In many communities, local hospitals and/or police stations will screen treats free of charge."
"The actual incidence level of satanic-associated crime is very low, and on Halloween consists mostly of petty vandalism and desecration of graveyards and churches; satanic graffiti; raucous rituals including drug and/or alcohol use and sexual promiscuity; and very rarely sexual violence or animal killing.
The most well-known documented criminal activity associated with Halloween are the "Devil's Night" fires that were rampant in the Detroit area.
These destructive bonfires were not religiously inspired, but were a convenient excuse for out-of-control juveniles to act destructively, often in their own communities.
It is not true that satanists look for "Christian virgins" to rape during Halloween rituals.
A young Christian is much more likely to be in danger of a drunk driver, or a party that gets out of hand with drug or alcohol use than of satanic abduction.
Occasional anti-social, criminally committed individuals or small groups that also practice self-styled satanism commit crimes on Halloween, but they invariably betray a pattern of sociopathy at other times as well.
It is not true that poisoning or sabotaging of Halloween treats is a significant risk if parents take sensible precautions. Most horror stories are unsubstantiated rumors that quickly cross the country, gaining embellishments, and unnecessarily frightening parents.
If parents are careful about restricting their children's treats to ones from people they know and trust, or from a formal program run by a church, community group, or merchant association, they should be fairly safe.
In many communities, local hospitals and/or police stations will screen treats free of charge."
How should Christians react to Halloween? Here are some Christian myths mixed with good old fashioned FEAR and Ignorence!
-
"Halloween is the most dangerous day of the year -- when Satanists and witches snatch children off the streets and sacrifice them in Satan's name!"
-
"We don't worship other gods or honor the dead on Halloween. Halloween is nothing but a secular time of fun and games -- an excuse for the kids to dress up and overload on sugar!"
-
"I love to see the children, out in the neighborhood streets with their parents, dressed in funny clothing, having a wonderful time .... and mocking the Devil with laughter."
These are three examples of very different Christian reactions to Halloween. Allow me to offer some opinions.
1. Occult and Satanic Elements:
Deuteronomy 18:11 says:
"There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, one who calls up the dead."
2. Non-Satanic elements:
Although some devil worshippers have adopted Halloween as their "holiday," the day itself did not grow out of Satanic practices.
Halloween has some weak connections to Celts celebrating a new year, but most of present day Halloween customs are neither pagan, nor Satanic. Here is a table of practices and dates as they are connected with Halloween:
practice |
divination |
necromancy |
black cats, spiders |
tricks & pranks |
costuming |
pumpkin carving |
trick or treat |
slasher movies |
earliest date |
ancient |
? |
Middle Ages |
? |
early 1900s(?) |
after 1750s |
1930s |
1950s |
source |
pagan Celts |
Celts or Medieval witchcraft |
Medieval superstition |
Irish Mischief Night |
? |
Irish |
Boy Scouts & others |
Hollywood |
original intent |
pagan religious practice |
pagan religious practice |
fear & easy labels |
"those nasty fairies" |
stop pranks(?) |
ward off evil |
stop pranks |
make money |
Biblically forbidden |
yes |
yes |
no |
if destructive |
no |
no |
no |
yes - Phil 4:8 |
Most holidays (even Christmasand Easter) contain evil, neutral, and good elements as part of their celebration. Christians must discern one from the other and make decisions that glorify God and cause no harm to their personal walk with Christ.
Christians seem to have no trouble making these distinctions about Christmas, but we utterly fail to do the necessary thinking when it comes to Halloween.
In my opinion, present day Halloween has some evil elements (divination rituals, communication with spirits), some neutral elements (sorry, costumes didn't come from evil Druids involved in human sacrifice), and some good elements (asking for candy was an attempt by the Boy Scouts of America to calm the abuse of the holiday!).
As W.J. Bethancourt III says:
"Each Christian must decide for themselves whether dressing up in funny clothes and asking for candy from the neighbors is 'satanic' and 'necromancing' or not. Allowing your children to dress up as mass-murderers and as villains from the Hollywood slasher movies may or may not be 'satanic,' but it certainly is stupid. Making such creatures objects of 'hero-worship' might not be giving the kind of message to a child that necessarily enables them to become sober, productive adults."
Costuming children as ballerinas or cartoon characters or Bible heroes seems far removed from Satanism or any practice of paganism.
What I have tried to show is that much of the association with witchcraft and Satanic elements has actually come from Christian misinformation attempting to "demonize" this holiday. There is no evidence that the original Celtic celebration was Satanic.
Much of the information on Halloween that Christians preach and write about is plainly based on shoddy research.
While Christians should absolutely avoid pagan practices, Christian hype tends to make us overreact to benign folk elements of Halloween.
We appear like zany buffoons to the world when there is no necessity for doing so. Furthermore, our groundless retreat from all elements of Halloween leaves a vacuum that wicked elements delight to fill.
October 31st is only a day on the calendar. Halloween, like any other day, is only as evil as one cares to make it.
3. Alternative Celebrations:
I would also suggest using the holiday to be involved in the joy and celebration of All Saints’ Day, thanksgiving for harvest, and the celebration of the Reformation of the Church. Here are two tracts which offer alternatives to the traditional American celebration of Halloween:
Tract 1:
Tract 1:
One successful alternative used by a number of churches is a "Faith Festival" in which children dress as their favorite Bible character and gather for a special children's service with puppets, a Christian film, or something special.
This offers an ideal opportunity to explain the spiritual significance of Halloween and to encourage the children to remember Hebrews chapter 11, which features great men and women of faith who have gone before us. The "Faith Festival" can be a time to thank God for His many blessings.
One successful alternative used by a number of churches is a "Faith Festival" in which children dress as their favorite Bible character and gather for a special children's service with puppets, a Christian film, or something special.
This offers an ideal opportunity to explain the spiritual significance of Halloween and to encourage the children to remember Hebrews chapter 11, which features great men and women of faith who have gone before us. The "Faith Festival" can be a time to thank God for His many blessings.
Tract 2:
Tract 2:
As believers, we can take this opportunity to provide a creative alternative to this celebration. In ancient Israel, the majority of Jewish festivals occurred at the same time as pagan festivals.
God did not simply tell his people not to engage in pagan festivals, He provided an alternative. During every major pagan festival, the Hebrew people would take part in a God-given alternative, a festival celebrating the same general subject but with a completely different focus.
As believers, we can take this opportunity to provide a creative alternative to this celebration. In ancient Israel, the majority of Jewish festivals occurred at the same time as pagan festivals.
God did not simply tell his people not to engage in pagan festivals, He provided an alternative. During every major pagan festival, the Hebrew people would take part in a God-given alternative, a festival celebrating the same general subject but with a completely different focus.
There are many wholesome alternatives for our children: a church Bible costume party, Reformation Day church service, holding a harvest celebration like the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles.
4. Being Positive Without Fear:
Regardless of the position you take regarding your family's response to Halloween, if you are concerned about the evil associations with Halloween, you can rejoice that you can "resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7) and that through the cross Christ has "disarmed principalities and powers," and "made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them" (Colossians 2:15).
I would certainly suggest using the holiday to teach our children about the triumph in Christ of God over evil. This should not be a night that we hide from in fear, but a night (like every night) when a Christian can stand confident in victory, because the One who lives in us is greater, than the one who lives in the world (1 John 4:4). "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them!" (1 John 4:4).
Holding oneself apart from the world is perhaps a good thing, but sometimes this is just an excuse for being afraid. We are reminded to be "in the world" and "sent to the world", as well as being "not of the world" (John 17:15-18).
There are very few times when strangers actually come to your door and ask you to give them something!
Our family has used Halloween to hand out Christian tapes to everyone that has come-a-begging!
Some Christian children use "trick or treating" by giving a tract in return for the candy they receive at each house. What a wonderful way to spread the gospel!
A smile, some candy, a tract and a "God bless you!" will save more souls than hiding in your house with the porch light off.
As a believer in Jesus Christ and thus a child of God, I personally do not give much honor to the celebration of Halloween, but our family does participate in some of the neutral elements of Halloween and we use Halloween to reach people who don't know Jesus.
We also use Halloween to celebrate the victory that I and other saints have over the wickedness of this world.
A good general principle should be to refrain from participating in anything that compromises your faith or brings dishonor to Jesus Christ.
Another good principle is to look for ways to become a positive, Christ-proclaiming voice in the midst of a secular and pagan world. Each Christian must be persuaded in his own conscience about how they approach Halloween.
Why Did I Write This Article?
What I'm arguing for is:
(1) Accurate information, rather than falsehood.
(2) A little bit of tolerance toward Christians who choose to participate in "harmless" Halloween activities that have no connection to paganism (like pumpkins, dressing up, or treat-or-treat).
(3) For the Christian community to think about how it is going to handle Halloween -- because it is not going to go away. It is more popular than ever. We can redeem it for Christ or we can use fear and scare tactics to hide our light under a basket (Matthew 5:15).
I think we find a close parallel in Christmas. Christmas wasn't celebrated by the early church until the fourth century. In that century, the church decided to try to redeem a Roman pagan winter solstice festival (the birthday of the unconquered sun).
Sometime before 336 the Church in Rome, unable to stamp out this pagan festival, spiritualized it as the "Feast of the Nativity of the Sun of Righteousness."
In some ways, I think Christians have succeeded in giving December 25 a new meaning.
I really think Pope Gregory had the right idea. Take pagan holidays and assign Christian events or practices to them and redeem them for Christ.
Christians have as much right as any other group to lay claim to a day on the calendar (Romans 14:6). What's the alternative?
The alternative is to let pagans, devil worshippers, or Hollywood producers put their stamp on October 31. At the very least, this will mean a day given over to the celebration of (what the Bible calls) superstitions, false gods and goddesses.
At its worst, Halloween becomes a Mardi gras of the grotesque, of destruction, of wickedness, and of death, because we weren't being a preservative for good (Matthew 5:13).
DEAR JESUS, I AM A SINNER BECAUSE I HAVE BROKEN YOUR LAWS,THE 10 COMMANDMENTS..
I BELIEVE YOUR LAW IS MY WARNING OF IMPENDING JUDGMENT IN HELL!
I CANNOT KEEP YOUR LAW IN AND OF MYSELF, I GIVE UP TRYING TO BE WHAT I CANNOT AND I CONFESS THAT I BELIEVE JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD AND DIED FOR MY SINS ON THE CROSS TAKING THE LAWS PUNISHMENT TO FORGIVE ALL OF MY SINS.
JESUS, I REPENT,I TURN AROUND NOW, NEVER TO LOOK BACK,I ASK YOU TO HAVE MERCY ON ME, A SINNER, AND COME INTO MY SPIRIT WITH YOUR SPIRIT AND YOUR POWER. HELP ME TO WALK IN YOU SO I CAN FOLLOW AND OBEY YOUR COMMANDMENTS, AND TO LIVE FOR YOU.
JESUS, I GIVE YOU COMPLETE CONTROL OF ALL MY LIFE AND I THANK YOU FOR HEARING MY PRAYER.
THANK YOU FOR COMING INTO MY LIFE. I ASK IT IN THE NAME OF MY LORD AND SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST. AMEN.
As God is my eternal Witness, Savior, and judge, I do here by affirm that I am a child of God that has been purchased with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ (Rms. 6:3-11):
I confess Him as my Lord and Savior and by my own volition, I specifically renounce Satan as my lord and god.
As one completely acknowledging and accepting the finished work of Christ on the cross for my redemption and my only hope of eternal life, I now renounce all ancestral and genetic ties, back as many generations on my dad's and mom's sides that God needs to go.
Because I have, through the lord Jesus Christ's own shed blood, been redeemed and delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son (Col. 1:13), I now cancel out and nullify all demonic power or effect that has been passed down to me from my ancestors, including the ancestral demon that carries my formal name and his network.
Also, I cancel out any other ancestral demon and their networks. Because the lord Jesus Christ became a curse for me by dying the death on the tree (Gal. 3:13), I use my authority that is found in Him to cancel every spell or curse that may have been placed on me with or without my knowledge.
As God's child, covered by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and trusting totally in the atoning power of that blood (Eph.1:7), I cancel, renounce, sever, and nullify every agreement or pact I have made with Satan or anyone else, including blood pacts.
I renounce and sever any and every way that the Devil has gotten ground in my life and all ground that I have ever given to Satan that gave him power or claim over me.
I cancel, renounce, sever, and nullify any powers, gifts, or workings in me which are not of my Heavenly Father or pleasing to Him.
I confess that I belong totally to the Lord Jesus Christ. As one who has been crucified (Gal.2:20) and raised with Christ and now sits with Him in the heavenly places (Eph. 2:5), I sign myself eternally and completely over to the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is my desire to pray daily that my lord Jesus will have total control of my life. All of these things I do in the precious name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and by His absolute authority over all things, rulers, authorities, principalities, and powers (Eph. 1:18-23), and with a childlike faith, I thank you that it's done. Amen.
Full Name _____________________________
Witness: _______________________________ If you are serious about repentance pray this prayer today...It will work with your FAITH to break the powers of darkness!!
Print this prayer out and keep for your records so you can show Satan what HE lost and you gained!
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Nailing down why Atheism is a FALSE VIEW!
"A Skeptic is one who instinctively or habitually doubts, questions, or disagrees with assertions or generally accepted conclusions."
If your having trouble getting your mind around Creation Science then just see and read the proof in plain English.
Here are direct questions to better understand just why YOU as an Atheist invest so much energy trying to eliminate the "God who wasn't there" as you would say!
Remember TOTAL HONESTY is required to do this, so if you as an Atheist are not willing to find the truth and are predisposed to your stubborn habit of hating an IMAGINARY GOD you don't believe in.....THIS WON'T WORK!
What motivates your Hatred toward God?
What is logic?
What is truth?
Whose truth is right?
Are truth and logic material things?
Can you see it and therefore believe it?
To claim logic you must determine what determines logic or who?
Where does logic come from?
Who or what decides logic and whose to say whose logic is right?
Where did you get your views from?
Can you map it by purely material means?
How do you draw the conclusion of whose logic is true logic?
And when you get there how can you be sure it is true or even valid?
What will you use to determine the validity of your own logic?
and finally How can an atheist truly know what is wrong or bad?
Answer these questions and welcome to Agnosticism my Atheist friend!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/HvhGeNzdRZA&hl=en_US&fs=1]
Dr Whitaker - a terrifying experience of darkness as a dying atheist
Dr Whitaker M.D. an Atheist to the core was a very well-informed and well-educated medical doctor and researcher who was nevertheless an alcoholic. He fell gravely ill and was taken to hospital where he was slipping in and out of his body it seems.
PART 1......
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAN8Qwu4_1w&feature=player_embedded]
PART 2....
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocWYcB8yHqo&feature=player_embedded]
Article 1.)
What Exactly Does God Believe About Atheism and Christianity?
The Answer May Surprise You!
I know what your thinking, "Ohhh! no not another article about God and Atheism!" Well not quite, this article is not the same kind of article you've read before...
Why? Because in the first place I used to be one of those " fake Atheists" that claimed like the "Parrot" I was then, all the same rhetoric the real Atheists (so-called!) said!
I spouted the words but never saw a single bit of real evidence to support what I said all the years I stated it. Evolution in school DID NOT help me to recover any ground as the so-called science was changed many times over the years, from "Billions of years to Millions of years for the same processes (Not that the school text books ever cared or noticed the changes!)
I don't know about you but I as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ have to get this out...I'm sick and tired of hearing from BOTH sides in this debate about God's existence.
I experienced the lack of evidence from BOTH ends, and the trouble started because we began from a wrong premise this debate is not about scientific or historical bantering back and forth; it is simply about "Hypocrisy" on both sides, outright lies and misdirection. My question is simple if evolution and for that matter Climate Science had the real truth, there would be NO NEED TO LIE and make-up evidence...WOULD THERE?
We all go though life with questions that seem unanswerable throughout our lives but do questions really make us hate someone who we say we don't believe in or is it more like we hate what we have become and don't want to face up to the judgment involved in THAT change?
Matthew 7:13-14 says
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
What Jesus said is VERY simple to understand and I don't care if you believe in God or not, this can't be misunderstood without a lot of help. Life cannot be found on the world level it's hidden behind the trees on a NARROW path of life where God is both revealed and active by the seed that contains your proof called FAITH, in the lives of those who bother to seek him!
Now I ask you would it not be at the very least plain "Foolishness" to not see the facts at hand and turn around and use "Hypocrisy" as your reason to say God doesn't exist?
This little verse explains clearly that another path exists and its possible to take the wrong one...Right?
So knowing this simple fact alone explains those in the Churches who pretend to be Christian in the name of God. This proves nothing except that the Bible is 100% right about "Hypocrisy and False brethren".
People always use and abuse "good intentions" for both financial and personal gain and they themselves are "Atheistic in their personal lives" no one out there who uses the gospel this way is anything but a "Fool" (The Hebrew definition : of a fool is a heedless moral blockhead who is mentally insane, meaning they do the same stupid things over and over again but expect different results each time.)
John 3:18 plainly says:
"He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
This is also simple, if you refuse to believe (As an Atheist or Christian copycat) the words of God then the CONDEMNATION you feel is "already inside your heart".
God at no time condemns anyone, it is the sin within you that puts you down BECAUSE of disbelief.
In fact the Law did not in itself condemn people it was their personal handling of what the Law stated that condemned them and brought about their own judgment.
So for anyone to blame "The rules" presented for the "Results Received is a "fool" in the sense that they are "Morally stupid" about just what it means to be disobedient.
I mean let's get real if you break a Law in any country and get caught do you blame the "Rules" you broke or yourself for being stupid enough to get caught?
This is just simple stuff, nothing hard to understand..God treats all men, skeptic, atheist, agnostic or believer the same he expects you to listen and follow IN obedience just as millions have had to do before you...and that my Friend is completely FAIR AND BALANCED behavior!
John 8:24
"I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins."
The issue is not believing in certain facts over other facts, it is a question of knowing clearly just who Jesus is in our personal thinking COMPARED to what the Bible presents as Jesus.
No matter what you say you believe about Jesus the question come down to what God says period. It's this simple: on judgment day your OPINION with not matter just the simple statements of Scripture!
Matthew 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."
BEWARE of those who sound off as religious leaders or lay people but are motivated ONLY by money, fame, or power (remember there's nothing wrong with money, fame or power BUT for these things to be your motivator makes you misjudge and to minimize the anointing in your life and glorify yourself).
Just as there are Hypocritical Atheist's that misuse and misapply information because they can't stand it when a real point is made there are also Hypocritical believers who use the Bible filled with God's Love as a tool to beat over the heads of others.
We must as humans learn to work around these "Foolish" people and come to the facts on both sides as clearly and concise as is humanly possible!
As I sit here looking at different websites about Atheism to find FOR ONCE something new..what do I see?
The same boring idle conversations parroted back and forth about how Christianity lies to us, and we need to end the rule of God! Nothing, absolutely nothing worth reading out there.
It's all the same and you might be surprised to know so is most all Christian banter...worthless diatribe that proves nothing but a total and purposeful misunderstanding of the other side. There MUST be others on both ends of this debate that feel the same way I do about others telling us what we all "must" believe or else? Only a being capable of perfect love and judgment is allowed to tell us what to believe because he and he alone has perfect knowledge of past, present and the future.
The only problem with this is us having agreement about his existence not the "side issues" of personal attacks!
What is a Lie?
A lie is a type of deception in the form of an untruthful statement, especially with the intention to deceive others, often with the further intention to maintain a secret or reputation, protect someones feelings or to avoid a punishment.
To lie is to state something that one knows in themselves to be false or that one has not reasonably investigated to be true with the intention that it be taken for the truth by oneself or someone else. We must realize that as human beings limited as we all are guilty of lying to ourselves as much as to others!
Lying is typically used to refer to deceptions in oral or written communication. Other forms of deception, such as disguises or forgeries, are generally not considered lies, though the underlying intent may be the same. However, even a true statement can be considered a lie if the person making that statement is doing so to deceive, thus the Bible stated in a wrong context becomes a lie.
In this situation, it is the intent of being untruthful rather than the truthfulness of the statement itself that is considered a lie.
A bold-faced which is what most in the debate on the Atheist side practice is a lie which is told when it is obvious to all concerned that it is a lie, but stated in such a way as to insult the intelligence of the hearer.
Everyone should agree that this form of "Lying evidence gathering" for either side is childish and unproductive!
The Old and New Testaments both contain statements that God is not capable of lying not just that he wouldn't lie but that he cannot as part of his nature lie! (Num 23:19, Ps 89:35, Hab. 2:3, Heb 6:13-18).
The Bible is filled with many instances of lying both to God and to others. This issue has set the rabid Atheists afire with retribution against the God of the Bible! But this is pure misunderstanding about the context of the lies in question! God in each case DID NOT want the lie but let the person do as THEY WISHED as he always does.
There is not one single skeptic alive that would allow God to force his will on anyone is there?
Sin is wrong in any context but our will prevents us from seeing the end from the beginning as God does, so we seldom make the right choice when confronted with truth or error!
No lie stated in scripture ever is said to prosper the teller and is punishable in many ways if we simply read it in complete context, something very few Christians and Atheists are willing to do!
Now what exactly does God believe in regards to Atheism? Well it's very simple actually God believes in all of US not in our actions against him, God sees past our imperfections. He witnesses our future obedience to him amidst our present sinful acts! There is not a person alive today that God sees as they are.
God sees things that are NOT now manifest as if they were manifest, therefore Mr. and Mrs Atheist and Christian believes in the you that should be not the you you've become by experience!
God "calls things that are not as though they were" (Romans 4:17).This not only states the obvious but speaks to the nature of God to look into the future and see us as we should be, free from our actions of disobedience.
The real issue is: will we cooperate or continue to look for him in the wrong place expecting to see what is not there, hear what cannot be heard, and feel what is somewhere else?
It's plain, God's terms or NO EVIDENCE will make sense to your "Unregenerate mind" no matter how convincing it seems to us!
I know that this article does not debate God as Atheists would like so they can tear it up and spit it out but I thought it would be better to reach the heart than argue with your head.
As I stated before to know God will not happen as long as you look for him in your limited mental capacity, that's just the plain fact of the matter.
God dwells in a realm built by his personal FAITH that saw the end before the beginning so I ask you how in the WORLD could he be asked to reveal himself in a faithless environment?
We all go though life with questions that seem unanswerable throughout our lives but do questions really make us hate someone who we say we don't believe in or is it more like we hate what we have become and don't want to face up to the judgment involved in change?
Remember...Psalm 14:1 says
"The fool has said in his heart there is no God."
it is you that must decide within your own heart that there is or is not a God but just remember you do have this in common with God:
God himself says there are NO OTHER gods but him, so in effect he too is an atheist (small case or big case)! He knows just what you mean when you say religion is fake and should be ended as it is!
The real Atheists are the hypocrites in religious power who deny him while saying they serve him.....this is true "A-theism" to be able to use a holy thing for all the wrong reasons means you really don't believe what you represent!
Isaiah 44:6-8
"Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them. 8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid:
have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any."
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Clarence_Sargent
There is more to being Christian than the standard Atheist definition of the word.
And it would be smart to know where your defining goes astray!
True and False Conversion - Ray Comfort & Kirk Cameron :
PLEASE CLICK
to view movie,this explains why some in the church are not living as "TRUE BELIEVERS"!
"CHRISTIAN" you've heard the name now let's understand the claim to the fame...
What does it really mean to be called a Christian?
I WARN YOU,THIS TEACHING IS DIRECTED TOWARD THOSE WHO ARE "HYPOCRITICAL" OR ARE GUILTY OF CAUSING STRIFE IN THE TRUE BODY OF CHRIST!
And if you think it's O.K. to do these things and be called Christian,then I have a Scriptural awakening for you..HELL WILL BE HOTTER FOR THE "HYPOCRITE"! Don't believe it? To bad it's still true anyway!
John 10:1-15 (GW)
1 “I can guarantee this truth: The person who doesn't enter the sheep pen through the gate but climbs in somewhere else is a thief or a robber.
2 But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd.
3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep respond to his voice. He calls his sheep by name and leads them out of the pen.
4 After he has brought out all his sheep, he walks ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they recognize his voice.
5 They won't follow a stranger. Instead, they will run away from a stranger because they don't recognize his voice.”
6 Jesus used this illustration as he talked to the people, but they didn't understand what he meant.
7 Jesus emphasized, “I can guarantee this truth: I am the gate for the sheep.
8 All who came before I did were thieves or robbers. However, the sheep didn't respond to them.
9 I am the gate. Those who enter the sheep pen through me will be saved. They will go in and out of the sheep pen and find food.
10 A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came so that my sheep will have life and so that they will have everything they need.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.
12 A hired hand isn't a shepherd and doesn't own the sheep. When he sees a wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and quickly runs away. So the wolf drags the sheep away and scatters the flock.
13 The hired hand is concerned about what he's going to get paid and not about the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep as the Father knows me. My sheep know me as I know the Father.
15 So I give my life for my sheep."
Jesus said this NOT ABOUT THE DEVIL AS IS TAUGHT BY OTHERS BUT ABOUT RELIGIOUS HYPOCRITES that THINK they are doing God service by causing people to view THEM instead of Gods TRUTH!
To be called Christian simply means to be CHRIST-LIKE or like the ANOINTED,SO IF YOU ARE NOT ACTING IN ALL THINGS LIKE THE ANOINTED JESUS...NOW GET THIS....YOUR NOT SAVED!
Now I'm NOT TALKING ABOUT MAKING BAD DECISIONS OR SPEAKING OUT OF TURN, OR MAKING A MISTAKE......NOW GET THIS CLEARLY IN YOUR MIND...WE ALL DO THAT, SAINT & SINNER ALIKE; MISTAKES ARE MADE!
A hypocrite is a HEART CONDITION THAT ONLY GOD CAN HEAL...we can't help them...they must repent and receive their cleansing of their own free will.
This problem is the result of to much FOCUS ON SELF AND NO FOCUS ON GOD'S LAW,they strain hard to see the smallest parts of the Law of God and completely MISS GOD'S INTENT IN THE LAW..WHICH IS NONE OTHER THAN..."MERCY",THEY FIND EVERY PROBLEM,EVERY SIN,EVERY LITTLE MISTAKE BUT HAVE NO MERCY TO COVER SIN WITH!
To them "Judgment and Condemnation"are all they can see..this is why I believe that MOST (Not All) Hypocrites are UNSAVED,some Christians are victims of their Church doctrines and don't know any better!
Romans 1:18-25 (GW) "
18 God's anger is revealed from heaven against every ungodly and immoral thing people do as they try to suppress the truth by their immoral living.
19 What can be known about God is clear to them because he has made it clear to them.
20 From the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly observed in what he made. As a result, people have no excuse.
21 They knew God but did not praise and thank him for being God. Instead, their thoughts were pointless, and their misguided minds were plunged into darkness.
22 While claiming to be wise, they became fools.
23 They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for statues that looked like mortal humans, birds, animals, and snakes.
24 For this reason God allowed their lusts to control them. As a result, they dishonor their bodies by sexual perversion with each other.
25 These people have exchanged God's truth for a lie. So they have become ungodly and serve what is created rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen!
"Romans 2:1-8 (GW)
" 1 No matter who you are, if you judge anyone, you have no excuse. When you judge another person, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things.
2 We know that God's judgment is right when he condemns people for doing these things.
3 When you judge people for doing these things but then do them yourself, do you think you will escape God's judgment?
4 Do you have contempt for God, who is very kind to you, puts up with you, and deals patiently with you? Don't you realize that it is God's kindness that is trying to lead you to him and change the way you think and act?
5 Since you are stubborn and don't want to change the way you think and act, you are adding to the anger that God will have against you on that day when God vents his anger. At that time God will reveal that his decisions are fair.
6 He will pay all people back for what they have done.
7 He will give everlasting life to those who search for glory, honor, and immortality by persisting in doing what is good. But he will bring
8 anger and fury on those who, in selfish pride, refuse to believe the truth and who follow what is wrong. "
1 John 1:5-10 (GW)
5. This is the message we heard from Christ and are reporting to you: God is light, and there isn't any darkness in him.
6 If we say, “We have a relationship with God” and yet live in the dark, we're lying. We aren't being truthful.
7 But if we live in the light in the same way that God is in the light, we have a relationship with each other. And the blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from every sin.
8 If we say, “We aren't sinful” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 God is faithful and reliable. If we confess our sins, he forgives them and cleanses us from everything we've done wrong.
10 If we say, “We have never sinned,” we turn God into a liar and his Word is not in us. "
James 4:1-12 (GW)
" 1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Aren't they caused by the selfish desires that fight to control you?
2 You want what you don't have, so you commit murder. You're determined to have things, but you can't get what you want. You quarrel and fight. You don't have the things you want, because you don't pray for them.
3 When you pray for things, you don't get them because you want them for the wrong reason—for your own pleasure.
4 You unfaithful people! Don't you know that love for this {evil} world is hatred toward God? Whoever wants to be a friend of this world is an enemy of God
. 5 Do you think this passage means nothing? It says,
“The Spirit that lives in us wants us to be his own.”
6 But God shows us even more kindness. Scripture says, “God opposes arrogant people, but he is kind to humble people.”
7 So place yourselves under God's authority. Resist the devil, and he will run away from you.
8 Come close to God, and he will come close to you. Clean up your lives, you sinners, and clear your minds, you doubters.
9 Be miserable, mourn, and cry. Turn your laughter into mourning and your joy into gloom.
10 Humble yourselves in the Lord's presence. Then he will give you a high position.
11 Brothers and sisters, stop slandering each other. Those who slander and judge other believers slander and judge God's teachings. If you judge God's teachings, you are no longer following them. Instead, you are judging them.
12 There is only one teacher and judge. He is able to save or destroy you. So who are you to judge your neighbor? "
"CHRISTIAN" MEANS:
"like Christ".. SIMPLY PUT, act like Jesus..
HOW simple can this be?
If we would just think BEFORE WORDS ESCAPE OUR MOUTHS, I believe over half the problems in the Church would simply be no more...I mean let's face it MOST of our problems stem from selfishness in WORDS...WE "SELF CREATE" BIGGER AND BADDER ISSUES THAN ARE REALLY THERE,
SATAN IS A MASTER MANIPULATOR!
You see Satan likes to see the church INFIGHTING and WASTING TIME on selfish ambitions,and "Look at me politics"INSTEAD of doing what Jesus said to do!
To those of you out there on the Internet,who are causing strife and harassing other believers FOR ANY REASON you are GUILTY BEFORE GOD...REPENT!
GET ON YOUR KNEES AND ASK FOR FORGIVENESS....
(TRUE BELIEVERS YOU MUST FORGIVE THEM)
If you "Willfully", will not repent of your sin then GOD HIMSELF WILL REMOVE YOU as a problem!
Matthew 7:1-6 (GW)
" 1 “Stop judging so that you will not be judged.
2 Otherwise, you will be judged by the same standard you use to judge others. The standards you use for others will be applied to you.
3 So why do you see the piece of sawdust in another believer's eye and not notice the wooden beam in your own eye?
4 How can you say to another believer, ‘Let me take the piece of sawdust out of your eye,' when you have a beam in your own eye?
5 You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye. Then you will see clearly to remove the piece of sawdust from another believer's eye.
6 “Don't give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls to pigs. Otherwise, they will trample them and then tear you to pieces. "
John 15:1-14 (GW)
" 1 {Then Jesus said,} “I am the true vine, and my Father takes care of the vineyard.
2 He removes every one of my branches that doesn't produce fruit. He also prunes every branch that does produce fruit to make it produce more fruit.
3 “You are already clean because of what I have told you.
4 Live in me, and I will live in you. A branch cannot produce any fruit by itself. It has to stay attached to the vine. In the same way, you cannot produce fruit unless you live in me.
5 “I am the vine. You are the branches. Those who live in me while I live in them will produce a lot of fruit. But you can't produce anything without me.
6 Whoever doesn't live in me is thrown away like a branch and dries up. Branches like this are gathered, thrown into a fire, and burned.
7 If you live in me and what I say lives in you, then ask for anything you want, and it will be yours.
8 You give glory to my Father when you produce a lot of fruit and therefore show that you are my disciples.
9 “I have loved you the same way the Father has loved me. So live in my love.
10 If you obey my commandments, you will live in my love. I have obeyed my Father's commandments, and in that way I live in his love.
11 I have told you this so that you will be as joyful as I am, and your joy will be complete.
12 Love each other as I have loved you. This is what I'm commanding you to do.
13 The greatest love you can show is to give your life for your friends.
14 You are my friends if you obey my commandments. "
It's up to you right now to realize your sin of intolerance to fellow believers..YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO JUDGE ANOTHER CHRISTIAN..WE ARE NEVER TO JUDGE PEOPLE..SAINT OR SINNER..EVER, ONLY "SIN ITSELF" CAN BE JUDGED,THAT'S OUR LIMITATION CHURCH..PERIOD!!!
1 Peter 1:22-25 (GW)
" 22 Love each other with a warm love that comes from the heart. After all, you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth. As a result you have a sincere love for each other.
23 You have been born again, not from a seed that can be destroyed, but through God's everlasting word that can't be destroyed. That's why {Scripture says},
24 “All people are like grass, and all their beauty is like a flower of the field. The grass dries up and the flower drops off,
25 but the word of the Lord lasts forever.” This word is the Good News that was told to you. "
1 Peter 2:1-2 (GW)
" 1 So get rid of every kind of evil, every kind of deception, hypocrisy, jealousy, and every kind of slander.
2 Desire God's pure word as newborn babies desire milk. Then you will grow in your salvation. "
1 Peter 4:1-19 (GW)
" 1 Since Christ has suffered physically, take the same attitude that he had. (A person who has suffered physically no longer sins.)
2 That way you won't be guided by sinful human desires as you live the rest of your lives on earth. Instead, you will be guided by what God wants you to do.
3 You spent enough time in the past doing what unbelievers like to do. You were promiscuous, had sinful desires, got drunk, went to wild parties, and took part in the forbidden worship of false gods.
4 Unbelievers insult you now because they are surprised that you no longer join them in the same excesses of wild living.
5 They will give an account to the one who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
6 After all, the Good News was told to people like that, although they are now dead. It was told to them so that they could be judged like humans in their earthly lives and live like God in their spiritual lives.
7 The end of everything is near. Therefore, practice self-control, and keep your minds clear so that you can pray.
8 Above all, love each other warmly, because love covers many sins.
9 Welcome each other as guests without complaining.
10 Each of you as a good manager must use the gift that God has given you to serve others.
11 Whoever speaks must speak God's words. Whoever serves must serve with the strength God supplies so that in every way God receives glory through Jesus Christ. Glory and power belong to Jesus Christ forever and ever! Amen.
12 Dear friends, don't be surprised by the fiery troubles that are coming in order to test you. Don't feel as though something strange is happening to you,
13 but be happy as you share Christ's sufferings. Then you will also be full of joy when he appears again in his glory.
14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed because the Spirit of glory—the Spirit of God—is resting on you.
15 If you suffer, you shouldn't suffer for being a murderer, thief, criminal, or troublemaker.
16 If you suffer for being a Christian, don't feel ashamed, but praise God for being called that name.
17 The time has come for the judgment to begin, and it will begin with God's family. If it starts with us, what will be the end for those who refuse to obey the Good News of God?
18 If it's hard for the person who has God's approval to be saved, what will happen to the godless sinner?
19 Those who suffer because that is God's will for them must entrust themselves to a faithful creator and continue to do what is good.
I pray that this message gets through your hard heart and blinded mind before it's to late..this is a matter of spiritual Life and Death..because
...Galatians 6:6-10 (GW)
"6 The person who is taught God's word should share all good things with his teacher.
7 Make no mistake about this: You can never make a fool out of God. Whatever you plant is what you'll harvest.
8 If you plant in {the soil of} your corrupt nature, you will harvest destruction. But if you plant in {the soil of} your spiritual nature, you will harvest everlasting life.
9 We can't allow ourselves to get tired of living the right way. Certainly, each of us will receive {everlasting life} at the proper time, if we don't give up.
10 Whenever we have the opportunity, we have to do what is good for everyone, especially for the family of believers. "
REPENT...REPENT!!!! THAT'S ALL WE HEAR IN CHURCHES AROUND THE WORLD...But just what do they mean by repentance?
To most I would say nothing more than believe what WE BELIEVE AND YOU WILL BE SAVED...BUT LET'S GET REAL HERE,THE BIBLE'S NOT GOING TO AGREE WITH THAT PREACHING AT ALL!!
True bible repentance is NOTHING LIKE MODERN PREACHERS ARE PORTRAYING IT...here's the problem in a nutshell, MOST PREACHERS THEMSELVES DON'T BELIEVE IN WHAT THEY PREACH as far as their personal lives are concerned so HOW CAN THEY PREACH TRUTH FROM ANY KIND OF CONVICTION?
True bible repentance is a matter of the HEART AND THE SOUL (Mind) it's NOT a matter of our churches stands on doctrine or what my preacher FEELS IS RIGHT AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT.
Salvation really is a PERSONAL HAPPENING ON A PERSONAL LEVEL,DEEP DOWN IN YOUR INNER-MOST BEING.
Salvation has nothing to do with HOW YOU LOOK,HOW YOU FEEL,OR EVEN WHO YOU ARE...ITS A PERSONAL INSIDE ME DEAL,NO ONE INCLUDING SATAN CAN EVER STOP IT OR TAKE IT FROM YOU ONCE YOU MAKE THE CHOICE PURE AND SIMPLE...THAT'S SALVATION!
Repentance means TURNING FROM one thing and NEVER GOING BACK so when you turn around your thinking about sin and won't go back to do it again then YOU HAVE REPENTED OF IT AND GOD IS FREE TO SAVE YOUR SPIRIT FROM HELL and BEGIN to save your soul (Mind) from A LIFETIME OF DARKNESS and DECEPTION.
Do not let ANYONE for any reason make you believe that God cannot save you,there is not one single person alive that God could'nt pull from Hell's grasp..THAT'S A FACT!!
Romans 10:9-10 states
"That IF you will CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH THE LORD JESUS,and will BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD HAS RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD,you WILL BE SAVED.
For with your heart you believe to get RIGHTEOUSNESS;and with the MOUTH CONFESSION IS MADE RESULTING IN SALVATION."
WHAT IS TRUE SALVATION?
Are you one of those that will not be there because you where deceived into a false salvation?
Nothing could be more misunderstood than what it takes for salvation and the purpose behind it.
Let’s first define what salvation is; Salvation is eternal life as the children of God.
This is a generally accepted idea by most Christian denominations, but varies in how they see achieving it. Let us now examine the truth of the matter, salvation as revealed in Gods Word. Saved By Grace The Bible repeatedly states that we are saved by grace, and therefore people cannot conceive of any works.
They do not understand that a Christian is in training for what he will be doing in the next life, and therefore missing the whole purpose of salvation.
The meaning of the term grace as used in the Bible is this, a free gift, or an undeserved pardon. We are all saved by grace, but we are also rewarded according to our works, good works or evil works.
Over and over again the Bible teaches us that we will be rewarded according to our works. We can not earn salvation by our own works, nor does the Bible teach it anywhere.
Now everyone has works of either good or bad, and bad works earn eternal death, but good works earn something too, and it is not salvation. We may receive it as Gods gift through Jesus, but a person can not of himself create it, we must go to God through Jesus to get it.
ISA 59:1-2 says:
"The Lords hand is not shortened that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear:
but your sins have separated you from your God, and your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear"
Also, Romans 3:23 tells us that our sins have cut us off from God and all have sinned, thus, cutting us off from his gift of salvation.
How then do you gain access?
"God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in (in what? in the gospel he taught) him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
"For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son ... (ROM 5:10-11).
So then, we are now reconciled to God by Jesus death, we now have contact with God, and he has eternal life to give as a gift through his son.
" "that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his son. He that has the son has life; and he that does not have the Son of God has not life" (John 5:11-12).
But then, just how then do we receive it from him?
Our Faith "I say to you, He that believes (has faith) on me has everlasting life" (John 6:47)
It is commonly thought that one need only believe in Jesus for salvation, it is true that you need a belief or faith in Jesus, but do you understand what kind?
"For by grace are you saved through faith;" (EPH 2:8).
We must have faith that the blood of Christ has paid the penalty for our past sins, and that we are saved by grace, it does not however excuse our sins.
Faith does not do away with the law, for the law defines what sin is, (Romans 3:20)
It is by our faith that we establish the law. "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid (NO): we establish the law" (ROM 3:31).
We establish the law, and the law defines sin, and sin is the transgression of the law, and the law sets the rules by which to live. Therefore the law has the power to take the life of a sinner.
A sinner is under the law, but when a sinner repents and accepts the blood of Christ for payment of his sins he is pardoned by grace and the law is no longer hanging over him to claim his life. It is those who are still sinning, that do not repent, that are under the law.
"Even so, faith if it has not works is dead, being alone. Yes, a man may say, You have faith, and I have works: show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works ... But do you know o vain man, that faith without works is dead?" (James 2:17-20)
In other words, your belief is not enough, it is through your faith, an active faith, that you keep the law. Our works by faith, is a living faith that saves.
The Holy Spirit "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you will receive the gift of the holy spirit" (Acts 2:38).
It is on real repentance of sin, and a real desire to quite sinning, and a faith in Jesus, that is expressed in a water baptism that we receive the holy spirit as a gift, by grace.
"But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also enliven your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwells in you" (ROM 8:11).
"In whom (Christ) you also trusted, after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that you believed, you were sealed with that holy spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession..." (EPH 1:13-14).
Once one receives the holy spirit, sealed with the holy spirit of promise, they become heirs of Gods promise, not yet an inheritor of that promise, for the inheritance is conditional, getting into Gods kingdom is conditional.
The inheritance is freely given, by grace, one is now under the promise of grace and not under the penalty of the law, yet conditionally.
As long as the Holy Spirit resides within a person, they remain heirs to the promise. But how does one keep the Holy Spirit?
God gives the Holy Spirit to them that obey him Acts 5:32, by obeying!
But what does obeying God mean?
The word works means actions, labors, deeds, and can be broken down into two ways, physical acts or spiritual acts, both of which a true Christian must demonstrate in his life, for works are the demonstration of your faith.
"What then?
Shall we sin (transgress Gods law), because we are not under the law but under grace?
God forbid (NO!)."
Grace does not mean you are free to sin, "Sin is the transgression of the law"
(1 John 3:4).
"Do you not know brethren, (for I speak to them that have knowledge of the law) how that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives?"
(ROM 7:1).
Being under grace, is to no longer be under the penalty or claim of the law, not the law itself, Christ paid the penalty, he satisfied the claim of the law, he did not do away with the law, the law reflects Gods character, setting the standard for sinless behavior.
"And hereby do we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that says I know him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But who ever keeps his word, in him is the love of God perfected"
(1 John 2:3-6)
If you are not keeping the commandments, yet you call yourself a Christian, you are a liar, the truth of Christ and God are not in you. You must prove that you know him by keeping the commandments.
"Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven."
(Matt 7:21)
, to believe in Christ is not enough to get you into the kingdom of heaven, you must also do his will,
"for not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law will be justified."
(ROM 2:13).
"They that do the commandments have a right to the tree of life."
(REV 22:14).
It is not hard to keep God's commandments with the power of the Holy Spirit living within one. The Holy Spirit is there to help a person keep Gods law by instilling his characteristics of patience, faith, and understanding.
But it is by our works that we are rewarded. Everyone has works, evil works, which are the disobedience of Gods laws or commandments, and which earn a death sentence, or good works that earn or have a reward, not salvation, for salvation is by grace.
A person is judged and rewarded according to his works during his converted (after receiving the Holy Spirit) life, to determine what position, office, or rank he will receive upon entering Gods kingdom.
"...has made us unto our God, kings and priests: and we will reign on the earth"
(Rev 5:10).
"For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he will reward every man according to his works"
(Matt 16:27).
"And he that overcomes, and keeps my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:"
(Rev 2:26).
"You can see how, by works a man is justified,.."
(James 2:24)
Whether we are kings, or priests, or some other position in Gods kingdom will be determined by our works here and now.
Grace will get one into Gods kingdom, but works will qualify one for an office in Gods kingdom, we are being saved to serve, and if you do not qualify to serve, your works can keep you out of God's kingdom, you can lose the promise, the gift of salvation.
Read the parable of the pounds in Luke 19:12-27 regarding the Christian reward upon Jesus return.
Salvation then is Gods free gift, by grace, to mankind, but it can only be achieved by faith in Christ and God.
Through the Holy Spirit dwelling within you, it becomes possible to produce good works separate from your own personal labour, which in turn qualifies one for a position in Gods kingdom !
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKoCXriC9eM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1][youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPnGxeChCiw&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]
A quote from an Ex-Atheist:
"I used to be an atheist. And like most atheists, the issue of people believing in God bothered me greatly.
What is it about atheists that we would spend so much time, attention, and energy refuting something that we don't believe even exists?!
What causes us to do that?
When I was an atheist, I attributed my intentions as caring for those poor, delusional people...to help them release their hope in a god which I believed was completely ill-founded.
To be honest, I also had another motive. As I challenged those who believed in God, I was deeply curious to see if they could convince me otherwise.
Part of my quest was to become free from the question of God completely. If I could "conclusively prove" to believers that they were wrong, then the issue is off the table; and I would be free to go about my life.
I didn't realize that the reason the topic of God weighed so heavily on my mind, was simply because the "God" I didn't believe in was pressing the issue upon my heart and mind.
I have come to find out that God wants to be known, he's NOT hiding from us at all. God requires all men to seek him as he has set-up to be sought NOT as we dictate to him! He created us with the intention that we would know him;and the "Internal Drive" to find him in all of what he made.This is the ONLY logical thing he could have done, as to not know him would make no sense at all.
He has surrounded us with evidence of himself and he keeps the question of his existence squarely before us. During the time I was denying HE WAS THERE I couldn't escape thinking about the possibility of God.
In fact, the day I chose to acknowledge God's existence, my prayer began with, "Ok, you win..." It might be that the underlying reason atheists are bothered by people believing in God is because God is actively pursuing them AND THEY CANNOT IN THEIR PRIDE ADMIT to it.
{ THAT WOULD BE IT RIGHT THERE.....PRIDE!}
I am not the only one who has experienced this. Malcolm Muggeridge, socialist and philosophical author, wrote,
"I had a notion that somehow, besides questing, I was being pursued." C.S. Lewis said he remembered, "...night after night, feeling whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet.
I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all of England."
Lewis went on to write a book titled, "Surprised by Joy" as a result of knowing God. I too had no expectations other than rightfully admitting God's existence.
Yet over the following several months, I became amazed by his love for me." This question alone should make every Atheist in the world take stock in just what their motivation is, because IF they were right then they should have DISPROVED GOD LONG AGO since after all there is no such thing as "God in any form" and moved on with real life instead of wasting their time and money on one rabbit hole after another.
The very simple observation in any debate between a TRUE BELIEVER and real Atheist (Not just a religious person who found no joy in life following man invented rules; this is not a true Atheist) proves one thing clearly....an Atheist goes out of their way to DEGRADE, PUT DOWN, and otherwise abuse any reference to deity or the church.
This does not promote in any way a "logical debate" of the facts at hand but rather exposes a deep seated pre-hatred and animosity toward the very mention of any form of outside control to their lives.
It has been said and rightly so "that an Atheist cannot find God for the same reason that a thief cannot find a cop" they are in constant repel mode instead of attraction mode to the answer to an age old question, is God there?
I mean really just look at ANY online debate today on the net and see this pattern repeat itself over and over again: "I don't think this guy was ever really an atheist. I wonder what argument finally persuaded him to join the crazies? The hilarious argument from design?
He wanted to be a Christian. hell, he might have made it all up as christian propaganda. As far as I'm concerned, if you care about enlightenment and truth at all, you'll see through the petty superstitions of the past."This line of illogical reasoning without a breath continues to be the standard banner of the Atheist mindset in any forum.
Harassment instead of answering the question, misdirection and smoke and mirrors win the day for the Atheist NOT LOGICAL REASONING BUT NAME CALLING and vindictive sentiments are the only response to believers evidences that we give without EVER refuting one little bit of proof we present, it's no wonder Atheism has continued to fail in every way, both in its political and religious forms (Yes I said Religious! Atheism is as much a false religious belief system as any other on the earth.) Why?
Because it, like all forms of "MAN-MADE CRAP" fails to offer a shred of "life altering evidence" nothing that Atheists have done has made things better for the rest of us in the real world but even the worst faith on the planet can at the very least; claim good results for the poor and needy.
Where has this happened with the national Atheistic movements? I'm not saying that "individual Atheists" cannot effect change around them;of course they can and do. I'm talking about "the movement" as a whole. It is their "self worship" which becomes the god that the Atheist promotes. It is that same selfishness on a "grand scale" with no moral compass to give it a balance and give back to societies.
“Many people fear nothing more terribly than to take a position which stands out sharply and clearly from the prevailing opinion. The tendency of most is to adopt a view that is so ambiguous that it will include everything, and so popular that it will include everybody.”– Martin Luther King, Jr.
What this great man said is so true when it comes to taking a stand for or against the God question. Atheist's with only a few exceptions fail to present logical reasoned answers to "creationist evidences" and tend to resort to insults instead of trying to dismantle with reasonable thoughts the evidence presented to them. Why do they do this?
I believe it to be out of the fear of finding out they have both lied and been lied too, and simply cannot face the facts as we see them. It does not matter the reason, you will one day face the truth no matter who you fool here!
But it is also the way that God has made it possible to know him.....BY FAITH ALONE, there's no other way to have God revealed in the physical evidence you seek! All that can be seen now is circumstantial Evidence....FAITH ALONE releases the mind into deep truth!
The simple fact is that not one Atheist in all of history has DISPROVED GOD'S EXISTENCE with any certainty whatsoever speaks volumes; for if in all of history it had been done there would no longer be a need for Atheism as we know it today.
The questions would become mute at the point the "God issue" was DISPROVED!
Just as today you no longer see people who believe the earth is square and flat at least not people who are med free...WHY? Because that was DISPROVED centuries ago and the evidence has forever silenced the naysayers, the same is true concerning the God question!
Here is a quote proving this to be the case (from:HERE ):
"The word is out, “atheistic” humanism has failed!
Period!
This is most evident in the United States as we witness via organized humanism’s ineffectual response to the religious Right’s worldview, and via the general attitude of Americans toward religion, superstition and science.
Why has this happened to humanism when other “movements,” such as those championing African-Americans or Jews or Gays, have made significant progress, and have done so despite the secular and religious Right’s thirty-year affront to progressive ideals?
Could humanism’s failure as a worldview, to some extent, be because so many humanists see their worldview as an alternative to religion rather than a self-contained faithof its own?
How many times do we humanists find ourselves describing our beliefs by calling out a litany of ideas and faiths we don’t happen to subscribe to?
It is at times as if humanism would not exist if it were not for religion.
It is no wonder that organized humanism, cautious about becoming a religious alternative tend to follow a big tent model, wrapping as much as they can into their message – secularism, science advocacy, atheism, skepticism, and somewhere in the mess, humanism – while boosting their revenues even if that means diluting their original message." whatever that was!
There is a vast difference between being able to Think freely about what life really means and being bound to "religious stinking' thinking".
Religion as a man-made entity has never freed anyone from anything at any point in history, in fact just like Atheism it is nothing more than another man-made box to think from.
All any man-made institution has done is too barrow from the real thing and promote itself as something it's not, this is true Hypocrisy at the highest level, adding too or taking from what God made perfect already.
What about SIN and what it does to you?
It's important to know this in order to understand why you think the way you do about God!
This is something the Holy Spirit has layed on my heart, therefore I've spent lots of study time on this.... I hope that this will be an eye opener for anyone who reads this. These are not my words but rather that of the One True Living God!
Do Not be Deceived..........YOU Will NOT enter the Kingdom of Heaven with SIN in your life..GET IT OUT,NOW!!!
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
9 Do you not know that the UNRIGHTEOUS WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD? DO NOT BE DECEIVED. Neither FORNICATORS, nor IDOLATERS, nor ADULTERERS, nor HOMOSEXUALS, nor SODOMITES, 10 nor THIEVES, nor COVETOUS, nor DRUNKARDS, nor REVILERS, nor EXTORTIONERS will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were (THIS IS THE KEY"WERE") some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.(NKJV)
UNRIGHTEOUS- wicked, unjust, heathen, ungodlyWILL NOT INHERIT- meaning to be an heir
THE KINGDOM OF GOD- Heaven and all that is connected to God's will and inheritance.
DO NOT BE DECEIVED-a straying from, seduced, delusion, error, "the deceiver" is the title of the devil. Lit. "the deceiving one", Often it has the sense of "deceiving oneself" eg. 1Cor. 6:9;15:33, Gal 6:7NEITHER FORNICATORS,- (Greek word pornos)-whoremonger, prostitute, a crime of impurity between unmarried persons. Figuratively-infidelity to God.
NOR IDOLATERS-(Greek word eidololatres), an “idolater” is found in 1 Cor. 5:10, 11; 6:9; 10:7; the warning is to believers against turning away from God to idolatry, whether “openly or secretly, consciously or unconsciously” Eph. 5:5; Rev. 21:8; 22:15.
NOR ADULTERERS-(Greek word moichos) denotes one “who has unlawful intercourse with the spouse of another,”
NOR HOMOSEXUALS-(Greek word arsenokoite) Two occurrences; translates as “abuser of (one’s) self with mankind” once, and “defile (one’s) self with mankind” once. One who lies with a male as with a female, sodomite, homosexual.
NOR SODOMITES-[malakos ] adj. Of uncertain affinity; Four occurrences; translates as “soft” three times, and “effeminate” once. 1 soft, soft to the touch. 2 metaph. in a bad sense. 2a effeminate. 2a1 of a catamite. 2a2 of a boy kept for homosexual relations with a man. 2a3 of a male who submits his body to unnatural lewdness. 2a4 of a male prostitute.
NOR THIEVES-(Greek word kleptes) is used (a) literally, someone who steals, Matt. 6:19, 20; 24:43; Luke 12:33, 39; John 10:1, 10; 12:6; 1 Cor. 6:10; 1 Pet. 4:15; (b) metaphorically of “false teachers,” John 10:8;
NOR COVETOUS-(Greek word pleonektes), lit., “(eager) to have more” i.e., to have what belongs to others; hence, “greedy of gain, covetous,”
NOR DUNKARDS-(Greek word methysos), meth´-oo-sos; from tipsy, i.e. (as noun) a sot:— drunkard.Another form of to drink to intoxication, i.e. get drunk(Intoxication of ant kind)-Drugs
NOR REVILERS- (Greek word loidoros ) From loidos (mischief);
denotes “to abuse, revile,” to pick on, be mean,“to speak profanely, to accuse.
NOR EXTORTIONERS- (Greek word harpax) adj. 1 rapacious, ravenous. 2 a extortioner, a robber, extorting money or property
WILL INHERIT -(The Greek word used here is ou) “no, not,” expressing a negation absolutely, is rendered “nay,” e.g., in Matt. 5:37; 13:29; John 7:12, kjv (rv, “not so”); Acts 16:37; 2 Cor. 1:17-19; Jas. 5:12.
Now lets turn to Galatians 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: ADULTERY, FORNICATION, UNCLEANNESS, LASCIVIOUSNESS, 20 IDOLATRY, WITCHCRAFT or SORCERY (Take note here once and for all, see below), HATRED, CONTENTIONS(variance), JEALOUSIES(emulations), OUTBURST OF WRATH, SELFISH AMBITIONS(strife), DISSENSIONS(seditions), HERESIES, 21 ENVY, MURDERS, DRUNKENNESS, REVELRIES(revelings), and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things WILL NOT INHERIT the kingdom of God.(NKJV)
ADULTERY-(Greek word moichos) denotes one “who has unlawful intercourse with the spouse of another,”FORNICATION,- (Greek word pornos)-whoremonger, prostitute, a crime of impurity between unmarried persons. Figuratively-infidelity to God.
UNCLEANNESS-(Greek word akatharsia) impure, [lewd] or [demonic]):— foul, unclean
LASCIVIOUSNESS-(Greek word aselgeia) “wantonness, licentiousness, lasciviousness,” is translated “filthy
IDOLATRY-(Greek word eidololatria), Heathen sacrifices were sacrificed to demons, 1 Cor. 10:19; there was a dire reality in the cup and table of demons and in the involved communion with demons. In Rom. 1:22-25, “idolatry,” the sin of the mind against God (Eph. 2:3), and immorality, sins of the flesh, are associated, and are traced to lack of the acknowledgment of God and of gratitude to Him. An “idolater” is a slave to the depraved ideas his idols represent, Gal. 4:8, 9; and thereby, to divers lusts, Titus 3:3
WITCHCRAFT or SORCERY-(Greek word pharmakeia and pharmakon), medication (“pharmacy”), magic (lit. or fig.):— sorcery, witchcraft.
(Greek word pharmakous), from pharmakon, (a drug, i.e. spell-giving potion); a druggist (“pharmacist”) or poisoner, a magician:— sorcerer. You will please note that IN NO WAY is Witchcraft to be equated with any form of Spiritual power is is however attached to the FLESHLY MENTAL REALM and is therefore LIMITED in its power toward the Church of Jesus, this does however explain WHY ITS POWER IS SO HARD TO UPROOT and why its influence goes so deep into societies through the Centuries.
HATRED-Greek word echthra), “enmity” “enmities,” “hatred.” It is the opposite of agape, “love.”
VARIANCE-(Greek words eris), er´-is; a quarrel, wrangling:— contention, debate, strife, variance.
EMULATIONS- (Greek word zelos), dzay´-los; heat, ardor; in an unfavorable one, jealousy, as of a husband [fig. of God], or an enemy, malice):— emulation, envy (-ing), fervent mind, indignation, “zeal, jealousy,” is rendered “fierceness”
WRATH-(Greek word thymos) “hot anger, wrath,” is rendered “fierceness”
STRIFE-(Greek word eritheia)“ambition, self-seeking, rivalry,” self-will being an underlying idea in the word; hence it denotes “party-making.” It is derived, not from eris, “strife,” but from erithos, “a hireling”; hence the meaning of “seeking to win followers,” “factions,” so rendered “strifes”; not improbably the meaning here is rivalries, or base ambitions (all the other words in the list express abstract ideas rather than factions)
SEDITIONS-(Greek words dichostasia) lit., “a standing apart” (dicha, “asunder, apart,” stasis, “a standing”), hence “a dissension, division,” is translated “seditions”
HERESIES-(Greek word hairesis)denotes (a) “a choosing, choice” (from haireomai, “to choose”); then, “that which is chosen,” and hence, “an opinion,” especially a self-willed opinion, which is substituted for submission to the power of truth, and leads to division and the formation of sects, Gal. 5:20 (marg., “parties”); such erroneous opinions are frequently the outcome of personal preference or the prospect of advantage; see 2 Pet. 2:1, where “destructive” signifies leading to ruin; some assign even this to (b); in the papyri the prevalent meaning is “choice” “a sect”; this secondary meaning, resulting from (a), is the dominating significance in the NT, Acts 5:17; 15:5; 24:5, 14; 26:5; 28:22; “heresies” in 1 Cor. 11:19
ENVYINGS- (Greek word phthonos)“envy,” is the feeling of displeasure produced by witnessing or hearing of the advantage or prosperity of others; this evil sense always attachés to this word, Matt. 27:18; Mark 15:10; Rom. 1:29; Gal. 5:21; Phil. 1:15; 1 Tim. 6:4; Titus 3:3; 1 Pet. 2:1; so in Jas. 4:5, where the question is rhetorical and strongly remonstrative, signifying that the Spirit (or spirit) which God made to dwell in us was certainly not so bestowed that we should be guilty of “envy.”
MURDERS-(Greek word phonos)(to slay); murder:— murder, + be slain with, slaughter.
DRUNKENNESS-(Greek word methe)an intoxicant, i.e. (by impl.) intoxication:— drunkenness. “strong drink”, denotes “drunkenness, habitual intoxication,”
REVELLINGS-(Greek word komos)a carousal (as if letting loose):— revelling, rioting “a revel, carousal,” the concomitant and consequence of drunkenness, is used in the plural, Rom. 13:13, translated by the singular, “reveling” (kjv, “rioting”); Gal. 5:21 and 1 Pet. 4:3, “revelings.”, “prodigality, a wastefulness, profligacy"
"those who PRACTICE such things will NOT inherit the kingdom of God." ( A person who PRACTICES DAILY ANY OF THESE sinful, demonicly influenced WEAKNESSES in personality CANNOT be in a place to benifit from the Kingdoms influences and will end up in a different place than heaven NO MATTER WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT RELIGION AND FAITH! )
I have to say that this was an eye opener studying these verses word for word in the original text ; it gave me a much much better understanding of what God says. There is NO way to Mis-interpret what this text is saying. God has given us every tool, every truth, every key, everything at our finger tips. We have no excuse for not learning His truth. When we stand before the all Mighty and give account of our life we will find out that the ONLY thing that was worth our time and effort was seeking God's face, spending time with God's people, and serving God's interests. How foolish and naked we will feel, when He shows us all the fruitless time here on earth we've wasted. All these things that people do that will not enter the Kingdom, just don't seem worth the eternal consequence. Please, People re=read carefully the true meanings of these words. May the Holy Spirit convict us were we NEED to be convicted before it's to late. Remember these are God's definitions the original meanings, not the ones that we have thought. May our hearts be tender. None of it is worth losing our Heavenly Home. 1 John 5:18a "We know that anyone born of God does not CONTINUE to sin." We are called to be differnt, and to allow God's light (Jesus' light) to shine through us.
Let me give you an example: Here is a man who has struggles with approval and alcohol all His life. God gets a hold on Him, but He only give a little of Himself to God. He is deceiving Himself. By all outward appearance He is a Godly man, every time the church doors are open He's there dressed in His best. He talks an amazing talk, seems to be very Godly, But the truth is; is the man hasn't really changed, he still drinks, smokes, and smokes drugs, still flirts with other women, even though he's married. He is deceiving Himself. (interesting that God's word say " Do not be deceived ) And worst of all showing others that proclaiming to be a Christian is no different than being of this world. Yet this man still in all his pride and arrogant, believes he's right. And seems to refuse to repent and FULLY surrender his ALL to the Almighty. Now because of this man's life he's living ; His son who desperately needs God, and knows He's there but doesn't DO anything about it, See's this example of his earthly Father strutting in front of Him doing the same things as everyone else in this world. He doesn't see a Godly man showing Him the truth, the love, the wrath of the Almighty.
So now one of two things will happen....One the son See's no need to serve God (there's no difference)and use that as an excuse not to change and serve God or Two the son knowing that Christians aren't to act and live that way, will just get further away from receiving the truth of God and His transforming power. Either way the end result of the Father's ungodly and hypocritical behavior doesn't no one any good. It hurt God, and only keep Him from a close relationship with God, His deceives himself and walks in a non-victorious life, and he is hurting his son, who is watching. My heart truly hurts...Please open the eyes of your hearts people, If we are REAL children of God we WILL give up self and we will serve God in our outward and inward life. There Will be a major change in us. THE LIGHT in us WILL shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.
Matthew 5:16 "We are called to be the salt of the earth.The world will know us by our fruit; the fruit of the spirit....."
THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRITGalatians 5:22-26
22 "BUT the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, JOY, PEACE, LONG-SUFFERING, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, 23 GENTLENESS, SELF-CONTROL (Temperance). Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."
(Love which is the greatest command 1 Corinthians 13) read it
LOVE-(Greek words agape)“feast of charity” once. All in compassing love. 1 brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence. 2 love feasts.JOY-(Greek word chara) cheerfulness, i.e. calm delight:— gladness, × greatly, (× be exceeding) joy (-ful, -fully, fulness, -ous).
PEACE-(Greek word eirene)prosperity:— one, peace, quietness, rest, + set at one again,the harmonized relationships between God and man
LONG-SUFFERING-(Greek word makrothymia)“forbearance, patience, longsuffering”
GENTLENESS-(Greek word chrestotes) usefulness, i.e. mor denotes “goodness” in the sense of what is upright, righteous, Rom. 3:12 (translated “good”); in the sense of kindness of heart or act, said of God, Rom. 2:4; 11:22; Eph. 2:7 (“kindness”); Titus 3:4 (“kindness”); said of believers and rendered “kindness,” 2 Cor. 6:6; Col. 3:12; Gal. 5:22 (rv; kjv, “gentleness”)
GOODNESS-(Greek word agathosyne)“over,” rendered “beyond” virtue or beneficence:— goodness.FAITH-(Greek word pistis)conviction, espec. reliance upon Christ for salvation; truth itself:— assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity “firm persuasion,” a conviction based upon hearing (akin to peitho, “to persuade”), is used in the NT always of “faith in God or Christ, or things spiritual.”
MEEKNESS-(Greek word praotes, praupathia), humility gentleness, mildness, meekness.
TEMPERANCE-(Greek words enkrateia)“strength,” occurs in Acts 24:25; Gal. 5:23; 2 Pet. 1:6 (twice), in all of which it is rendered “temperance”, “self-control” is the preferable rendering, as “temperance” is now limited to one form of self-control; the various powers bestowed by God upon man are capable of abuse; the right use demands the controlling power of the will under the operation of the Spirit of God; in Acts 24:25 the word follows “righteousness,” which represents God’s claims, self-control being man’s response thereto; in 2 Pet. 1:6, it follows “knowledge,” suggesting that what is learned requires to be put into practice
26 "Let us NOT become CONCEITED, PROVOKING one another, ENVYING one another"
Let us NOT-(Greek word for Not is-me, mege, mepou) me, may; a primary particle of qualified negation (expresses an absolute denial); (adv.) not, (conjunc.) lest; also whether:— any, but (that), × forbear, + God forbid, + lack, lest, neither, never, no (× wise in), none, nor, [can-] not, nothing, that not, un [-taken], without.CONCEITED {desirous of vain glory,}-(Greek word kenodoxos) vainly glorifying, i.e. self-conceited:— desirous of vain-glory in Gal. 5:26, (kjv, “desirous of vain glory”)
PROVOKING-(Greek word prokaleo)“to call forth,” as to a contest, hence “to stir up what is evil in another,” occurs in the middle voice in Gal. 5:26
ENVYING-(Greek word phthoneo)to be jealous of:— envy.
May you walk in the freedom and the joy that a walk close to God brings. If the Holy Spirit has convicted you in anyway, please repent (turn from that sin and not doing it anymore) and ask God for forgiveness. Please see the Video on my other post "True and False Conversion" And while this might just blow your theology out of the water, I WOULD ASK YOU...ISN'T HEAVEN FOREVER WORTH IT TO LOSE AN EARTHLY IDEA IN FAVOR OF AN ETERNAL TRUTH?
How to Defeat an atheist argument!
'Click'By spiderpam Hold them to their namesake
Ask questions make them walk out their irrational beliefs to the bitter end, don’t let them grab Christian morals or ideas in order to stay afloat.
Atheism is defined in two ways
Disbelief in or denial of the existence of God or gods.
The doctrine that there is no God or gods.
Godlessness; immorality.
When we debate an atheist the first and most prevalent point usually made is that Christianity is illogical. But wait
An atheist only has three places in which to base their standards and none of them can account for logic and thought let us look at them:
Nature- nature is defined for humans by the fives senses: touch, smell, sight, hear, taste.Thinking is not a sense found is nature thus you can't use it for any basis for thought or logic.
Society- Basically majority rule, but to use this for thought, logic or common sense majority cannot account for this world today. . When ever it’s tried, you get mass choas is the next step "you don’t agree with society, you die." We would be just robots the void of individual thought. And whose to say which society idea is right, There is no standard to base in a majority rule. Another point to bring it home is: Why does every sane person have a conscience, even when it is not dictated by society?
Individualism- The most impossible, One individualism can never be wrong thus they can never be right everything is subjective. Atheist hate this, because by there very definition the claim an absolute NO GOD which means nothing when coming from an atheist. In our world today, can a atheist explain how personality could have ever evolved from the impersonal, or how order could have ever resulted from chaos?
Morality- We can’t say atheist are immortal, but they have no basis for morality.
A true atheist can never say something is bad or wrong, to say so implies they must know what is good or right. That’s where they use Christian values to define their beliefs in the lack of values and the bible or God. To put it simple bad can only exist when there is first good ie rust can exist on a car, moth ridden clothes need clothes. Evil can only exist where there is good, Christians can tell what is bad because we know what is good. Atheists don’t have that luxury because their words are always subjective and an absolute can never be reached.
Keeping the above in mind ask an atheist these questions:
What is logic?
What is truth?
Whose truth is right?
Are truth and logic material?
Can you see it?
To claim logic you must determine what determines logic or who?
Where does logic come from?
Who or what decides logic and whose to say whose logic is right?
Where did you get your views from can you map them by purely material means?
How do draw the conclusion of whose logic is true logic?
And when you get there how can you be sure it is true or even valid?
What will you use to determine the validity of your own logic?
and finally How can an atheist truly know what is wrong or bad?
When you get through these you will have a new agnostic and then you can present the gospel and it will make more sense when they realize their whole view is senseless and illogical.
Don’t get me wrong I believe there are true atheists out there, but we will never meet them as they are the truly insane or the walking robot dead. A true atheist would never debate a Christian, how could they? Everything is subjective and he has no basis to fault Christianity. He can disagree, but it’s truly meaningless.
To you ex atheist or new agnostic be honest. Is there any evidence that would satisfy you and persuade you to become a believer, or are you just going to believe what you WANT to believe? If so why waste your time on a computer?
Here is a quote proving this to be the case (from:HERE ):
"The word is out, “atheistic” humanism has failed!
Period!
This is most evident in the United States as we witness via organized humanism’s ineffectual response to the religious Right’s worldview, and via the general attitude of Americans toward religion, superstition and science.
Why has this happened to humanism when other “movements,” such as those championing African-Americans or Jews or Gays, have made significant progress, and have done so despite the secular and religious Right’s thirty-year affront to progressive ideals?
Could humanism’s failure as a worldview, to some extent, be because so many humanists see their worldview as an alternative to religion rather than a self-contained faithof its own?
How many times do we humanists find ourselves describing our beliefs by calling out a litany of ideas and faiths we don’t happen to subscribe to?
It is at times as if humanism would not exist if it were not for religion.
It is no wonder that organized humanism, cautious about becoming a religious alternative tend to follow a big tent model, wrapping as much as they can into their message – secularism, science advocacy, atheism, skepticism, and somewhere in the mess, humanism – while boosting their revenues even if that means diluting their original message." whatever that was!
There is a vast difference between being able to Think freely about what life really means and being bound to "religious stinking' thinking".
Religion as a man-made entity has never freed anyone from anything at any point in history, in fact just like Atheism it is nothing more than another man-made box to think from.
All any man-made institution has done is too barrow from the real thing and promote itself as something it's not, this is true Hypocrisy at the highest level, adding too or taking from what God made perfect already.
What about SIN and what it does to you?
It's important to know this in order to understand why you think the way you do about God!
This is something the Holy Spirit has layed on my heart, therefore I've spent lots of study time on this.... I hope that this will be an eye opener for anyone who reads this. These are not my words but rather that of the One True Living God!
Do Not be Deceived..........YOU Will NOT enter the Kingdom of Heaven with SIN in your life..GET IT OUT,NOW!!!
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
9 Do you not know that the UNRIGHTEOUS WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD? DO NOT BE DECEIVED. Neither FORNICATORS, nor IDOLATERS, nor ADULTERERS, nor HOMOSEXUALS, nor SODOMITES, 10 nor THIEVES, nor COVETOUS, nor DRUNKARDS, nor REVILERS, nor EXTORTIONERS will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were (THIS IS THE KEY"WERE") some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.(NKJV)
UNRIGHTEOUS- wicked, unjust, heathen, ungodlyWILL NOT INHERIT- meaning to be an heir
THE KINGDOM OF GOD- Heaven and all that is connected to God's will and inheritance.
DO NOT BE DECEIVED-a straying from, seduced, delusion, error, "the deceiver" is the title of the devil. Lit. "the deceiving one", Often it has the sense of "deceiving oneself" eg. 1Cor. 6:9;15:33, Gal 6:7NEITHER FORNICATORS,- (Greek word pornos)-whoremonger, prostitute, a crime of impurity between unmarried persons. Figuratively-infidelity to God.
NOR IDOLATERS-(Greek word eidololatres), an “idolater” is found in 1 Cor. 5:10, 11; 6:9; 10:7; the warning is to believers against turning away from God to idolatry, whether “openly or secretly, consciously or unconsciously” Eph. 5:5; Rev. 21:8; 22:15.
NOR ADULTERERS-(Greek word moichos) denotes one “who has unlawful intercourse with the spouse of another,”
NOR HOMOSEXUALS-(Greek word arsenokoite) Two occurrences; translates as “abuser of (one’s) self with mankind” once, and “defile (one’s) self with mankind” once. One who lies with a male as with a female, sodomite, homosexual.
NOR SODOMITES-[malakos ] adj. Of uncertain affinity; Four occurrences; translates as “soft” three times, and “effeminate” once. 1 soft, soft to the touch. 2 metaph. in a bad sense. 2a effeminate. 2a1 of a catamite. 2a2 of a boy kept for homosexual relations with a man. 2a3 of a male who submits his body to unnatural lewdness. 2a4 of a male prostitute.
NOR THIEVES-(Greek word kleptes) is used (a) literally, someone who steals, Matt. 6:19, 20; 24:43; Luke 12:33, 39; John 10:1, 10; 12:6; 1 Cor. 6:10; 1 Pet. 4:15; (b) metaphorically of “false teachers,” John 10:8;
NOR COVETOUS-(Greek word pleonektes), lit., “(eager) to have more” i.e., to have what belongs to others; hence, “greedy of gain, covetous,”
NOR DUNKARDS-(Greek word methysos), meth´-oo-sos; from tipsy, i.e. (as noun) a sot:— drunkard.Another form of to drink to intoxication, i.e. get drunk(Intoxication of ant kind)-Drugs
NOR REVILERS- (Greek word loidoros ) From loidos (mischief);
denotes “to abuse, revile,” to pick on, be mean,“to speak profanely, to accuse.
NOR EXTORTIONERS- (Greek word harpax) adj. 1 rapacious, ravenous. 2 a extortioner, a robber, extorting money or property
WILL INHERIT -(The Greek word used here is ou) “no, not,” expressing a negation absolutely, is rendered “nay,” e.g., in Matt. 5:37; 13:29; John 7:12, kjv (rv, “not so”); Acts 16:37; 2 Cor. 1:17-19; Jas. 5:12.
Now lets turn to Galatians 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: ADULTERY, FORNICATION, UNCLEANNESS, LASCIVIOUSNESS, 20 IDOLATRY, WITCHCRAFT or SORCERY (Take note here once and for all, see below), HATRED, CONTENTIONS(variance), JEALOUSIES(emulations), OUTBURST OF WRATH, SELFISH AMBITIONS(strife), DISSENSIONS(seditions), HERESIES, 21 ENVY, MURDERS, DRUNKENNESS, REVELRIES(revelings), and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things WILL NOT INHERIT the kingdom of God.(NKJV)
ADULTERY-(Greek word moichos) denotes one “who has unlawful intercourse with the spouse of another,”FORNICATION,- (Greek word pornos)-whoremonger, prostitute, a crime of impurity between unmarried persons. Figuratively-infidelity to God.
UNCLEANNESS-(Greek word akatharsia) impure, [lewd] or [demonic]):— foul, unclean
LASCIVIOUSNESS-(Greek word aselgeia) “wantonness, licentiousness, lasciviousness,” is translated “filthy
IDOLATRY-(Greek word eidololatria), Heathen sacrifices were sacrificed to demons, 1 Cor. 10:19; there was a dire reality in the cup and table of demons and in the involved communion with demons. In Rom. 1:22-25, “idolatry,” the sin of the mind against God (Eph. 2:3), and immorality, sins of the flesh, are associated, and are traced to lack of the acknowledgment of God and of gratitude to Him. An “idolater” is a slave to the depraved ideas his idols represent, Gal. 4:8, 9; and thereby, to divers lusts, Titus 3:3
WITCHCRAFT or SORCERY-(Greek word pharmakeia and pharmakon), medication (“pharmacy”), magic (lit. or fig.):— sorcery, witchcraft.
(Greek word pharmakous), from pharmakon, (a drug, i.e. spell-giving potion); a druggist (“pharmacist”) or poisoner, a magician:— sorcerer. You will please note that IN NO WAY is Witchcraft to be equated with any form of Spiritual power is is however attached to the FLESHLY MENTAL REALM and is therefore LIMITED in its power toward the Church of Jesus, this does however explain WHY ITS POWER IS SO HARD TO UPROOT and why its influence goes so deep into societies through the Centuries.
HATRED-Greek word echthra), “enmity” “enmities,” “hatred.” It is the opposite of agape, “love.”
VARIANCE-(Greek words eris), er´-is; a quarrel, wrangling:— contention, debate, strife, variance.
EMULATIONS- (Greek word zelos), dzay´-los; heat, ardor; in an unfavorable one, jealousy, as of a husband [fig. of God], or an enemy, malice):— emulation, envy (-ing), fervent mind, indignation, “zeal, jealousy,” is rendered “fierceness”
WRATH-(Greek word thymos) “hot anger, wrath,” is rendered “fierceness”
STRIFE-(Greek word eritheia)“ambition, self-seeking, rivalry,” self-will being an underlying idea in the word; hence it denotes “party-making.” It is derived, not from eris, “strife,” but from erithos, “a hireling”; hence the meaning of “seeking to win followers,” “factions,” so rendered “strifes”; not improbably the meaning here is rivalries, or base ambitions (all the other words in the list express abstract ideas rather than factions)
SEDITIONS-(Greek words dichostasia) lit., “a standing apart” (dicha, “asunder, apart,” stasis, “a standing”), hence “a dissension, division,” is translated “seditions”
HERESIES-(Greek word hairesis)denotes (a) “a choosing, choice” (from haireomai, “to choose”); then, “that which is chosen,” and hence, “an opinion,” especially a self-willed opinion, which is substituted for submission to the power of truth, and leads to division and the formation of sects, Gal. 5:20 (marg., “parties”); such erroneous opinions are frequently the outcome of personal preference or the prospect of advantage; see 2 Pet. 2:1, where “destructive” signifies leading to ruin; some assign even this to (b); in the papyri the prevalent meaning is “choice” “a sect”; this secondary meaning, resulting from (a), is the dominating significance in the NT, Acts 5:17; 15:5; 24:5, 14; 26:5; 28:22; “heresies” in 1 Cor. 11:19
ENVYINGS- (Greek word phthonos)“envy,” is the feeling of displeasure produced by witnessing or hearing of the advantage or prosperity of others; this evil sense always attachés to this word, Matt. 27:18; Mark 15:10; Rom. 1:29; Gal. 5:21; Phil. 1:15; 1 Tim. 6:4; Titus 3:3; 1 Pet. 2:1; so in Jas. 4:5, where the question is rhetorical and strongly remonstrative, signifying that the Spirit (or spirit) which God made to dwell in us was certainly not so bestowed that we should be guilty of “envy.”
MURDERS-(Greek word phonos)(to slay); murder:— murder, + be slain with, slaughter.
DRUNKENNESS-(Greek word methe)an intoxicant, i.e. (by impl.) intoxication:— drunkenness. “strong drink”, denotes “drunkenness, habitual intoxication,”
REVELLINGS-(Greek word komos)a carousal (as if letting loose):— revelling, rioting “a revel, carousal,” the concomitant and consequence of drunkenness, is used in the plural, Rom. 13:13, translated by the singular, “reveling” (kjv, “rioting”); Gal. 5:21 and 1 Pet. 4:3, “revelings.”, “prodigality, a wastefulness, profligacy"
"those who PRACTICE such things will NOT inherit the kingdom of God." ( A person who PRACTICES DAILY ANY OF THESE sinful, demonicly influenced WEAKNESSES in personality CANNOT be in a place to benifit from the Kingdoms influences and will end up in a different place than heaven NO MATTER WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT RELIGION AND FAITH! )
I have to say that this was an eye opener studying these verses word for word in the original text ; it gave me a much much better understanding of what God says. There is NO way to Mis-interpret what this text is saying. God has given us every tool, every truth, every key, everything at our finger tips. We have no excuse for not learning His truth. When we stand before the all Mighty and give account of our life we will find out that the ONLY thing that was worth our time and effort was seeking God's face, spending time with God's people, and serving God's interests. How foolish and naked we will feel, when He shows us all the fruitless time here on earth we've wasted. All these things that people do that will not enter the Kingdom, just don't seem worth the eternal consequence. Please, People re=read carefully the true meanings of these words. May the Holy Spirit convict us were we NEED to be convicted before it's to late. Remember these are God's definitions the original meanings, not the ones that we have thought. May our hearts be tender. None of it is worth losing our Heavenly Home. 1 John 5:18a "We know that anyone born of God does not CONTINUE to sin." We are called to be differnt, and to allow God's light (Jesus' light) to shine through us.
Let me give you an example: Here is a man who has struggles with approval and alcohol all His life. God gets a hold on Him, but He only give a little of Himself to God. He is deceiving Himself. By all outward appearance He is a Godly man, every time the church doors are open He's there dressed in His best. He talks an amazing talk, seems to be very Godly, But the truth is; is the man hasn't really changed, he still drinks, smokes, and smokes drugs, still flirts with other women, even though he's married. He is deceiving Himself. (interesting that God's word say " Do not be deceived ) And worst of all showing others that proclaiming to be a Christian is no different than being of this world. Yet this man still in all his pride and arrogant, believes he's right. And seems to refuse to repent and FULLY surrender his ALL to the Almighty. Now because of this man's life he's living ; His son who desperately needs God, and knows He's there but doesn't DO anything about it, See's this example of his earthly Father strutting in front of Him doing the same things as everyone else in this world. He doesn't see a Godly man showing Him the truth, the love, the wrath of the Almighty.
So now one of two things will happen....One the son See's no need to serve God (there's no difference)and use that as an excuse not to change and serve God or Two the son knowing that Christians aren't to act and live that way, will just get further away from receiving the truth of God and His transforming power. Either way the end result of the Father's ungodly and hypocritical behavior doesn't no one any good. It hurt God, and only keep Him from a close relationship with God, His deceives himself and walks in a non-victorious life, and he is hurting his son, who is watching. My heart truly hurts...Please open the eyes of your hearts people, If we are REAL children of God we WILL give up self and we will serve God in our outward and inward life. There Will be a major change in us. THE LIGHT in us WILL shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.
Matthew 5:16 "We are called to be the salt of the earth.The world will know us by our fruit; the fruit of the spirit....."
THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRITGalatians 5:22-26
22 "BUT the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, JOY, PEACE, LONG-SUFFERING, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, 23 GENTLENESS, SELF-CONTROL (Temperance). Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."
(Love which is the greatest command 1 Corinthians 13) read it
LOVE-(Greek words agape)“feast of charity” once. All in compassing love. 1 brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence. 2 love feasts.JOY-(Greek word chara) cheerfulness, i.e. calm delight:— gladness, × greatly, (× be exceeding) joy (-ful, -fully, fulness, -ous).
PEACE-(Greek word eirene)prosperity:— one, peace, quietness, rest, + set at one again,the harmonized relationships between God and man
LONG-SUFFERING-(Greek word makrothymia)“forbearance, patience, longsuffering”
GENTLENESS-(Greek word chrestotes) usefulness, i.e. mor denotes “goodness” in the sense of what is upright, righteous, Rom. 3:12 (translated “good”); in the sense of kindness of heart or act, said of God, Rom. 2:4; 11:22; Eph. 2:7 (“kindness”); Titus 3:4 (“kindness”); said of believers and rendered “kindness,” 2 Cor. 6:6; Col. 3:12; Gal. 5:22 (rv; kjv, “gentleness”)
GOODNESS-(Greek word agathosyne)“over,” rendered “beyond” virtue or beneficence:— goodness.FAITH-(Greek word pistis)conviction, espec. reliance upon Christ for salvation; truth itself:— assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity “firm persuasion,” a conviction based upon hearing (akin to peitho, “to persuade”), is used in the NT always of “faith in God or Christ, or things spiritual.”
MEEKNESS-(Greek word praotes, praupathia), humility gentleness, mildness, meekness.
TEMPERANCE-(Greek words enkrateia)“strength,” occurs in Acts 24:25; Gal. 5:23; 2 Pet. 1:6 (twice), in all of which it is rendered “temperance”, “self-control” is the preferable rendering, as “temperance” is now limited to one form of self-control; the various powers bestowed by God upon man are capable of abuse; the right use demands the controlling power of the will under the operation of the Spirit of God; in Acts 24:25 the word follows “righteousness,” which represents God’s claims, self-control being man’s response thereto; in 2 Pet. 1:6, it follows “knowledge,” suggesting that what is learned requires to be put into practice
26 "Let us NOT become CONCEITED, PROVOKING one another, ENVYING one another"
Let us NOT-(Greek word for Not is-me, mege, mepou) me, may; a primary particle of qualified negation (expresses an absolute denial); (adv.) not, (conjunc.) lest; also whether:— any, but (that), × forbear, + God forbid, + lack, lest, neither, never, no (× wise in), none, nor, [can-] not, nothing, that not, un [-taken], without.CONCEITED {desirous of vain glory,}-(Greek word kenodoxos) vainly glorifying, i.e. self-conceited:— desirous of vain-glory in Gal. 5:26, (kjv, “desirous of vain glory”)
PROVOKING-(Greek word prokaleo)“to call forth,” as to a contest, hence “to stir up what is evil in another,” occurs in the middle voice in Gal. 5:26
ENVYING-(Greek word phthoneo)to be jealous of:— envy.
May you walk in the freedom and the joy that a walk close to God brings. If the Holy Spirit has convicted you in anyway, please repent (turn from that sin and not doing it anymore) and ask God for forgiveness. Please see the Video on my other post "True and False Conversion" And while this might just blow your theology out of the water, I WOULD ASK YOU...ISN'T HEAVEN FOREVER WORTH IT TO LOSE AN EARTHLY IDEA IN FAVOR OF AN ETERNAL TRUTH?
How to Defeat an atheist argument!
'Click'By spiderpam Hold them to their namesake
Ask questions make them walk out their irrational beliefs to the bitter end, don’t let them grab Christian morals or ideas in order to stay afloat.
Atheism is defined in two ways
Disbelief in or denial of the existence of God or gods.
The doctrine that there is no God or gods.
Godlessness; immorality.
When we debate an atheist the first and most prevalent point usually made is that Christianity is illogical. But wait
An atheist only has three places in which to base their standards and none of them can account for logic and thought let us look at them:
Nature- nature is defined for humans by the fives senses: touch, smell, sight, hear, taste.Thinking is not a sense found is nature thus you can't use it for any basis for thought or logic.
Society- Basically majority rule, but to use this for thought, logic or common sense majority cannot account for this world today. . When ever it’s tried, you get mass choas is the next step "you don’t agree with society, you die." We would be just robots the void of individual thought. And whose to say which society idea is right, There is no standard to base in a majority rule. Another point to bring it home is: Why does every sane person have a conscience, even when it is not dictated by society?
Individualism- The most impossible, One individualism can never be wrong thus they can never be right everything is subjective. Atheist hate this, because by there very definition the claim an absolute NO GOD which means nothing when coming from an atheist. In our world today, can a atheist explain how personality could have ever evolved from the impersonal, or how order could have ever resulted from chaos?
Morality- We can’t say atheist are immortal, but they have no basis for morality.
A true atheist can never say something is bad or wrong, to say so implies they must know what is good or right. That’s where they use Christian values to define their beliefs in the lack of values and the bible or God. To put it simple bad can only exist when there is first good ie rust can exist on a car, moth ridden clothes need clothes. Evil can only exist where there is good, Christians can tell what is bad because we know what is good. Atheists don’t have that luxury because their words are always subjective and an absolute can never be reached.
Keeping the above in mind ask an atheist these questions:
What is logic?
What is truth?
Whose truth is right?
Are truth and logic material?
Can you see it?
To claim logic you must determine what determines logic or who?
Where does logic come from?
Who or what decides logic and whose to say whose logic is right?
Where did you get your views from can you map them by purely material means?
How do draw the conclusion of whose logic is true logic?
And when you get there how can you be sure it is true or even valid?
What will you use to determine the validity of your own logic?
and finally How can an atheist truly know what is wrong or bad?
When you get through these you will have a new agnostic and then you can present the gospel and it will make more sense when they realize their whole view is senseless and illogical.
Don’t get me wrong I believe there are true atheists out there, but we will never meet them as they are the truly insane or the walking robot dead. A true atheist would never debate a Christian, how could they? Everything is subjective and he has no basis to fault Christianity. He can disagree, but it’s truly meaningless.
To you ex atheist or new agnostic be honest. Is there any evidence that would satisfy you and persuade you to become a believer, or are you just going to believe what you WANT to believe? If so why waste your time on a computer?
Testimony of an Ex-Atheist
By Darren "Daz" Gedye
I grew up in a non-Christian home. My father is an atheist and my mother was a backsliding Christian, due mostly to marrying my father I suspect. Anyway, I grew up an atheist. I never went to Church or Sunday school, stayed in bed till lunch-time on Sundays, and hated Christians who I thought were all stupid.
When I came to adolescence I went through a really hard time due to circumstances that I won't bore you with, and I decided life would be easier to bear if I cut out all feelings and contact with other people. I was eleven years old.
I spent the next decade working at achieving that goal and also trying to find a meaning for my life. I went through a stage of fads, where I would be fanatically interested in some subject, and then drop it when I found that it did little or nothing to feed the hunger in my soul. I didn't have many friends at high school, and those I did associate with decided I was the person most likely to initiate a global holocaust.
I dropped out of school after failing my University Entrance exams, and got a job as a chemistry technician with the New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. With the money came independence. I left home, was living in a house by myself, going to a job where I spoke to no-one, and going to night school at the local polytechnic where I did the same. I had achieved my goal: my life was empty of any emotions or meaningful contact with others. - It sucked.
The second year I was at night school I noticed a guy in my class was trying to talk to me. He'd been trying for the previous year as well, but I was too messed up to even notice. Luckily he was the patient type. He was a Christian and he invited me to go to an evangelistic outreach with him. I nearly punched him out. After that he tried just to be my friend and not try any heavy evangelism on me.
As I grew to trust him we started talking about life and stuff like that. I realized that a lot of what I had been told about Christians when I was growing up was not true. I started asking him questions about his beliefs and he answered them, but had the sense not to push it any further.
After a couple of years of this I realized that his worldview made more sense than mine did. I started reading a Bible he gave me and one night alone in my room it dawned on me that it was all true and I was the world's prize idiot. I hit the floor and asked Jesus to take control of my life.
My Mother has since reclaimed her faith so my family is now divided down the middle; my mother and I are Christians, my father and brother are atheists. Becoming a Christian didn't solve my problems, but it helped me to understand them and it opened the way for God to start healing me from my past.
After a few years I started going to Bible College at nights to learn more about God. I did that for two years, but then the pressures of trying to hold down a full-time and demanding job, go to Bible College at night, and help out in the Church and its youth group got too much. I dropped out of Church for a couple of months and failed my subjects at Bible College. I wanted to do something with my life for God, but I didn't know what.
After a long struggle and a fair bit of soul-searching I quit my job and applied for the Youth Intern position at my local Church. I have switched from doing a Diploma of Biblical Studies to doing a Ministry Internship Diploma, which is a much more practical course. I am trying to do less studying of God and more following him. So far I am enjoying it, but I know following God is a lifetime journey. I still have a long way to go.
As an aside, my friend from poly-tech is the most effective evangelist I have ever met. He has never been to Bible College or had any formal training and he says I now know far more theology than he does. But he has a love for God that still amazes me.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxc0NpTZE18&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1]
Professor Antony Flew confesses his belief in a creator!
Author of "Theology and Falsification," and "Darwinian Evolution""the most famous atheist in the academic world over the last half-century, Professor Antony Flew of England's University of Reading, now accepts the existence of God" (Dallas Morning News)
"Professor Antony Flew, a prominent British philosopher who is considered the world's best-known atheist, has cited advancements in science as proof of the existence of God." (Insight On The News)
"British professor Antony Flew, for decades one of the world's leading philosophers of atheism, publicly announced that he now affirms the existence of a deity." (Dallas Morning News)
"Now, in a remarkable reversal, Mr. Flew holds that the universe was brought into being by an infinite intelligence." (Dallas Morning News)
"This is comparable to Hugh Hefner announcing that he is becoming a celibate." (Insight On The News)Read the three Newspaper articles below:
"Former Atheist Says God Exists"
"An Atheist's Apostasy"
"Academics viewing the universe through a narrow scope should rethink assumptions"Although Flew, for the moment rejects Christianity, he gives his personal views in an interview:
"My one and only piece of relevant evidence [for an Aristotelian God] is the apparent impossibility of providing a naturalistic theory of the origin from DNA of the first reproducing species ... [In fact] the only reason which I have for beginning to think of believing in a First Cause god is the impossibility of providing a naturalistic account of the origin of the first reproducing organisms." (private interview with Antony Flew, Dec 2004) Former Atheist Says God Exists
By: Cliff Kinkaid (Editor of the AIM Report)
Insight On The News
December 21, 2004
It didn't make news, on the front or back pages of leading American newspapers, but Professor Antony Flew, a prominent British philosopher who is considered the world's best-known atheist, has cited advancements in science as proof of the existence of God. This is comparable to Hugh Hefner announcing that he is becoming a celibate.
At a symposium sponsored by the Institute for Meta-scientific Research, Flew said he has come to believe in God based on developments in DNA research. Flew, author of the book, Darwinian Evolution, declared, "What I think the DNA material has done is show that intelligence must have been involved in getting these extraordinarily diverse elements together. The enormous complexity by which the results were achieved look to me like the work of intelligence."
Associated Press distributed a December 9 story by religion writer Richard N. Ostling about Flew's conversion. Flew told AP that his current ideas had some similarity with those of U.S. "intelligent design" theorists, who believe the complexity of life points to an intelligent source of life, rather than the random and natural processes posited by Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
Flew's statements have been covered in Britain, where he is a professor, but we found nothing about his transformation in major American newspapers such as USA Today, the Washington Post, and the New York Times. Ostling's status as a religion writer may help explain why. The secular press considers this a religion story.
To its credit, however, the Seattle Times permitted Jonathan Witt of the Discovery Institute to write a column noting Flew's conversion in the context of discussing the usually taboo subject of the holes in Darwinian theory.
Witt noted that Darwin and his contemporaries thought a single cell was a simple blob of protoplasm and that it wouldn't have been difficult for nature to randomly produce something so simple. "In those days the cell was a black box, a mystery. But in the 20th century, scientists were able to open that black box and peek inside," he notes. "There they found not a simple blob, but a world of complex circuits, miniaturized motors and digital code. We now know that even the simplest functional cell is almost unfathomable and complex, containing at least 250 genes and their corresponding proteins."
"Darwin's Black Box" is the title of Michael J. Behe's 1996 book. Behe, a professor of biochemistry at Lehigh University, emphasizes the complexity of molecular systems such as the bacterial flagellum. Identified by electron microscopes, it is what Behe calls an "irreducibly complex system" that is necessarily composed of at least three parts: a paddle, a rotor, and a motor. He argues that Darwinian theory cannot account for it.
But those who believe in intelligent design or find gaping holes in the theory of evolution frequently encounter a hostile press. The Discovery Institute recently provided to Accuracy in Media a thick file of complaints about the way their representatives have been treated by the media, especially National Public Radio. The Discovery Institute focuses on the issue of whether there is any evidence of design in nature, rather than whether there is a designer. Still, its representatives tend to be portrayed in religious terms by the media.
Such a tactic is common operating procedure by the ACLU, which is determined to portray any alternative to evolution as religious and therefore not allowed to be taught or even discussed in the public schools.
Back in 2001, when the Public Broadcasting Service aired the seven-part series, Evolution, financed by Microsoft co-founder and billionaire Paul G. Allen, it asked Discovery Institute scientists to appear on the last segment dealing with God and religion. It was a trick. The institute rejected this ploy, saying that its representatives had scientific objections to evolution and that they should be included in the scientific episodes.
PBS went ahead with its one-sided program anyway. In response, the Discovery Institute produced a 152-page viewers guide, noting that the series distorts the scientific evidence, ignores scientific disagreements over Darwin's theory, and misrepresents the theory's critics. Because the PBS series is still being marketed to high schools around the country, the Discovery Institute critique continues to be helpful and relevant. You can find it at: www.reviewevolution.com
PBS and the rest of the media would be well-advised to follow the lead of Antony Flew, who said that his life has been guided by the principle of Plato's Socrates: "Follow the evidence, wherever it leads." Journalists can begin their investigation of the Socratic principle by simply reporting the facts surrounding Flew's amazing evolution and the implications that his statements have for a questionable theory that continues to be taught as the Gospel in the public schools. An Atheist's Apostasy:
By: Editorial Board
Dallas Morning News
December 15, 2004
An intellectual bombshell dropped last week when British professor Antony Flew, for decades one of the world's leading philosophers of atheism, publicly announced that he now affirms the existence of a deity.
To be sure, Mr. Flew has not become an adherent of any creed. He simply believes that science points to the existence of some sort of intelligent designer of the universe. He says evidence from DNA research convinces him that the genetic structure of biological life is too complex to have evolved entirely on its own. Though the 81-year-old philosopher believes Darwinian theory explains a lot, he contends that it cannot account for how life initially began.
We (the Editorial Board of the Dallas Morning News) found this conversion interesting in light of last year's controversy regarding proposed revisions to the state's (Texas) high school biology textbooks. Our view then was that while religion must be kept out of science classes, intellectual honesty demands that when science produces reliable data challenging the prevailing orthodoxies, students should be taught them.
We were bothered by Harvard geneticist Richard Lewontin's statement that for scientists, materialism must be "absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door." That's called stacking the deck.
Mr. Flew may be dead wrong, but it's refreshing to see that an academic of his stature is unafraid to let new facts change his mind. The philosopher told The Associated Press that if admirers are upset with his about-face, then "that's too bad. My whole life has been guided by the principle of Plato's Socrates: Follow the evidence, wherever it leads."
If the scientific data are compelling enough to cause an atheist academic of Antony Flew's reputation to recant much of his life's work, why shouldn't Texas schoolchildren be taught the controversy?Academics viewing the universe through a narrow scope should rethink assumptions
Dallas Morning News
By Roy Abraham Varghese
December 15, 2004
Last week, The Associated Press broke the news that the most famous atheist in the academic world over the last half-century, Professor Antony Flew of England's University of Reading, now accepts the existence of God.
Mr. Flew's best-known plaint for atheism, "Theology and Falsification," was delivered in 1950 to the Socratic Club, chaired by none other than C.S. Lewis. This paper went on to become the most widely reprinted philosophical publication of the last five decades and set the agenda for modern atheism.
Now, in a remarkable reversal, Mr. Flew holds that the universe was brought into being by an infinite intelligence.
"What I think the DNA material has done is show that intelligence must have been involved in getting these extraordinarily diverse elements together," he said. "The enormous complexity by which the results were achieved look to me like the work of intelligence."
Given the conventional wisdom of some psychologists that people rarely, if ever, change their worldview after the age of 30, this radical new position adopted by an 81-year-old thinker may seem startling.
But Mr. Flew's change was consistent with his career-long principle of following the evidence where it led him. And his newfound theism is the product neither of a Damascus road experience nor of fresh philosophical arguments, but by his sustained analysis of scientific data.
Mr. Flew's conclusion is consistent with the actual beliefs of most modern scientific pioneers, from Albert Einstein to quantum physicists like Max Planck and Werner Heisenberg. In their view, the intelligence of the universe - its laws - points to intelligence that has no limitation - "a superior mind," as Einstein put it.
Not a few of our men and women of letters, it would seem, have been looking for God in all the wrong places. Those who dismiss God as a product of psychological conditioning or pre-scientific myth-making have not come to terms with the essential assumptions underlying the scientific enterprise.
Science assumes that the universe follows laws, which leads to the question of how the laws of nature came into being. How does the electron know what to do? In A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking asks what breathes fire into the equations of science and gives a universe for them to describe. The answer to the question of why the universe exists, he concluded, would reveal to us "the mind of God."
Last May, I helped organize a New York University symposium on religion and science, with the participation of Mr. Flew and others. Our starting point was science's new knowledge that the universe's history is a story of quantum leaps of intelligence, the sudden yet systematic appearance of intrinsically intelligent systems arranged in an ascending order.
Many people assume that the intelligence in the universe somehow evolved out of non-intelligence, given chance and enough time, and in the case of living beings, through natural selection and random mutation. But even in the most hardheaded materialistic scenario, intelligence and intelligent systems come fully formed from day one.
Matter came with all its ingenious, mathematically precise laws from the time it first appeared. Life came fully formed with the incredibly intelligent symbol processing of DNA, the astonishing phenomenon of protein-folding and the marvel of replication from its very first appearance. Language, the incarnation of conceptual thought with its inexplicable structure of syntax, symbols and semantics, appeared out of the blue, again with its essential infrastructure as is from day one.
The evidence we have shows unmistakably that there was no progressive, gradual evolution of non-intelligence into intelligence in any of the fundamental categories of energy, life or mind. Each one of the three had intrinsically intelligent structures from the time each first appeared. Each, it would seem, proceeds from an infinitely intelligent mind in a precise sequence.
We can, if we want, declare that there is no reason why there are reasonable laws, no explanation for the fact there are explanations, no logic underlying logical processes. But this is manifestly not the conclusion adopted by Einstein, Heisenberg and, most recently, Antony Flew.
Roy Abraham Varghese of Garland is the author of The Wonder of the World: A Journey from Modern Science to the Mind of God (Tyr Publishing).
He helped organize presentations by Antony Flew in Dallas on two occasions. Readers may contact Mr. Varghese through tyrpublishing.com.
[caption id="attachment_2210" align="alignleft" width="220" caption="Foundational thought makes us see through a FILTERED experience, we therefore filter the evidence we will OURSELVES to believe!"]
[/caption]Then there are"Genetic similarities" between species interpreted by evolutionists as "DNA evidence" for evolution. The fact that human and chimp DNA are more than 96% the same is taken wrongly to mean that humans are genetically related rather than just similar to chimps and therefore descended from a common ancestor, of course we know that a common designer would have a lot of common design within his creation just when an Artist creates a series of paintings though not related to each other directly have similar traits to identify it's creator. This in no way PROVES anything one way or the other, although its interesting how evolutionists make such large leaps of faith in their theory without any truth to back it up and then claim that creationist's are using faith as a crutch!
The trouble with Evolution and there's a lot! Is in the clear cut facts of science that
they seem to refuse to fix when it's found out it's not science and untrue, here's a few to ponder: The Coelacanth ( Pronounced "seal-a-canth"a large fish) supposedly according to evolutionists disappeared from the fossil record with the last of the dinosaurs. That was supposedly 65 million years ago. The problem is that it is still alive and totally unchanged in our oceans today. Where is the evolution of this creature over time if it never changed into anything else? It's still as God made it less than 10,000 years ago! And what about God's "biggest Joke" towards these evolutionists? The platypus has a duck-like bill, swims with webbed feet, and lays eggs. Yet nobody calls it a transitional creature between mammals and ducks. Maybe it would have to go extinct for thousands of years and be found later so they can deceive a future class of people? What about their big theory on Dino's and Birds? Wasn't this at the time the end all to prove the missing link (Transition)? "Archaeopteryx" (Pronounced like "R-k-op-ter-x") has long been held up as the great example of transitional creatures, appearing to be part dinosaur and part bird. However, it is fully formed in and of itself, a complete animal with no half-finished components or useless growths. That is also the case for the other birds in the evolutionary tree, does their shame never end? Evolutionists just threw some of the many living and extinct species of birds next to each other on their chart to make it look like a "series of birds over time", this was very deceptive not to mention dishonest and begs the question: "If their right why do they have to set up "straw-theory's" to knock over?" The same goes for Christians and creationist's that might do the same thing! I understand the jump to protect your theory but to deny scientific Law or kick the "proof"can down the road to avoid the facts is just dishonest research if there's any real research at all!
It is a scientific fact that the necessary proteins in D.N.A. cannot be FORMED one at a time over time. Either they are all there at once, ready to work all at once, or nothing takes place at all and they disintegrate, this is God's way of protecting his investment from crappy reasoning. Yet even if it could design proteins, mutation-natural selection would only work on one at a time sporadically over many years without the guarantee that the next one would ever be alike. It's funny that D.N.A. has rubbed scientific facts in the face of evolution for years and we just simply overlook the obvious stupidity involved in their claims and excuses!
The first question that anyone asks when faced with the end of their own strength is "Who am I? Why am I here? and Where am I going?"
Until mankind gets answers to these questions of life then no amount "pseudo-science speak" can answer these important questions, so we are left empty inside because as the tree cannot deny its roots so man cannot run from who he was created to be! Did you know that at the moment of your conception as a fertilized egg you were no bigger than the head of a pin? But you still contained ALL the information of 6 Billion Chemical letters, enough to fill 1,000 books that were 500 pages thick with print that was Microscopic in size!
Think for a moment just how wonderful you are as God's handy-work, because if ALL the D.N.A.'s chemical letters in your body were printed in books they would be able to FILL the Grand Canyon 50 times to the top. The Lord of Creation has made you his greatest creation ever so complex in nature, that you are a perfect walking paradox that evolutionists can't explain.
John Walton - Chemist
The ONLY true solution to this issue is to realize God's personal design and the FACT that it was all created at the same time which is the only way D.N.A. will work. Evolution destroys D.N.A. in every scenario we can think of because Living Cells cannot produce proteins until the D.N.A. R.N.A replication and translation machinery is in place and since that has to happen all at once...Then gradual evolutionary change over billions or even thousands of years cannot work for D.N.A.!
How Could a God of love create cancer cells, rattlesnakes, and earthquakes?
The answer to this question and the understanding of all reality is found in understanding God's love.
As we enter the third millennium, no word is still more abused, misused, and misunderstood than "love," especially when it is applied to God.
Christian teachers often project their own "personal understanding" right or wrong of love onto God or they relegate any apparent real world contradiction of God's love to the category of God works in mysterious ways
Understanding God's Love ends both the mystery and our personal misunderstanding of love by letting scripture define God's love. No doctrine is more central to Christianity than the nature of God.
Why is our image or understanding of God of critical importance?
Why does the God of the Old Testament often seem to contradict the God of the New Testament?
Is God omnipotent, omniscient, immutable or impassive?
What is God's judgment and justice?
Did God require the sacrificial suffering and death of Jesus on the cross?
How are today's clerical Sadducee and Pharisee distorting God's image?
What are some of today's Christian "high places" of misguided worship of God?
How are we to understand the end of the world, salvation, heaven, and hell?
The God of the Bible is made known to us in many ways. In a most elemental way, we have knowledge of Him by reason of the presence and order of this universe and of our very existence in it. In fact, He views as unacceptable and without excuse refusal to acknowledge this most fundamental proof of His Being.
The Bible claims that such suppression of truth is willful. It is the reason why we sometimes move down a path away from God, and why God steps back as we proceed toward a state of depravity in thinking, not able to discern basic differences between right and wrong.
A quest for "GOD" cannot omit a discussion of His basic character and nature, because we need to understand who we are dealing with. Although nature itself reveals certain things about God, the Bible is the best source of information concerning Him.
Do you want to see a religious person freak out? mention that you disagree with them about their understanding of the nature of God. It's guaranteed, the person will freak, and call you a heathen, and worse.
why?
Think about this, when you say "the nature of God" what do you mean?
How are you defining "the nature of God?" what weight are you placing on what word, and how important is it to you in the long run?
"What is the nature of God Christians believe in? What are His characteristics, His attributes, His qualities? What is He like?"
Christianity claims that the God of all things is unique in that He alone has the following divine characteristics (in no particular order):
SUPREMACY:
The God of Judaism and Christianity is the Supreme Being. He is not merely a different type of being or a superior being but the Supreme Being.
UNIQUENESS:
God is unique. The Bible describes Him in Greek as mono genesis, i.e., "one of a kind", "having a unique nature."
ETERNALNESS:
He always has existed and always will exist. He had no beginning and will never cease to exist.
OMNISCIENCE:
He knows all things.
OMNIPOTENCE :
He is all-powerful.
OMNIPRESENCE:
He is everywhere at the same time.
SELF-EXISTENT:
God is the only thing that had no beginning, that was not created by something else.
HOLINESS :
Holy means pure, undefiled.
TRIUNE NATURE: Not a Triad as in pagan religions! Triads were distinct persons BUT they were NEVER ONE in nature and purpose
The one God is a single "trinity" consisting of three distinct "persons":
FATHER
JESUS
- often referred to as the Son or "the Word of God"
THE HOLY SPIRIT
Don't get hung up on the "how can one be three?" issue!
Remember--we are imperfect, natural human beings with physical bodies trying to understand a perfect, supernatural spiritual being that does not have a physical body.
(Jesus' physical body was created; He did not always have a physical body.)
Trying to understand the "triune" nature of God intellectually is like trying to understand intellectually why some things smell nice and some things don't, without actually smelling anything. It is NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW BUT IT IS A LIMITED SPACE AND TIME I'M DEALING WITH HERE,SO I WILL DEAL WITH THE TRINITY LATER ON!
THEISTIC :
Deistic and theistic are adjectives from the field of comparative religion. They describe the relationship between a god and that which it creates. A deistic god is one that would distance himself from that which it creates (Such as in Theistic Evolution ), one that would not get involved in the activities of the things he created.
A deistic god would essentially be an "absentee father" god -- it would create a universe and then sit back and say "I made you, but I don't want to get involved. You're on your own!" The God of the Bible is FULLY INVOLVED.
He does not distance Himself from that which He creates. He gets actively involved in the activities of the things He created. In fact, the God of the Bible 'micromanages' things.
TRANSCENDENT:
God transcends that which He created, i.e., He "goes beyond" that which He created, He is not limited to IT, He is not bound by that which He created as Satan IS BOUND BY GOD'S CREATION. For example, in the physical universe it is impossible for a single being to consist of three distinct persons, but God is not limited by physical laws, so He can be one God and yet consist of three distinct persons.
Christianity claims that, in addition, this unique God shares the following characteristics with certain other things:
ALIVE :The one God is a living being.
PERSONAL:
God is a living person with thoughts, reactions, etc., not an impersonal thing.
SPIRIT:
A spirit is a living being that is incorporeal, i.e., it does not possess a physical body. Note that Jesus took on a physical human body. It is not an inherent part of His nature. By comparison, our bodies are part of our human nature but we put on clothes WHICH ARE NOT PART OF OUR NATURE.
INTELLIGENCE
SENTIENCE:
A sentient being has intelligence, and also is aware of its own existence, and aware that there is a 'big picture'. For instance, cats, dogs, and horses have intelligence but probably are not sentient or self-aware (They do not have God's Image ).
IMMORTAL :
God is a being that will live forever.
Note the technical difference between eternal-ness and immortality: God is eternal because had He had no beginning. He also is immortal because He will live forever. Humans, angels, demons, etc., are immortal because we will never cease to exist, but not eternal because we did not always exist.
It is important to realize that in practice eternal and immortal are often used interchangeably and the technical difference is not always maintained.
SEPARATE
God is separate from that which He created. The universe itself is not God. (The opposite is pantheism. Some "nature" religions believe that the universe itself is god.)
I believe that God did become a man, that Jesus had Gods Spiritual essence (That which made him God incarnate in a physical form ) and his own HUMAN spirit (That which made him completely man ). Although we must understand first what is the spirit. I don’t claim to know everything, but I have come to an understanding of what the spirit is!
What is the spirit? Through my studies, I have come to this understanding, that the spirit in it’s original meaning derives from the root words: Wind, Breeze and Breath.
Wind generally cannot be seen, but the wind when it blows can be heard, felt and seen by what it does. When a gust of wind or a breeze blows, it has the power for example to moves a stack of leaves or sways the branches of a tree.
God is like that, that is why he is called a spirit, which is wind or breeze, not that he is an actually wind or was ever seen as wind, but his works are like wind, unseen. This is why I believe the root word was used to express God, to show Gods power to change the cause of history, without being seen, stopped or traced. The wind was a mystery, to early man and so is God, thus we get the expression Spirit.
Spirit can also be described as breath, referring to the fact that to live we breath, and we breath in the oxygen God has given to live. If we are denied oxygen we die, and so to do all other living creatures that live off oxygen. God is the supplier of oxygen, and in relation to his creation is like oxygen.
God is the air we breath. Without God we would truly die, not only because he supplies the air we breath, but due to the fact that he gives or denies all our other necessities according to his will.
Then the spirit also refers to the life-giving power (breath of life) from God, that all living creatures need in order to live. The spirit can therefore be compared to electricity (all life needs electricity to live) but I am not directly saying that the spirit is electricity.
Like electricity gives the computer the energy to function, so too does the spirit give to living creatures. Cut off the electric supply from the computer, the machine shuts down, put back on the power supply the computer with all it functions is active again.
Now I believe that the spirit also refers to a mans mental disposition or Mind-sets: Anger, fear, love, depression etc.
including all emotions and other functions of the brain. Both written and spoken words carry spirits, because they carry the thoughts and feelings from a mans mental disposition, which come from the brain. Thoughts work like wind, in that they can’t be seen. A mind-set may be expressed by spoken or written words, but can’t be seen in the head, but only in a certain arena of expression.
So one brain can affect another by harsh words, or a harsh look, or a harsh thought, and even in feelings sensed. Thoughts and feelings cannot been seen, actively in a brain, even under any microscopic lens, but all thoughts are generated in the brain by chemical reactions.
So God is also a spirit, in all the descriptions found above and also in relation to his mental disposition. God has a perfectly balanced Mind, because he (Perfection ) is expressed in his mind, which is unseen, but can be manifested in the natural arena of sight etc.,
("God was manifested in the flesh and dwelt among us") also in all his creation and his recorded words (The Word of God was perfectly transmitted to IMPERFECT MAN by the perfect mind of God Who perfectly manipulated all circumstances surrounding its transmission down to the "LETTER" perfectly stating HIS perfect intent in man's way of expressing himself).
God has the functions found in the brain, but in an unconfined way. So when God created all living creatures, he reproduced his mind capacities in the confines of a brain, to give power to rest of the being. God gave man, above all creatures a greater capacity for intellect, but animals have spirits too. So the brain is the mind, and the spirit is the mind, which is the brain.
So according to the sets of thoughts and feelings projected in a beings expressions and reactions to stimulation's, the spirit is a function of the brain (God placed our Spiritual SEAT within our brains along with the Soulish power of life and we became a living soul animating a BODY MADE of dirt.)
Now how did God and man fuse together in Jesus Christ.
A man projects outwardly what his brain tells him to, and who he is, is what his brain is programmed to tell him, he is. A man is his thoughts, and all his thoughts are stimulated in the brain. You can read a book written by an author, and know the author by his writings, because he is in the writings. But if you saw the author, you wouldn't recognize him until he spoke and expressed the mental disposition found in his writings.
So too with God, you can’t look at Jesus and say, "hey look there’s God," because how would you know, you have never seen God. No man has seen God at any time, all we have seen of God, is his mind, or spirit, in his word.
The mind (Who God is,What makes God,God ) became flesh, the mind of God translated it’s self into a human body,confined himself in a small brain;created in the womb of Mary. Gods characteristic, emotions, feelings and thoughts all were transmitted and interpreted into a human brain.
God became all that makes a human, a human by having a normal sinless human spirit as Adam did before the fall, but Jesus Christ’s brain, with the externally given mental dispositions as an interpretation of Gods mind at the moment he needed instruction. God became a man!
Gods thoughts in addition to this, were conveyed by unseen means through the Spirit of God to Christ’s human brain, stimulating the brain of Jesus, like wind moves branches on a tree. Another mans thoughts can move the thinking processes of people to a specific action, by communications. So Gods spirit (mind) worked in Christ’s spirit (human brain the seat of spiritual existence) in the same manner.
So God truly projected himself into Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ had the developed brain through his personal lifestyle of prayer and fasting that was ready to receive the communications from Gods unseen and unconfined mind.
So therefore Jesus Christ’s mind was an interpretation in the human arena of the mind of God,He became a true transmission tool of what God desired to be done and there was NO SIN NATURE TAKING AWAY FROM THAT COMMUNICATION;BECAUSE HIS TRUE FATHER WAS GOD NOT JOSEPH WHO WOULD HAVE PASSED ON HIS SINFUL NATURE HAD HE BEEN THE FATHER OF JESUS!
Jesus’ mind was a human mind that was informed by God’s mind externally, not intrinsically. He did not have two different centers of consciousness within Him that constantly spoke to Him MAKING HIM CRAZY LOOKING.
Rather Jesus’ consciousness was His human spirit/mind, that was informed and directed from the Father externally,just as we are to be directed. God spoke to Him and revealed to Him what He was to do and to teach (John 3:32; 5:19-20; 8:28, 38, 40; 12:49-50; 17:8).
The difference between God (as the Creator) and us (as created beings) is so great, that it is beyond our comprehension. Because of this, God's ways and thoughts not identical to ours. (Compare to Isaiah 55:9.) This is so, even when we don't take into consideration the negative effects of sin, which reduces even further our ability to comprehend God.
Because of this, God "translates" his thoughts into terms that we can comprehend. He interacts with us on our level - and he is fully capable of doing so, without introducing any error! The authoritative nature of the Word. God speaks with authority on every matter mentioned in the Word - even though it will often disagree with what people may claim is true.
The fact that it is totally accurate and without error, even in the tiniest detail. There are no mistakes or errors in any detail mentioned in the Word - even though it will often disagree with the conclusions, speculations, "facts" and interpretations that people may believe are true.
This includes historical and scientific facts. Of course, this requires us to understand what is written in the Bible within its context, or we may reach false conclusions. For example, when the Bible was written, the concept of "star" referred to a point of light in the sky, not a huge ball of fiery plasma somewhere out in space.
Using their definition - which was accurate for what it said - it would be totally correct to describe planets as "wandering stars." However, with our definition of "star" - which is also accurate within our context - a planet would not be considered a "wandering star."
The distinction between genuine "God-breathed" writings (the Bible) and spurious writings. God's people do not "vote" for what books they want as part of the Bible; rather they are to simply "recognize" them for what they are.
Various influences of Satan's deceptions will cause specific individuals (or groups) to reach wrong conclusions about some specific book; various "religious institutions" like CATHOLICISM may choose to "vote in" certain books, to suit their agenda.
But across the span of time, the same group of books will tend to be recognized by God's people - compare to John 10:27, where Jesus reminds us, "My sheep hear my voice." By "God's people," we are referring to those who have chosen to be followers of Jesus, rather than to those who have chosen to become "members" of an institutional "church."
Who were the human authors? In some cases we know, but in other cases we don't. Why? In many instances it wasn't necessary. If the book was prophetic (such as the book of Isaiah), the people would need to know who the author was, so they could verify the prophet's accuracy, and put him to death if he proved to be a false prophet. (Compare to Deuteronomy 18:20-22. God says that being a false prophet is a serious matter!)
But if it was a record of history (example, the book of Judges) or a song (such as the Psalms), knowing the human author was unimportant. In such cases the human author frequently did not tell us who he was. Why? One of the factors has to do with humility. Being followers of the true God, the human authors wanted God to receive the attention!
You can't SELL your Soul if its not yours to sell!
ALL CONTRACTS NULL & VOID IN JESUS CHRIST!
Have you SOLD your soul to your present lifestyle? Do you think..:
"I can't change what is now, I've gone to far from what God wants!"
DON'T YOU BELIEVE IT, SATAN CANNOT KEEP WHAT DOES NOT BELONG TO HIM!
He has deceived you into believing that you could sell your soul to him, YOU CAN'T SELL WHAT IS NOT YOURS TO SELL- YOUR SOUL BELONGS TO GOD NOT YOU...IT WAS CREATED TO SERVE HIM NOT SATAN!JESUS IS THE MESSIAH OF ISRAEL!
The Bible stands TRUE no matter what!
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Using Him is EASY following His word proves your manhood or womanhood!
THIS IS WHAT JESUS DID FOR YOU!
If this isn't LOVE what is?
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