The New "Outpouring of the Holy Spirit"

Charismatic Revival

As a Sign of the Times

By Fr. Seraphim Rose

IN GENERAL, followers of the "charismatic revival" have the feeling of being (as they constantly repeat) "Spirit-filled." "I felt free, clean and a new person and completely filled with the Holy Spirit" (Ranaghan, p. 98). "Because of what was begun in the baptism of the Spirit, I have now begun to see more a vision of what life in the Spirit is like. It is truly a life of miraclesŠof being filled over and over with the life-giving love of the Spirit of God" (Ranaghan, p. 65). They invariably characterize their "spiritual" state in similar words; a Catholic priest writes, "Whatever other particular effects may have occurred, peace and joy seem to have been received by all, almost without exception, of those who have been touched by the Spirit" (Ranaghan, p. 185). One inter-denominational "charismatic" group states that the aim of its members is "to show and spread Jesus Christ's Love, Joy and Peace wherever they are" (Inter-Church Renewal). In this "spiritual" state (in which, characteristically, both repentance and salvation are seldom mentioned), some rise to great heights. In one Catholic, the gift of the "Spirit" "has risen within me to long periods (several hours) of near ecstasy in which I¹d swear I was experiencing a foretaste of the Kingdom of Heaven" (Ranaghan, p. 103).

Spectacular stories are told of deliverance from drug addiction and the like. The Greek priest Fr. Eusebius Stephanou summarizes this "spirituality" by quoting a Roman Catholic priest who states that the "charismatic" movement involves "a new sense of the presence of God, a new awareness of Christ, a greater desire to pray, an ability to praise God, a new desire to read the Scriptures, the Scriptures coming alive as the Word of God, a new eagerness to have others know about Christ, a new compassion for others and a sensitiveness to their needs, a new sense of peace and joy..." And Fr. Eusebius presents the ultimate argument of the whole movement: "The tree is known by its fruits... Do these fruits demonstrate the presence of the devil or of the sanctifying Spirit of Christ? No Orthodox in his right mind who has seen the fruits of the Spirit with his own eyes can give a mistaken answer to this question" (Logos, Jan., 1972, p.13).

There is no reason to doubt any of this testimony. True, there is also much testimony - we have given a few examples - that contradicts this and states definitely that the "spirit" of the "charismatic revival" is something dark and ominous; but still it cannot be doubted that many followers of the "charismatic revival" actually feel that it is something "Christian" and "spiritual." As long as these people remain outside the Orthodox Church, we might well leave their opinions without comment. But when an Orthodox priest tells us that sectarian phenomena are produced by the Holy Spirit, and he even exhorts us: "Don't be left out. Open your heart to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and be part of the growing charismatic renewal" (loc. cit.) - then we have the right and the duty to examine their opinions quite closely, judging them not by the standard of the vague humanist "Christianity" which prevails in the West and is prepared to call anything "Christian" that merely "feels" so, but by the quite different standard of Orthodox Christianity. And by this standard there is not one item in the above list of "spiritual fruits" but that can be, and has been in the sectarian and heretical movements of the past, produced by the devil appearing as an "angel of light," precisely with the aim of leading people away from the Church of Christ into some other kind of "Christianity. " If the "spirit" of the "charismatic revival" is not the Holy Spirit, then these "spiritual fruits" likewise are not from God.

According to Bishop Ignatius, the deception known as "fancy" is satisfied with the invention of counterfeit feelings and states of grace, from which there is born a false, wrong conception of the whole spiritual undertaking... It constantly invents pseudo-spiritual states, an intimate companionship with Jesus, an inward conversation with him, mystical revelations, voices, enjoyments... From this activity the blood receives a sinful, deceiving movement, which presents itself as a grace-given delight... It clothes itself in the mask of humility, piety, wisdom." Unlike the more spectacular form of spiritual deception, fancy, while "bringing the mind into the most frightful error, does not however lead it to delirium," so that the state may continue for many years or a whole lifetime and not be easily detected. One who falls into this warm, comfortable, fevered state of deception virtually commits spiritual suicide, blinding himself to his own true spiritual state. Writes Bishop Ignatius: "Fancying of himself... that he is filled with grace, he will never receive grace... He who ascribes to himself gifts of grace fences off from himself by this 'fancy' the entrance into himself of Divine grace, and opens wide the door to the infection of sin and to demons." "Thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" (Apoc. 3:17)

Those infected with the "charismatic" deception are not only themselves "spirit-filled"; they also see around them the beginning of a "new age" of the "out-pouring of the Holy Spirit," believing, as does Fr. Eusebius Stephanou, that "the world is on the threshold of a great spiritual awakening" (Logos, Feb., 1972, p. 18); and the words of the Prophet Joel are constantly on their lips: "I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh" (Joel 2:28). The Orthodox Christian knows that this prophecy refers in general to the last age that began with the coming of our Lord, and more specifically to Pentecost (Acts 2), and to every Orthodox Saint who truly possesses in abundance the gifts of the Holy Spirit - such as St. John of Kronstadt and St. Nectarios of Pentapolis, who have worked thousands of miracles even in this corrupt 20th century. But to today's "charismatics," miraculous gifts are for everyone; almost everyone who wants to can and does speak in tongues, and there are manuals telling you how to do it.

But what do the Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church teach us? According to Bishop Ignatius, the gifts of the Holy Spirit "exist only in Orthodox Christians who have attained Christian perfection, purified and prepared beforehand by repentance." They "are given to Saints of God solely at God's good will and God's action, and not by the will of men and not by one's own power. They are given unexpectedly, extremely rarely, in cases of extreme need, by God's wondrous providence, and not just at random' (St. Isaac the Syrian). "It should be noted that at the present time spiritual gifts are granted in great moderation, corresponding to the enfeeblement that has enveloped Christianity in general. These gifts serve entirely the needs of salvation. On the contrary, 'fancy' lavishes its gifts in boundless abundance and with the greatest speed."

In a word, the "spirit" that suddenly lavishes its "gifts" upon this adulterous generation which, corrupted and deceived by centuries of false belief and pseudo-piety, seeks only a "sign" - is not the Holy Spirit of God. These people have never known the Holy Spirit and never worshipped Him. True spirituality is so far beyond them that, to the sober observer, they only mock it by their psychic and emotional - and sometimes demonic - phenomena and blasphemous utterances. Of true spiritual feelings, writes Bishop Ignatius, "the fleshly man cannot form any conception: because a conception of feeling is always based on those feelings already known to the heart, while spiritual feelings are entirely foreign to the heart that knows only fleshly and emotional feelings. Such a heart does not so much as know of the existence of spiritual feelings."

This article was reprinted from St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood of Platina, California.


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Churches feeling economy's pinch

By SUE NOWICKI

McClatchy Newspapers

You've no doubt read recently about the soaring foreclosure rates and the severe cutbacks that schools, government and businesses have faced.

The money woes have reached the faith community as well.

A study released earlier this month by LifeWay Research shows that 72 percent of Southern Baptist pastors indicate that difficulties in the U.S. economy are negatively affecting their churches, and 27 percent indicate that their congregations will not meet their budgets if current trends continue.

The story is the same for other congregations.

A May 15 letter from Youth for Christ executive director Rick Fritzemeier in Modesto, Calif., said the "current downturn of finances is threatening" the ministry. "Just this morning, I had to release one staff member from our team. It was a very difficult thing to do. . . . It is safe to say that (without further contributions) we will approach a shortfall of nearly $68,800 before Aug. 31."

Although that example sounds steep, it is a mere blip compared to the reported $5 million to $10 million shortfall for the St. Stanislaus Catholic Church building project on Maze Boulevard in Modesto, Calif.

Father Joseph Illo, pastor at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, said that for five years, his church's budget increased 7 percent annually with revenue increasing 8 to 9 percent. But in the past year, he said, "our revenue only increased 1 percent, and we are budgeting (conservatively) at a 5 percent decrease in revenue. This will mean some staffing and program cuts."

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a strong tradition of giving a tithe to the church and helping members in need. Besides their regular giving, Mormons fast for two meals a month and give the money they would have spent on food to the church's welfare fund for needy members.

Not all faith groups are experiencing money challenges, however.

Father Jon Magoulias of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation said, "In today's economic times, we emphasize that stewardship is not about the money; it's about our Orthodox Christian lifestyle. What kind of steward of the faith are we in managing our time, talents and treasury to the glory of God? . . .

"For this reason, the economic crisis has not had a noticeable impact on our ministries. Regardless of the times, we have always tried to be prudent in our efforts to manage the financial support of our parishioners."

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Christian Orthodox priests want Mormons out of Bulgaria

Comments:

This makes me wonder how they'd feel if like let's say, I were to print out some of my fliers and waltz into their congregation and begin singing the Creed aloud in their midst.

It's times like that I must say, "....and lead us not into temptation..." Or else I may just find their nearest address and do just that, ever reminding them that whole, "Do unto others..." meanwhile perhaps ignoring the meaning of the teaching myself and asking them, "Did you like that? Well then, neither did I."

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Antichips.com

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Katherine Albrecht Gleefully Hammers Nails into Verichip's Coffin

(((She can't repeal the RFID revolution singlehanded, but she can pick 'em off out of the herd. Verichip were screaming for this fate -- they weren't so much a company as a one-outfit dot-com bubble -- but now I have to wonder who's next.)))
(((Maybe it'll be some outfit in governance rather than in commerce, like the "Department of Homeland Security." I can't imagine anybody crying to see them gone, including the hapless federal securiti-crats who got rolled up into that vast Potemkin snowball.)))
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 3, 2008
CASPIAN RELEASES NEW EVIDENCE OF VERICHIP LIES AND DECEPTION
Group's Latest Report Sets Record Straight on Chip Implants, Cancer, and more
Opponents of the VeriChip implant are launching a new offensive against the controversial human microchip this week, amid reports that VeriChip plans to put its chipping division on the auction block. A new report titled "Microchip Implants: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions" released today by CASPIAN Consumer Privacy reveals dirty laundry the company would probably rather keep hidden as it seeks a buyer for its beleaguered product.
(((Really, this is such practiced, well-machined anti-marketing rhetoric that it ought to be distributed to political-science classes.)))
The 42-page report was authored by CASPIAN director Dr. Katherine Albrecht, a Harvard-educated privacy expert and long-time critic of the VeriChip. The highlight of the report is an eleven-page section titled "Cancer Cover-up" that describes a systematic pattern of lies and deception engaged by VeriChip executives in an effort to downplay the fact that implantable microchips cause cancer in laboratory animals.
The report reveals how news outlets like Time Magazine, Business Week, and the RFID Journal (((tremble in your boots, Main Stream Media))) were used as unwitting pawns in a VeriChip scheme to spread misinformation about the cancer studies. Since research linking the product to cancer first surfaced last year, each of these publications has repeated misstatements from VeriChip company executives, in many cases printing the inaccurate statements verbatim and unchallenged.
"These were not subjective issues, they were plainly verifiable issues of fact," Albrecht said. "We were saddened to see the misstatements fall through the fact-checking cracks of these respected publications. Now that VeriChip is back in the headlines, we felt it was time to set the record straight."
VeriChip's media efforts have done little to salvage the company's public image or its financial performance, both of which plummeted after research linking the implantable microchip to cancer was widely revealed by the Associated Press in September 2007. The same company that once predicted revenues in the "billions" earned just $3,000 from its microchip implant operations in the first quarter of 2008, as patients shun the device that many are now calling the "cancer chip."
(((Yeah, you can have a "cancer chip" and a "spy chip" at the same time -- in fact, with Verichip, you can have "spy cancer." Great stuff, eh? Wow!)))
Investors have also distanced themselves from the failing company, with VeriChip's stock plummeting from a high of $10.62 last year to just over $2.00 today.
VeriChip's VP of business development, Jay McKeage, acknowledged the implant division suffers from "a substantial cash burn" and is "not sustainable on its own." As a result, he says, VeriChip plans to "shop the VeriMed / Health Link [human implantable chip] business around widely" in hopes that another company will take the unpopular product off its hands.
However, with recent blog headlines like "VeriChip Death Watch" making the rounds, (((okay, that was me, I admit it, but come on, I'm not the only vulture-capitalist in the tech beat:))) http://healthcare.zdnet.com/?p=1027
Albrecht has a hard time imagining who, if anyone, will want to buy the business. (((Aw come on, there's gotta be a booming market for injectable spy cancer.)))
"This is a company that has engaged in a consistent pattern of making false and misleading statements," she said. "It has lied to the public, to the media, to its shareholders, and to regulatory agencies," she said, citing additional evidence from the report indicating that VeriChip hid cancer evidence from the FDA when the agency reviewed the implant's safety in 2004.
"We laid out all the evidence in our report," she added. "We want to make sure no one else gets burned by VeriChip."
====================================================
ABOUT THE REPORT
CASPIAN's new report, "Microchip Implants: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions," is a comprehensive reference guide to implantable microchips in animals and humans. It provides thoroughly-researched, footnoted answers to 85 of the most commonly asked questions about the implantable microchip, including religious, privacy, social, and health questions. The report concludes with a list of recommendations for patients, pet owners, and policy makers affected by the device.
The new report is available for free download on the group's AntiChips.com website at:
While on the website, readers are encouraged to download Dr. Albrecht's comprehensive 52-page overview of the studies, "Microchip-Induced Tumors in Laboratory Rodents and Dogs: A Review of the Literature 1990-2006," and to review scanned copies of the original documents.
====================================================
ABOUT CASPIAN
CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering) is a grass-roots consumer group fighting retail surveillance schemes since 1999 and irresponsible RFID use since 2002. With thousands of members in all 50 U.S. states and over 30 countries worldwide, CASPIAN seeks to educate consumers about marketing strategies that invade their privacy and encourage privacy-conscious shopping habits across the retail spectrum.
http://www.spychips.com/ http://www.antichips.com/ http://www.nocards.org/
You're welcome to duplicate and distribute this message to others who may find it of interest.




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Zimbabwe's Suspension of Aid Groups Condemned

By VOA News 07 June 2008

Aid groups say Zimbabwe's decision to suspend the work of non-governmental aid organizations will affect up to several million people who are at risk of starvation, homelessness and disease.
The U.N. Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, John Holmes, called the suspension "deplorable" and said children will be particularly affected.
The U.N.'s children's fund, UNICEF, said any action preventing children from receiving aid is a violation of child rights.
The aid group CARE said the suspension of all aid groups in Zimbabwe will have a disastrous affect on the country.
U.S. officials say the government of President Robert Mugabe is apparently trying to make itself the sole distributor of food aid in Zimbabwe, so it can use food as a political weapon.
Zimbabwe suspended the work of the aid groups on Thursday, accusing them of supporting the political opposition.
The agencies, which assist millions of Zimbabweans every month, deny the charge.
Speaking to reporters in Washington by video conference, the U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe, James McGee said members of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change are being forced to surrender their identity cards, which are needed to vote, in order to receive food aid.
The E.U.'s humanitarian aid commissioner, Louis Michel, said he is deeply distressed at the thought of needy Zimbabweans losing aid.
The U.N. human rights spokesman, Rupert Coleville, told VOA that the Mugabe government's action is a "complete perversion of democracy."
Zimbabwe suffers from food shortages and an inflation rate of more than 160,000 percent.



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On the Second Coming of Our Lord

SOURCE: “The Truth of Our Faith: A Discourse from Holy Scripture on the Teachings of True Christianity,” by Elder Cleopa of Romania, Uncut Mountain Press, 2000, Ch. 15.

Inquirer: Father, what can you tell us about the exact date of the Second Coming of Christ?

Elder Cleopa: Christ’s true Church provides us with a number of apt testimonies which show that God did not entrust this date to anyone, neither to angels, nor to men, nor even to His own Son as man. Listen to the divine words of Scripture on the subject:

“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be . . . Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh . . . “ (Mat. 24:36-51)

If neither the angels in heaven nor the Son of Man Himself as man know the appointed time, how is it possible for it to be known among men? From the words of the Saviour it is understood only that we must be ever vigilant and mindful of our salvation, ever ready for the coming of the Lord, for we know neither the day nor the hour of His coming, nor even the hour of our own end in this life. His appearance will be unexpected, as the Lord forewarned us when he said, “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh.” (Mat. 25:13)

Inq.: It is true that at first the Apostles didn’t know the exact date of the Second Coming of the Saviour (Mat. 24:36), however, from the time they were strengthened from on high at the descent of the Holy Spirit they were made aware of all. For, as the Saviour foretold, by the Holy Spirit all the mysteries were revealed: “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come” (Jn. 16:12-13). From the time of the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost the Apostles, as well as all faithful Christians, with the illumination and wisdom given them by the Holy Spirit, were made able to know “all truth.” In other words, they became aware of the entirety of the divine plan for the history of the world and its end, and thus were able to determine through Holy Scripture the events of the future, such as the date of the Second Coming. Isn’t such a determination possible?

EC: William Miller calculated that, according to Scripture between the first of March 1843 and the first of March 1844 the Second Coming of Christ would take place. He had announced this date from as early as 1833 in the brochure “Prophecy from Holy Scripture of the Second Coming of the Lord in the year 1843.” Another “prophet,” Joseph Chimes, had proposed in the journals “The Voice of Midnight” (1842) and “The Bell of Danger” that the Lord would come in the year 1843.

The closest disciple of Miller, a Mr. Snow, decided to add to the “prophecy” of Miller another seven months and ten days, predetermining the date of the Second Coming of the Lord as the tenth of October 1844. He was also put to ridicule along with his teacher. Those who believed their pronouncements spent their fortunes, handing out all they had and buying white garments and candles in order to go out and meet the Lord. It’s possible that the shop windows were even filled then with white garments for those traveling to heaven on the tenth of October 1844. Yet, this day passed like all others. The so-called “prophets” became the recipients of every kind of shame, derision and mockery from those deluded people who had scattered their fortunes trusting in the false prophecies.

From these pitiful experiences we must at least come to understand that the promise of our Saviour Jesus Christ concerning the revelation of the future by the Holy Spirit did not refer to the date of the Second Coming, as it appeared to many, but rather to prophecies pertaining to various events and signs due to come to pass in the Church. For, indeed, there have been revelations through the Holy Spirit, as we see, for example, in the Book of Revelation and other books of Holy Scripture. These revelations contain a variety of eschatological teachings (on the appearance of the Antichrist, of the false prophets, the unleashing of the persecutions of Christians), as well as the indispensable wisdom of the Apostles which enabled them to present the divine teachings when they were led to give a defense before their accusers (Mat. 10:19-20). These are the future events of which the Saviour speaks in the text that you read.

Inq.: The Apostle Paul writes: “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness” (1 Thess. 5:4-5). From these words it follows that Christians can and should know the exact date of the Second Coming in order to be ready to accept it.

EC: Why have you read from only verses four and five of chapter five from First Thessalonians, leaving out verses one and two which serve to interpret verses four and five? Listen to what the Apostle Paul says there: “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:1-2). This is the truth to which Christ’s Church has remained faithful. The true Church teaches, equally with the Apostle Paul, that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night and that no one knows the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man will come.

It is possible only for the approach of the Second Coming to be known by the signs which must come before:

~ The preaching of the Gospel throughout the world. (Mat. 24:15)

~ The turn of the Jews to Christianity after the preaching of the Gospel in the entire world. (Rom. 11:25-34)

~ The appearance of the Antichrist, also called the man of iniquity or the beast, together with his representatives, pseudo-Christs, false prophets, and every type of false wonder worked by the power of Satan in order to deceive the people. The Antichrist will sit in the place of God acting as if he were God and as an unrelenting beast he will pursue with all rage and furor the chosen servants of God. (1 Jn. 2:18; 2 Thess. 2:3-11; Rev. 13:1-8, 20:1-10; Mat. 24:9)

~ The multiplication of wickedness and the growing cold of love between men, hatred and betrayal of one another. (Mat. 24:10-12)

~ A torrent of bloodshed, wars and rumors of wars between nations, people and states. (Mat. 24:6-7)

~ The appearance of calamities such as mass starvation, sicknesses etc. (Mat. 24:7-9)

~ The appearance of certain signs in the world such as the darkening of the sun and moon, the falling of stars from the sky, the passing away of heaven and earth.

~ The appearance in the heavens of the sign of the Son of Man, the True Cross, because this is the sign of victory of our Lord and no other sign so alerts us of His imminent arrival as does His Cross.

The Lord explains these signs thus: “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.” (Mat. 24:32-33) Therefore, concerning the signs that will precede the Second Coming of the Lord, we have explanations and confirmation from the Saviour Himself, while of the exact date of His coming neither the angels nor even the Son of Man Himself, as man, are informed, but the Father alone knows.

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Seychelles Leader Calls for Energy Crisis Meet to Mitigate Global Food Shortage

[Unattributed report: "President Calls for High-Level Meeting on Energy Crisis"]

President James Michel called yesterday for the new United Nations task force on the global food crisis to tackle the "inextricably linked" question of the energy crisis as well.

Addressing the high-level conference called by the Food and Agriculture Organization at its headquarters in Rome, Italy, President Michel proposed that a high level conference be convened on this issue "which is a matter of grave concern to all of us".

Welcoming the decision to set up the task force, Mr Michel however said the food situation could not be solved without solving the energy crisis.

"Let us seriously look at helping poorer countries to develop alternative sources of energy -hydropower, solar and wind energy," he said.

"I would also ask the task force to consider the special case of small island states when proposing solutions to this crisis. I would ask them to take into consideration our vulnerabilities.

"The price of food in Seychelles and other small islands is escalating beyond the means of island people, essentially forcing many of us back into poverty. We have implemented various measures to alleviate the hardship brought about by the global increase in food prices, but we are slowly running out of options."

Mr Michel opened his speech by saying that the hunger, malnutrition and starvation that are the lot of millions of the world's people make a mockery of human dignity and of humanity's most basic need and its most basic right -the right to adequate food.

"Food security is at the core of our very survival," he said. "While food accounts for just 10 per cent of expenditure in households in the developed world, it can account for as much as 80 per cent in the developing world.

"The recent surge in grain prices has led to huge increases in the price of bread, milk, meat and other commodities. More than ever the threat of starvation on a global scale looms. With it looms the threat of violent upheaval."

The President said the immediate challenge is how to bring adequate food at affordable prices to ordinary people. Recently there have been riots in some countries over soaring prices and at least one government has fallen.

"The divide between rich and poor is widening by the day," he said. "If we do not act now, it will create more refugees in search of basic human needs -food and shelter."

Mr Michel stressed that food security, climate change and, more recently, bioenergy are closely linked. As islanders we know full well the meaning of climate change, experiencing it through shrinking islands, changing weather patterns and the dwindling of fish stocks, he added.

The President returned to a subject he raised recently at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development -that Seychelles does not get a fair return from its fish stocks, its "blue gold".

"Fish may seem abundant, but persistent over-harvesting and illegal fishing resulting from the growing global trade in seafood is eroding food security in our small islands," he said.

"Nor are we reaping the proper benefits from our blue gold. Some 380,000 tons of tuna are caught and transshipped from the Seychelles Exclusive Economic Zone every year, mostly by European Union countries.

"This is worth 3.8 billion on the international market. The revenue that Seychelles derives from this in licence and transshipment fees is a mere 15 million. Is this fair? Is this just? We are unequal partners in this global trade. As long as the terms of global trade -free trade, as we are wont to call it -remain skewed, developing countries will continue to suffer deprivation."

Originally published by Seychelles Nation website, Victoria, in English 4 Jun 08.

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Obama Backs Away From Comment on Divided Jerusalem

Facing criticism from Palestinians, Sen. Barack Obama acknowledged yesterday that the status of Jerusalem will need to be negotiated in future peace talks, amending a statement earlier in the week that the city "must remain undivided."

Obama's statement, made during a speech Wednesday to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group, drew a swift rebuke from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

"This statement is totally rejected," Abbas told reporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah. "The whole world knows that holy Jerusalem was occupied in 1967, and we will not accept a Palestinian state without having Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state."

The Bush administration's official position is that the status of Jerusalem must be decided by the parties. Before he left office, President Bill Clinton proposed a formula under which "Jerusalem should be an open and undivided city," including locating the Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem.

Obama quickly backtracked yesterday in an interview with CNN.

"Well, obviously, it's going to be up to the parties to negotiate a range of these issues. And Jerusalem will be part of those negotiations," Obama said when asked whether Palestinians had no future claim to the city.

Obama said "as a practical matter, it would be very difficult to execute" a division of the city. "And I think that it is smart for us to -- to work through a system in which everybody has access to the extraordinary religious sites in Old Jerusalem but that Israel has a legitimate claim on that city."

-- Glenn Kessler

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Outrage over East Jerusalem plans

By Ben Lynfield
In the face of criticism from the Palestinian Authority, the United States and the UN, Israeli housing minister Zeev Boim has defended a decision to expand Jewish housing in parts of East Jerusalem considered as settlements by the international community.

Mr Boim said that the decision to build nearly 900 units at Har Homa and in Givat Zeev was taken with the “knowledge and approval” of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and underlined the government’s policy to maintain Jerusalem as an undivided capital.

“Jerusalem must remain the capital of Israel and undivided, but solutions must be found for the large Arab population,” he said.

It is the largest planned settlement expansion announced since the Annapolis summit in November, when Israel reaffirmed its commitment to a settlement freeze.

The announcement came two days in advance of Jerusalem Day, which marks the capture of East Jerusalem during the Six-Day War.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas came under fire from Hamas for meeting Mr Olmert, despite the settlement expansion, while the US said the move “exacerbates tensions”. Sami Abu Zuhri, the Hamas spokesman, said that Mr Abbas was “giving cover to settlement, Judaisation, and aggression” in Jerusalem.

But Fatah lawmaker Abdallah Abdallah defended Mr Abbas, saying “the president has to act according to his responsibility to protect the interest of his people and to put forward our opinion so that the world knows the obstacle to peace is coming from the Israeli side”.

Hagit Ofran of Peace Now said the expansion would ensure “there is no possibility of any ground continuity at all between Bethlehem and East Jerusalem. If we want to convince the Palestinians to solve problems by talking, not shooting, we should show them that it pays to talk.”


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<< Revelation 9 >>

Douay-Rheims Bible

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1 And the fifth angel sounded the trumpet, and I saw a star fall from heaven upon the earth, and there was given to him the key of the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit: and the smoke of the pit arose, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke of the pit. 3 And from the smoke of the pit there came out locusts upon the earth. And power was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have power: 4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree: but only the men who have not the sign of God on their foreheads. 5 And it was given unto them that they should not kill them; but that they should torment them five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when he striketh a man. 6 And in those days men shall seek death, and shall not find it: and they shall desire to die, and death shall fly from them.

7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle: and on their heads were, as it were, crowns like gold: and their faces were as the faces of men. 8 And they had hair as the hair of women; and their teeth were as lions: 9 And they had breastplates as breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was as the noise of chariots and many horses running to battle. 10 And they had tails like to scorpions, and there were stings in their tails; and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had over them 11 A king, the angel of the bottomless pit; whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek Apollyon; in Latin Exterminans,

12 One woe is past, and behold there come yet two woes more hereafter.

13 And the sixth angel sounded the trumpet: and I heard a voice from the four horns of the great altar, which is before the eyes of God, 14 Saying to the sixth angel, who had the trumpet: Loose the four angels, who are bound in the great river Euphrates. 15 And the four angels were loosed, who were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year: for to kill the third part of men. 16 And the number of the army of horsemen was twenty thousand times ten thousand. And I heard the number of them. 17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision: and they that sat on them, had breastplates of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone, and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions: and from their mouths proceeded fire, and smoke, and brimstone. 18 And by these three plagues was slain the third part of men, by the fire and by the smoke and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths, and in their tails. For, their tails are like to serpents, and have heads: and with them they hurt.

20 And the rest of the men, who were not slain by these plagues, did not do penance from the works of their hands, that they should not adore devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and wood, which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 21 Neither did they penance from their murders, nor from their sorceries, nor from their fornication, nor from their thefts.

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Excerpt from: The Miraculous and Prophetic Vision of St. John of Kronstadt

"So we entered into the church, and it was full of people. I saw an altar on which tallow candles were burning. On the altar was a king in red, blazing, porphyry. On his head was a golden crown with a star. I asked the starets, 'Who is this?' He replied, 'The Antichrist!' He was very tall with eyes like fire, black eyebrows, a wedge-shaped beard, a ferocious, cunning, evil, and terrible face. He alone was on the altar and he reached his hands out to the people. He had claws as those of a tiger for hands and he shouted, 'I am King. I am God. I am the Leader. He who does not have my seal will be put to death.' All the people fell down and worshipped him, and he began to place his seal on their lips and on their hands in order that they should receive some bread and not die from hunger and thirst.

Around the Antichrist his servants were leading several people whose hands were bound as they had not bowed down to worship him. They said, "We are Christians, and we all believe in our Lord Jesus Christ!' The Antichrist ripped off their heads in a flash and Christian blood began to flow A child was then led to the altar of the Antichrist to worship him, but he boldly proclaimed, 'I am a Christian and believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, but you are a minister, a servant of Satan!' 'Death to him!' exclaimed the Antichrist. Others who accepted the seal of the Antichrist fell down and worshipped him. Suddenly roar of thunder resounded and thousand lightning flashes began to sparkle. Arrows began to strike the servants of the Antichrist. Then a large flaming arrow flashed by and hit the Antichrist himself on the head. As he waved his hand, his crown fell and was crushed into the ground. Then millions of birds flew in and perched on the servants of the Antichrist. "

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The cult of `Christian` Zionism is what the concept of the Anti-Christ is all about.

On March 20, 2006, I traveled from the Little Town in Occupied Territory of Bethlehem to the Mount of Beatitudes in Israel. This awe inspiring site sits above the shimmering Sea of Galilee where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount, and I ended up delivering my own Sermon on that Mount

Four Franciscan Sisters, one each from Syria, Jordan, Malta and Italy care for the shrine and the pilgrim guests at the Hospice Center where I spent two nights and a day of silent reflection of all I had witnessed the previous nine days during my third of five reality tours through occupied Palestine.

At dinner a Catholic Pentecostal from Scotland introduced himself and asked me why I was there and what church I was from. I responded that I have Irish Roman Catholic, Polish Jew, Russian Orthodox and Episcopal roots; but that my rock is The Beatitudes.

He looked even more perplexed when I told him I came to the Mount of Beatitudes to decompress and reflect upon my nine days in Occupied Territory. I asked him if he were aware of the work of Sabeel, the Palestinian Christian founded organization that promotes a theology of liberation based on justice, peace, non-violence and reconciliation for all, regardless of faith path or nationality.

He sternly admonished me, “God gave this land to the Jews! The Bible never mentions Palestine, and that is that! God gave this land to the Jews and that is that!”

I responded just as fervently that the Palestinian Christians are the descendants of those who first followed Christ and they have been denied inalienable human rights by the Israeli government. I told him the Christians in the Holy Land have shrunk from 20% of the total population to less than 1.3% since 1948 and if things don’t change soon, there will be no Christian witness in the land where Christ promised that it is the peacemakers who are the children of God.

He sputtered, “But the Jews have suffered! God gave this land to the Jews and that is that!”

This really got my Irish up and I retorted, “Yes they did because good people did nothing for far too long, and now the oppressed have become the oppressors. In the 21st century good people are unaware, ignoring or are in total denial of the injustice in the Holy Land. And what about all the Hebrew prophets, such as Micah who reminded the people of what the Lord requires: To be just, to be merciful and to walk humbly with your God!”

I could NOT shut up although I knew that that Scotsman was trying to get away-he also looked a bit terrified! But, I was on a tear and barely took a breath as I told him that instead of staying in Israel for his entire visit, he should go and witness life in the occupied territories; go and see the effects of The Wall on his spirit and see what it has done to the Palestinian economy. I told him he should go and tour some of the Bethlehem refugee camps and see the ruins of all the uncompensated home demolitions. I brought it on home by telling him that I also doubt that God was ever in the real estate business!

His eyes had bugged out and his mouth had dropped open while the torrent of words spewed out of me. After I finally shut up, he stammered, “But there is suffering everywhere!”

“Yes there is and Christ always stood up for the poor and the oppressed. And he told us what ever we do or don’t do for the least and the outcast; we do it or don’t do it unto God.”

He shook his head and turned and walked quickly away and never again looked my way.

Nobody else spoke to me the rest of the evening or the next day. That was fine with me, for I was listening to the voice within and what I kept hearing was Luke 23:34: “Father forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”

But when you know, if you are of good will, you must do something and education is the way to compassion and compassion is the way to change.

Those needing the most education are those who have been misled into the fastest growing cult in the USA-and also perhaps in Scotland-the cult of Christian Zionism.

What is Christian Zionism?

Christian Zionism is an extremist Christian movement which supports the claims of those who believe that the State of Israel should take control of all of the land currently disputed between Palestinians and Israelis. It views the creation and expansion of the modern state of Israel as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy toward the second coming of Jesus.

Christian Zionism is a modern theological and political movement that embraces the most extreme ideological positions of Zionism, thereby becoming detrimental to a just peace within Palestine and Israel. The Christian Zionist program provides a worldview where the Gospel is identified with the ideology of empire, colonialism and militarism. In its extreme form, it laces an emphasis on apocalyptic events leading to the end of history rather than living Christ’s love and justice today.

What is the Christian Zionist connection with the Holy Land?

Believing that God fights on the side of Israel, Christian Zionists call for the unqualified support for the most extreme political positions. They do not have eyes to see or ears to hear their sisters and brothers in Christ, or cousins in the family of Father Abraham who are caught in the crossfire of the military minded.

Christian Zionist spokes persons have attributed Hurricane Katrina to God’s wrath over our failure to stop Israel from pulling out of Gaza. They consistently oppose any moves towards a solution to the conflict which would validate the political aspirations of both Palestinians and Israelis.

Who Supports Christian Zionism?

Christian Zionism has significant support within American Protestant fundamentalists, who number between 10 and 20 million. Its reach is broad, by virtue of its favorite themes related to the “End Times” and an Israel-fixated Christian media.

Christian Zionism is both a political movement and a way of interpreting current events. Its focus is on Israel and the Middle East, as much an ideology as a “movement.” Its promoters share many beliefs but are not organized through any one institution.

Throughout history Christians have at times twisted scripture to justify violence: for the Crusades, for Anti-Semitism, and for slavery. Too often the church has been slow to respond to these biblical distortions and with disastrous results.

Today Christian Zionists - particularly those with dispensationalist leanings - are well organized and although their motives are couched in terms of compassion toward the Jewish people based on a literal reading of scripture the political agenda of territorial expansion advocated by Christian Zionists has given rise to the brutal injustices against Palestinians, which fuels the fire of all conflicts in all the Middle East.

For some time, individuals, and theologians have spoken out against Christian Zionism. In the past few years, whole church bodies are adding their official voices to the distortions and injustices perpetuated by Christian Zionism.

The GOOD NEWS is that some mainstream churches have spoken out against this inherently anti-Semitic theology. What follows are but a few words from some of those who have.

The Presbyterian Church in the USA at its July 2004, National General Assembly issued a statement on Confronting Christian Zionism: “Christian Zionism promotes a theology that justifies grievous violations of basic rights of people who are also made in the image of God, and is contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

The United Church of Christ in July 2003, at its National General Synod offered An Alternative Voice to Christian Zionism: “We believe that the tenets of Christian Zionism neither reflect the intention of the teachings of Jesus and the prophets, nor promote peace in the Middle East, and respectfully recommend …an alternative voice to this theology.”

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, in June 2005 at its Chicago Metropolitan Synod issued a Resolution to Encourage the Study of Christian Zionism: “the movement of Christian Zionism based on these biblical interpretations seeks to influence U.S. policy toward Israel in a manner that would arguably facilitate mistreatment of Palestinians, continued occupation of the land, opposition to a two-state solution, and exclusive Israeli control of Jerusalem.”

The United Methodist Church, in June 2005 at its Illinois Conference on Unwrapping the Rapture warned, “Every household should give prayerful consideration as to how God will actually judge us for our silence about and complicity in the crushing of the Palestinian people.”

The Episcopal Church, in November 2004 at its Diocese of Chicago Confronted Christian Zionism: “A partial response to Christian Zionism would be to say that we read Scripture in light of [Jesus’] two great commandments - to love God and our neighbor.”

In 2006, The Nation reported that Christians United for Israel/CUFI pressed White House officials to adopt a more confrontational posture toward Iran, to refuse aid to the Palestinians and to give Israel a free hand as it ramped up its military conflict with Hezbollah.

The White House has not revealed the names of the officials who met with the CUFI lobbyists, which is a venomous tentacle from the Armageddon-based foreign-policy view of its founder, John Hagee. Hagee is a fundamentalist, fire-and-brimstone preacher and a leader in the fastest growing cult in America: Christian Zionism, which is inherently anti-Semitic.

While Jewish Zionism began with the hope that all Jewish people would have a safe and peaceful dwelling place, these corruptors of the gospel Christ preached, adhere to a 200 year old convoluted interpretation of disparate scriptures that they have chosen to weave together to support their fear based judgmental narrow minded doctrine.

Hagee has mesmerized nearly 18,000 misled Christians at his Cornerstone Church with his take on whom the anti-Christ is. He also hosts a major TV ministry where he explains his views of how the end times will unfold. He blatantly corrupts and denies the message that Christ preached.

Hagee, Hal Lindsay and the Left Behinder’s are doomsday false prophets who believe that the only way to defeat-what they and the current USA Administration refer to as- “Islamist fascists” is with a full-scale military assault.

The cult of ‘Christian’ Zionism is what the concept of the Anti-Christ is all about.

This heretical theology of Premellenial Dispensation worships a god of Armageddon and not the God of love, forgiveness and compassion that Jesus/AKA The Prince of Peace modeled even while being nailed to a cross.

The Left Behind series of fiction is the epitome of what millennia of theologians have always understood to be what the term anti-Christ is truly about

The term “antichrist” only appears five times in the Bible, but a cult not based on sound theology has created an urban legend that seeks Armageddon. The term “antichrist” never appears in John’s Revelation or Daniel, two disparate works of literature written three centuries apart and under very different circumstances, yet the Left Behinder’s weave them together.

The small texts that mention the “antichrist” were written to attack the Gnostic understanding of who Christ was. A Gnostic relies on intuition and not on dogma and doctrine. Gnostic’s were most certainly free spirits and most all of the writings we have about Gnostics, have been the attacks upon them. That all changed when the Nag Hamadi Library was translated and published, for what had been deemed heretical by those in power in the fourth century can now be read in most every language.

Biblical scholars today agree that many books of the Bible were written by others in the name of an apostle, for the quickest way to gain credibility is to trade on another’s reputation. We may never know if the author who coined the term “antichrist” was actually the apostle John who wrote I John and 2 John-the only sources where the term appears.

John also say’s much more: “Dear Children, as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many have come.”- I John 2:18

“This is how we know who the children of God are not: anyone who does not do right; nor anyone who does not love his brother.”-I John 3:10

“If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Let us love with actions and in truth.”-I John 3:17

“God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. There is no fear in love. Perfect love drives out all fear because fear has to do with punishment [and God is love].”-1 John 4:18

The theology promoted in the Left Behind fiction is a theology based on fear and punishment. These misinformed Christians worship a punitive father as God. They do not have eyes to see that nature is God’s primary temple, and war the greatest abomination.

The theology of the fictional Left Behind series is the epitome of the spirit of the anti-Christ: which is the evil within ones own heart that leads one to fear “the other” and compels them to violence.

Thomas Jefferson did America and the world a great service when he penned The Jefferson Bible: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth which illuminates just how far these Christians have strayed from the message Christ delivered and modeled with his life which was consistently compassionate and nonviolent and that one must be just: and justice comes from virtue which comes from the heart, that we are to treat people the way we want to be treated, to always work for PEACEFUL resolutions, even to the point of returning violence with COMPASSION.

Christians are to consider valuable the things that have no material value and we have been commanded to NOT judge others, not bear grudges, to be modest and unpretentious. And to give out of true generosity, not because we expect to be repaid. And that being true to ones self is more important than being loyal to ones family and those who think they know the most are the most ignorant.

According to Christ, to be his follower, one must do what the Father requires. The Hebrew prophet Micah summed it up best: “What does the Lord require? He has already told you o’man: Be Just, Be Merciful and walk humbly with your God.” -Micah 6:8:

To be just is to be fair and reasonable. To be merciful means to treat all people the way we want to be treated. To be humble is knowing oneself; the good and the evil, for both cut through every human heart.

Jesus taught that the only way to resist evil is with good and he modeled that one must always work for peaceful resolutions, even to the point of returning violence with compassion and forgiveness. Jesus did just that, even after being mocked, whipped and nailed to a cross for he prayed: “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”

What will it take for those that call themselves Christian, to actually be one?

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VeriChip going away?

Posted by Dana Blankenhorn
Just as it was launching its consumer campaign VeriChip seems to be going away.
The company launched its ad campaign under the name HealthLink in April, but just three weeks later sold its Canadian unit, Xmark, to Stanley Works for $45 million and put itself on the block.
An executive told RFID Update simply it couldn’t stand the “cash burn” of consumer marketing. This just three weeks after launching its program. The Xmark deal enabled the company to get out from under its bills.
CEO Scott Silverman was then bounced and replaced by Joseph J. Grillo, who runs another RFID company in the same town, Digital Angel. That company lost $4.8 million on sales of $22.4 million in its most recent quarter.
While VeriChip released a study just yesterday claiming its technology saved emergency care patients $685.67 per day, it has been dogged by critics like CASPIAN, which yesterday released a new report linking the chips with cancerous tumors.
The chips only contained 16-digit identification numbers, but from here both they, and the company endorsing them, look to be on the way to the dustbin. That famous picture above, showing the chip next to a penny, may soon represent its stock price.

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Excerpt from: It’s Later Than You Think!

"The more one is aware of the spirit of the times, the better one is able to face the problems of being a true Orthodox Christian in such times."

Father Seraphim Rose

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Chip my grandma, chip my cow....

Next it'll be required that we put a chip in this:


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Steak and chips on menu for all by 2011

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4568532a28.html

By TOM PULLAR-STRECKER

All cattle and deer in New Zealand are likely to be tagged with radio-frequency identification chips by 2011.

The Government has promised $23.3 million in the Budget to boost biosecurity.

The $10.1 million capital boost and $13.2 million in operational spending provided to the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry will also pay for FarmsOnLine, an online database that will store up-to-date electronic maps of farms along with their contact and stock details.

Ian Corney, a Taumarunui farmer who chairs the National Animal Identification and Tracing project, which is coordinating efforts to introduce RFID tagging, says Budget day was a big day for agriculture.

Trials of RFID tags are under way at a dozen farms in Waikato. "What it means, now, is the traceability database can get built and we can get on with the job," Mr Corney says.

Farmers are likely to be given more details on how to get started at the Fieldays agricultural show next week. Mr Corney says he will be advising farmers to start this year with tagging any cattle that are likely to stay on their farm for more than two years.

Each animal will be assigned a unique code that will be stored in a database alongside details such as the age, sex and breed of the animal, its owner, its herd of origin and the identification number of the property on which it is located.

The government funding should cover the costs of setting up the system but a levy will be required to meet the system's running costs. "It won't be large."

Cattle are likely to be tagged first, then deer, and the system could be extended to sheep and other stock later.

Tagging will be mandatory, but that may not require new legislation, Mr Corney says.

"There is going to have to be regulation put in place before this becomes fully mandatory. There are several mechanisms that can be worked around."

The tags should make it easier to track animals in the event of an outbreak of disease, but could also be used by farmers to improve farm management and by abattoirs and retailers to provide consumers with more information about where meat has come from.

MAF has issued a tender for the development of FarmsOnLine - a geographic information system that will support "a number of key agricultural systems" including the cattle-tracking system.

It says the Waiheke foot-and-mouth hoax demonstrated the need for quick access to comprehensive information about farms.

The most reliable source had been local authority ratings information, but the ministry has not been able to get routine access to that since the Privacy Act was amended in 2003.

FarmsOnline will be a central store for maps of farms and details of their ownership and use.

Farmers will be able to update information through a secure log-in, but the ministry will also pay for a call centre to help keep FarmsOnLine up-to-date. It hopes to complete the application by July 2009.

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The day of judgment

End-time thinking - the belief in a world purified by catastrophe - could once be dismissed as a harmless remnant of a more superstitious age. But with the rise of religious fundamentalism, prophets of apocalypse have become a new and very real danger, argues Ian McEwan....

Part One
Part Two

Excerpt from part two:

"Have we really reached a stage in public affairs when it really is no longer too obvious to say that all the evidence of the past and all the promptings of our precious rationality suggest that our future is not fixed? We have no reason to believe that there are dates inscribed in heaven or hell. We may yet destroy ourselves; we might scrape through. Confronting that uncertainty is the obligation of our maturity and our only spur to wise action. The believers should know in their hearts by now that, even if they are right and there actually is a benign and watchful personal God, he is, as all the daily tragedies, all the dead children attest, a reluctant intervener. The rest of us, in the absence of any evidence to the contrary, know that it is highly improbable that there is anyone up there at all. Either way, in this case it hardly matters who is wrong - there will be no one to save us but ourselves."

Comments: This article was a good read, it looked at various aspects and angles, but it had a pretty sad conclusion.

As an Orthodox Christian, I believe it would be best to respond with an excerpt from the Elder Joseph the Hesychast:

"God always helps. He always comes in time, but patience is necessary. He hears us immediately when we cry out to Him, but not in accordance with our own way of thinking.

You think that your voice did not immediately reach the saints, our Panagia, and Christ. On the contrary, even before you cried out, the saints rushed to your aid, knowing that you would call upon them and seek their God-given protection. However, since you do not see beyond what is apparent and do not know how God governs the world, you want your request to be fulfilled like lightning. But this is not how things are. The Lord wants patience. He wants you to show your faith. You cannot just pray like a parrot. It is necessary also to work towards whatever one prays for, and then to learn to wait. You see that what you longed for in the past has finally happened. However, you were harmed because you didn’t have the patience to wait, in which case you would have gained both the one and the other: both the temporal and the eternal.

Now you become angry and fainthearted and grieved, thinking that the heavenly Father is slow in answering. But I tell you that this will also happen as you desire—it will definitely happen—but first it takes prayer with all your soul, and then you must wait. And when you have forgotten your request and have ceased asking for it, it will come to you as a reward for your patience and endurance. When you reach the verge of despair while praying and seeking, then the fulfillment of your request is near. Christ wants to heal some hidden passion within you, and this is why He delays in granting your request. If you obtain it sooner, when you demand it, your passion remains uncured within you. If you wait, you obtain your request and the cure of the passion. And then you rejoice exceedingly and give warm thanks to God Who arranges all things in wisdom and does everything for our benefit."

From Monastic Wisdom: The Letters of Elder Joseph the Hesychast

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Excerpt from The First Sorrowful Epistle of Metropolitan Philaret:

In honor of the Pope and his "praise"...

"If a temptation appears in the fold of only one Orthodox Church, the remedy for it may be found in the same fold. But if a particular evil penetrates into all our Churches, it becomes a matter of concern for every single Bishop. Can any one of us be silent if he sees that many of his brethren simultaneously are walking along a path that leads them and their flock to a disastrous precipice through their unwitting loss of Orthodoxy?

Should we say in this case that humility commands us to keep silent? Should we regard it as indiscreet to lend advice to other descendants of the Holy Apostles, some of whom are occupying the most ancient and distinguished sees?

But Orthodoxy believes in the equality of all Bishops as regards grace, and distinguishes between them only as regards honor.

Should we be satisfied with the fact that every Church is responsible for itself? But what if the statements which trouble the faithful are made in the name of the whole Church, and therefore also involve our name, even though we have not authorized anybody to use it?

St. Gregory the Theologian once said that there are occasions "when even by silence truth can be betrayed." Should we not also be betraying the truth if, on noticing a deviation from pure Orthodoxy, we merely kept silence—always an easier and safer thing to do than speaking out?

We observe, however, that nobody in a higher position than our own is raising his voice; and this fact constrains us to speak out, lest at the Last Judgment we should be reproached for having seen the danger of Ecumenism threaten the Church, and yet not having warned her Bishops.

To be sure, we have already addressed His Holiness Patriarch Athenagoras and His Eminence Archbishop Iakovos of North and South America, expressing our grief and concern over their ecumenical activities, in which the birthright of the Church has been sold for a mess of pottage in the form of the world's applause. But the position taken by the Orthodox delegates at the Assembly of the World Council of Churches at Uppsala makes the concern of the zealots of Orthodoxy even more acute, and makes it necessary for us to communicate our sorrow and confusion to all our Brother Orthodox Bishops."

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Pope Praises Closer Orthodox Ties

The Moscow Times

Alexander Natruskin/Reuters Cardinal Walter Kasper meeting Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II on Thursday. He delivered a papal letter. 02 June 2008The Associated PressVATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI believes that relations between the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church are increasingly close and has expressed his gratitude to the Russian Orthodox patriarch for pursuing dialogue. Benedict made the remarks in a letter to Patriarch Alexy II. The Vatican released the text Friday. The letter was delivered by Cardinal Walter Kasper, head of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity. Kasper had been on a visit to Russia and met with the patriarch on Thursday. The pope said the visit by Kasper gave him the opportunity "to restate my appreciation for your commitment to fostering relations between Catholics and Orthodox." "It is with joy that I reflect on the experience of growing closeness between us, accompanied by the shared desire to promote authentic Christian values," Benedict said in the letter. He expressed hope that two churches could be even closer. Relations between the Catholic and Orthodox churches have improved in recent years. But tensions that began after the demise of the Soviet Union remain and have prevented a meeting between the patriarch and the pope. Benedict's predecessor, John Paul II, never fulfilled his desire to make a pilgrimage to Moscow.

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Embedded chips for Alzheimer's patients?

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/triage/2008/05/embedded-chips.html

Chip them.
That’s what one reader suggested today after reading Lisa Anderson’s article in the Tribune about seniors with Alzheimer’s who wander away from home and become lost, often with dire consequences.
“Put GPS chips into everyone over the age of 70,” suggested Jqulacyha from Battle Creek, Mich.
Actually, something similar is being done on a small scale, already.
Late last summer, VeriChip Corp. began placing its radio frequency identification chips in volunteers from Alzheimer’s Community Care in West Palm Beach, Fla.
The company wants to enroll up to 200 dementia patients in the pilot project, which calls for rice-sized chips to be implanted in people’s arms, under local anesthesia.
That way, if an Alzheimer’s patient ends up at a hospital, unable to recall her name or anything about her medical history, she can be scanned and a 16-digit identification code will pop up. Hospital staff can then contact VeriChip’s medical database and get the patient’s name, contact information, caregiver information and medical history.
“There comes a point in a person’s illness when you have to look at every safety measure available,” said Mary Barnes, president of Alzheimer’s Community Care, quoted in the trade publication RFID Journal.
Wired magazine notes the VeriChip devices are similar to those implanted in millions of U.S. pets, allowing them to be identified if they get lost.
The development raised an alarm over at the www.AntiChips.com Web site, which asked how patients with dementia could possibly volunteer, given their compromised state.
“Medical experimentation on Alzheimer’s patients raises profound issues of informed consent,” says a statement on the group’s site. “We strongly believe that cognitively impaired individuals should not be used in medical experimentation of this type.
They’re not alone in distaste for chipping humans. Over at the www.wethepeoplewillnotbechipped.com Web site, there’s the specter of mind control somehow being orchestrated via this technology. The site is openly anti-VeriChip.
Does a chip like this cross a line of personal autonomy that shouldn’t be breached? What do you think?



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