I Need Your Help

Hello everyone!

I need your help. I've only been pagan for about a year, and for most of that time I have focused my attention on just worshipping Cernunnos my patron deity. I was married for 20 years to a woman who found it fun to be controlling and domineering. As a result I have resisted the idea of worshipping any form of goddess. I believed in them, knew they were real, acknowledged their existence, just did not feel compelled to worship them.

Despite this, I have always felt a deep connection with the moon, even before I converted to paganism. Every time I go out the door at night, I always look to see where she is, notice what phase she is in, and pause to admire her beauty. I actually feel disappointment when I look and find she's in the new moon phase. Whenever I see her, I always tell her just how beautiful I think she is. I even find myself at times telling her my deepest thoughts, my deepest secrets, my innermost feelings. I don't consider myself called by the moon, but I definitely feel a bond with her.

Well, now I feel I'm enetering a phase in my path where I think all of this about to change. I am having visions of a goddess, but I'm not sure who she is. All I'm sure of is that she is a moon goddess. Here is a description of what I am seeing:

She is tall, pale with blonde/white hair and ice blue eyes. She is beautiful with a kind, caring face. She wears a long white hooded cloak with a hood that she always wears pulled up. In some ways she reminds me of the Queen from the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, though much softer and kinder.

Can anyone identify her for me? I need to know who she is so that I can begin to acknowldge her and incoporate worship of her into my path.

Any and all help you can offer would be greatly appreciated!

Brightest Blessings,

Allen

Reference: wiccalessons.blogspot.com

Wiccan Attitudes Towards Deity

In Wiccan belief the divine is ultimately seen as one. However, in general, witches believe in the creative polarity of feminine and masculine principles in nature. They therefore commonly think of deity as having a female and male aspect that exist together in a harmonious balance. These beliefs are evident in everything a witch does. They inform the practice of magical arts and are to be seen in the way witches set up their altar, carry out their rites and rituals, and celebrate the stages of the year.

Wicca's view of the balanced nature of deity stands in contrast to other religions that either play down or dispense with the female aspect entirely. This is exemplified by many forms of Christianity, where little part is played by the female in its belief systems or its institutions, as well as other faiths such as Judaism. For witches the dynamic creative tension of female and male is part of what may be termed the general theory of polarity, where all things rely on opposites for their existence. The concepts of day and night, dark and light, content and form, positive and negative, attraction and repulsion, North and South, up and down, each need the other for the opposite to exist.

This Wiccan attitude can be expressed by referring to the Chinese concept of Yin and Yang. Yin is the female, negative, dark aspect of creation where Yang is the male, positive, light aspect. Together they make up a whole. It should be noted here that the terms "negative" and "dark" are not used in a derogatory sense. "Negative" should be seen in the same way as science refers to an electron having a negative charge and dark as merely the opposite of light; they are not value judgements. It will also be noticed that in the Yin Yang symbol the black half contains a white dot and the white half a black dot, showing that in the female there is a part of maleness, and in the male there is a part of femaleness. This interplay of energies at all levels, whether it be divine or earthly, ensures the cyclic flow of creation. Witches believe that over emphasis on one at the expense of the other is merely to ensure sterility and stagnation. That said, the emphasis given to both Goddess and God varies in different traditions and their covens. For Wiccans deity is immanent, meaning that it is to be found in all things and pervades existence. Quite literally the Universe is perceived to be alive and the individual is but one cell in its enormous body. Everything is therefore sacred and this gives witches an enormous respect for all expressions of life. On the other hand, many witches regard the ultimate nature of deity as unknowable, beyond all names and forms and, perhaps, beyond all mortal comprehension. In this respect it is therefore transcendent.

Generally witches believe that goddesses and gods are representative of certain kinds of energy within existence. It is the energies themselves that are perceived as being real. That they are clothed in the form of a goddess or god is a way of making them intelligible to the human mind. Why not then use the language of science to express these forces? There are several reasons why witches don't do this. On one level they feel that science only provides a partial answer to the question of existence, believing that there is much within the Universe that it knows nothing of. Further, the language of science, in its attempts to express these forces, is incapable of speaking to the human soul (something that many scientists doubt exists anyway). Our spirits thrive on the use of poetic and symbolic imagery that affect us in a more profound way than science ever can. You don't go to a manual on sex to learn about love -you read Shakespeare. Similarly, for questions of our purpose and meaning in life, you can't consult a book on biology and get an answer that satisfies the soul, however much it might please the intellect. The fact is that many humans are genuinely deeply moved and motivated by the various images of a goddess and a god, and feel that they have come to a more profound understanding of existence because of them. Further, using such imagery makes the forces knowable to an extent and allows the individual to work with them in their life on the material plane.

Although not endorsed by every witch, the gods and goddesses can therefore be seen to have an existence similar to the Jungian idea of the archetype. For Jung the archetypes were powerful symbols that had a genuine life. They existed in the human collective unconscious, independent of the individual mind, and could include god and goddess types. Jung believed that these archetypes could be worked with to have an effect in the everyday waking world. The idea of a goddess and a god are as old as the human mind itself and are buried deep within all our psyches. The Great Wheel of the Year

Wiccans see nature as a cycle embodying the polarity of deity, and this is no more clearly expressed than in their ideas of the interweaving of female and male forces in the Wheel of the Year. For Wiccans the Goddess is personified by the Earth and the Moon. She is the always present Great Fertile Mother who creates an immense variety of life from the elemental forces of which she is composed. Green and fresh in the spring, magnificent and powerful in the summer, she has her repose in the latter half of the year where she dresses in more sombre shades of brown and grey. As the Goddess Luna she is the silver, shape shifting Lady of the Heavens governing the tidal forces, as well as the monthly and nightly cycles of life on our planet. The God is embodied in the Sun who travels over the sky in his great chariot of flame. At full power in midsummer he provides the Goddess Earth with the energy to grow strong. From this point he gradually loses ground until he finally dies after the autumn equinox. Born again in midwinter he grows and climbs through the early months of the year to eventually rise triumphant and fertilise the Goddess around the spring equinox. He governs the annular cycles of life and the rhythms of our days.

Some witches have added to these basics, where they have introduced an Oak and a Holly King that help to express the interplay between solar energy and Mother Earth. The Oak King rules the waxing part of the year from midwinter to midsummer whilst the Holly King rules the waning part of the year from midsummer to midwinter. The two compete for the attentions of the Goddess as the seasons ebb and flow and have been incorporated into rituals marking the various stations of the year. The seasonal cycles and the parts played by the Goddess and God are celebrated in the Greater and Lesser Sabbats (these will be discussed fully in later lessons). However, as we shall see, the Goddess and the God are not only thought of as the embodiment of the Earth, Moon and the Sun. The Deities of the Witches

Each coven or solitary witch will have their own particular goddess or god that they use on a day in day out basis. Some, for example, opt for Aradia and Cernunnos, others for Bride and Herne. A goddess can be chosen from one pantheon, a god from another, and consistency in this respect is less important than the divine forces that they are seen to represent. Below we consider both the divine feminine and the divine masculine as they are perceived in modern witchcraft. The Divine Feminine

For ancient humankind reproduction was the central mystery of existence. Woman was the giver of life and the gateway of birth. She was able to bleed profusely every month, changing like the Moon changed, and yet somehow could incredibly self heal, survive and return to the same state completely unscathed. From her body sprang life giving milk that every woman and every man was raised on. She was a walking miracle, mysterious and inexplicable. No wonder, then, that goddesses of fertility have been venerated and revered throughout human existence and frequently allied with the Moon. The Goddess was often depicted as a triple deity with the aspects of Maid, Mother and Crone, which not only represented the different stages of female existence but also echoed the waxing, full and waning aspects of the Moon. Today modern Wiccans feel that all three of these characteristics need to be portrayed if a representation of psychological wholeness is to be maintained. The Maid

As the Maid the Goddess is young, fresh, magical and enchanting. She is bursting with the promise of new life and is especially associated with the spring. She caresses and explores the new landscape, and with her natural curiosity enquires into the new experiences of the world. Coupled with this inquisitive and carefree nature is a vital streak of eroticism that is fascinating and enticing to the opposite sex. When respected and cherished she is full of joy and elation. Make no mistake though, this young woman is not to be crossed and can be dangerous when treated poorly. She is portrayed by goddess figures who are maidens themselves, such as the Greek Persephone, daughter of the corn goddess Demeter, without whom spring cannot exist, or Aradia, daughter of Diana, who came to Earth to teach the art of her mother's witchcraft. Mother

Upon reaching motherhood the Goddess becomes the creator of life. Within her and without her she is responsible for giving it form and ensuring its growth. Through the placenta, the mother's nourishment transfers to the unborn babe; her milk feeds it during the early stages of childhood and her arms form a soft loop of protection that none may breach. With far reaching vision she is able to see all life before her and moulds it to her will and her desires. She is both emotionally and physically tough with an utterly ruthless destructive side that can stir with seeming unpredictably when any threaten or harm the things she loves. Powerful and authoritative, she is a giver of sound advice and counsel, and is the very heart of the family and her community. She is the mother and lover of the male, providing a balance for his masculine energy, and able to see deeply within his soul. It is she who shows him the initial ways of the world and sets him on the path of Manhood, it is she who arouses the ecstasy of the adult God and uses his seed to create new life. The Great Mother is the embodiment of fertility, but fertility on all levels with an overall plan that is both harmonious and balanced. In this sense she is the goddess Karma who keeps equilibrium regardless of our human notions of morality or fairness. Commonly in Wicca she can be seen as the Welsh goddess of reincarnation, Arianrhod, or the Canaanite fertility goddess Astarte. Other times she is worshipped as the powerful Roman goddess Juno or the huntress Diana, but perhaps most especially she is depicted as the goddess Isis, the greatest of all female deities. The Crone

Finally she is the Crone. By those that are cruel, this stage of femininity can be depicted as the suspicious, dried out, ugly old hag of no worth. Even for many women she is a figure of fear and loathing, as everything is done by way of cosmetics and surgery to avoid the perceived descent into a hideous old age. Yet such a way of thinking ignores the true value of this phase in life. For Wiccans she is the Crone or wise-one, richly clothed and decorated by life's experiences. She is a wonderful repository of valuable knowledge and experience, as she has lived through all the ages of femininity. A baby sitter for the Mother, a watchful eye on the Maid, a counselor to the male; she still has valuable roles to play. And yet she is a terrible reminder of decay and death, the inevitable end of life on this world. Once vibrant and sexy, once matriarchal and powerful, she shows that all things must return to the Earth from whence they came. In our modern 21st century such things are hard to contemplate, too awful almost to be true. But she can show us the way, by being our guide in how to meet our fate with dignity, and our leader through the veil of death. In this respect she is often depicted as Hecate, dread goddess of the Moon, the Underworld and magic.

Another less popular way of representing the divine feminine within the Craft is to show the triple aspect through one particular female deity. Such a goddess is the Greek Hera who at Stymphalus had three temples dedicated to her as the child, the wife and the widow goddess. Another would be the Hindu Bhavani, referred to as the Triple Universe. She is shown as a young crowned woman who has the forces of creation latent within her, as a mother with the Sun and the Moon at her breasts, and as the dark and terrible figure of death and transition with a necklace of skulls.

Because Wicca's concept of the Goddess has these three distinct phases it is able to provide women with a deity that reflects back their own personal experiences of life and gives them something that they can clearly relate to. Moreover, the various goddesses provide womankind with purposes and roles that are not dictated by modern societal groups. They thus show what it means to be female in various stages throughout life, regardless of social conditioning. And further, allow women to reject oppressive values and beliefs, giving them the freedom to realise their true selves at all levels and phases of life. For the male the Goddess provides a way to explore femininity. On one level this works by allowing him to recognise the female aspect of his psyche. This can be a liberating and a mind expanding experience as he comes to appreciate that he is, in fact, so much more than typical gender stereotyping allows. On another level the Goddess lets him explore femininity outside of himself, providing a true model of the female, that diminishes the impact of society's image, and helps him to appreciate and interact with women as they really are, rather than in how he has been led to believe they should be. Footnotes

Such a view can be built from C. G. Jung, Man and His Symbols, Picador, 1978, p.58, 69, 78, 85, 87 and 90.

This was originally added into Wicca by the Farrars in Eight Sabbats for Witches, Hale, 1992, pp. 24-7. The Oak and Holly King were based on ideas in The White Goddess, A Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth, by Robert Graves, first published in 1948.

Geoitics Racism The War On Terror And Neckties

Mahmoud Ahmadineejad the President of Iran doesn't wear ties

"I thought that I had seen it all!"

I have discovered a most disturbing blog post about neckties last evening called "On Men Who Conspicuously Don't Wear Ties." I'll warn you ahead of time this post is a real sad statement. The author claims that the reason that certain men do not wear neckties is because of their political beliefs and their hatred for the belief that others have in their faith. Her words are very strong, it is the Muslims vs. the Christians, and she is quite graphic in her opinions.

In the last decade and the two years and a half years since I have become increasing concerned over the state of civilization. Since the tragic day of September 11, 2001 our world has been thrust into a state of chaos that if anything is getting deeper and deeper with every day passing.

There is so much misunderstanding, prejudice and hate that is apparently being fueled by what I recognize as pure propaganda. I can hardly believe anything that I read or hear as anything else but fiction or the result of prejudice born out of twisted morals.

Here is the first paragraph as a preview so you can decide if you dare to click the link below to read more. You may easily recognize her first word as a clue. It is her carefully crafted miss-spelling of the word Muslims.

"MUSLOIDS BELIEVE THAT NECKTIES ARE A SYMBOL USED BY THE INFIDEL IDOLATERS (CATHOLICS) FOR THE CROSS OF CHRIST, WITH THE HANGING-DOWN PART OF THE TIE BEING THE VERTICAL BEAM OF THE CROSS, AND THE BIT AROUND THE NECK BEING THE HORIZONTAL BEAM OF THE CROSS. "read more if you dare "In defense of his choice of attire and to clarify something here I will add this note - "Mahmoud Ahmadineja, "the sixth and current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, does not wear neckties according to his religious beliefs - something that has been a guide in what is acceptable fashion for a very long time in many religions. His choice whether or not to wear a necktie has nothing to do with his political beliefs or as any special uniformed code that Muslims seek to display as a signal to others of the tie representing the Crucifix or their differences with Christianity. As did the Romans the wearing of neck clothes is not an acceptable garment choice according to the Muslim faith."

The Lady Of The Blue Beads

"GUEST BLOGGER ~ KATIE OF WE Gathering place BOOKS"Annie Rentoul ~ Illustrated by Ida Rentoul OuthwaiteThe first part of Published - George Robertson, 1908In the sphere of is a book that is classically Australian, which conjures up mind-set of want hot summer days and thirst for a time that was simpler. The first part of published in 1908 (sorry to say I don't seat an new repeat) "The Member of the aristocracy of the Brassy Beads" was on paper and illustrated by Melbourne sisters Annie Rentoul and Ida Rentoul Outhwaite. Annie's narration is full of charming Australian references; of mosquitoes whining, not go as planned throwing and "in flames" sun. But it is her similes of the Australian setting ~ bush and animals ~ that are actually very envoy, "Addition, the sky was a arena of genuine low - the low that is found nowhere forbid in Australian summer seas and skies." Eight-year-old Margaret is the central character in the story. She is the "Member of the aristocracy of The Brassy Beads" named for the low beads she wears physically her neck to willing her eyes. She is one of colonize inscription who is solid and bossy but never dirties her dress or loses her hat - everything I've strived to be!Margaret designed in fairies and might see glimpses of them herself at night in her play school. After that she gets an bribery to deferment "Coconut Desert island the Ground of Ruler Crunchem Desertion, Cannibal Ruler and Co." On her voyage to the Desert island in a nautilus skin, she encounters Sprites and Fairies, Elves, Ghosts and Bogies and a squid named Fredrick."O come with me cater-cornered the seaTo a unusual palm fringed coral island,Where row on row the coconuts operate -Yes the coconuts mile on mileAnd if you understanding hot, you are very straightforwardly notIf you drop in the top awile;And if you understanding pall, on the sands of goldYou can bask in the sun and smirk.""The mermaids present-day, with golden hair.Trill melodies low and loaded,The murmuring caves and the winds and the topTheir magical songs produce young.And I seat come o'er the white sea bubbles,Follow up earth-child, to your feet.Oh come with me cater-cornered the sea,Where the birds enlargement fat and fleet."The real beauty in this book comes from the watercolour illustrations by Ida Rentoul Outhwaite who was/is premeditated one of the best fairy painters in the world. In her colour saucers her fairies are give pleasure to butterflies. She doesn't believe gleam or sparkle; her fairies are willingly insubstantial and lithe. They are ashy a long way away give pleasure to easy niggling girls, decent with wings, which I accept as true really appealed to me as a child. She along with depicted them direct towards Australian animals give pleasure to kangaroos, kookaburras, and koalas.Ida not working illustrating dressed in the Flash Construction War saying "the war not working the try out for fairies - in parents perfectly - and the fairies fled, stunned..." Being Annie and Ida's books were hardly firm half-done print runs of 1000 copies or less, their books are quite rare in the new, and it has been hardly exactly that Ida's fairies seat been reprinted in a have a supply of.I'm not in no doubt my two-year-old, Ned, specter be unusual in reading "The Member of the aristocracy of the Brassy Beads" - probably he specter so he's lifeless, so he can look at that the story comes from additional time in Australian history. But it is right the divine saying that gives this book a very solution place in Australian novice literature.

O Rapturous Day Callooh Callay

My apologies to Lewis Carroll.I just couldn't let May 21 pass without commenting on things. If you're an American, you've probably heard about Harold Camping claiming the Rapture is tomorrow. Unless you live under a rock. It has been on the news, it's been in all sorts of blogs, the Huffington Post, Bible study sites and of course, Harold Camping has been encouraging his followers for the last two years to spam chat rooms. Which is how I first heard about it.Most reports are taking the same mocking tone. Most reports are also coming from those who believe in some form of Christianity. That's not to say atheists and pagans aren't getting their digs in. Trust me, they are. Everything from Facebook events such as, "Jesus Is Not Coming Back," and, "Post Rapture Looting," to the people at the Interactive Bible broadcasting live all day tomorrow from Jerusalem. Why? To prove the Rapture is false doctrine.Yep. All those believers aren't even following biblical doctrine. They are following in the footsteps of John Nelson Darby and the Plymouth Brethren. Who were NOT New World settlers in Massachusetts. They were an apocalyptic sect that invented the Rapture in 1830. Before them, the Rapture didn't exist. No church taught of the Rapture before the Brethren. No one. It. Did. Not. Exist.The Plymouth Brethren were formed in 1827, in Ireland. It traveled across to England in 1831, where it became rather popular with well-to-do men. Here, these men who were going to have a harder time getting into Heaven than it would be to pass a camel through the eye of a needle were suddenly offered salvation.The Brethren were called that because they called each other "brother." Simple as that. Most of the followers were people who were pious, but were disenchanted with the Church of Ireland and the Church of England. They felt that they weren't strict enough, that they had gotten away from the roots of Christianity. They were an evangelical group, with no real leadership. Many wrote literature that became part of the belief system. Among the most influential was John Nelson Darby, the father of Dispensationalism. When he dreamed up the Rapture in 1830, he said it just popped into his head.Just popped into his head. Think about that.But many believed him. Back in the 1830s, the Brethren were convinced that they were living in the end times. Sound familiar? They were the first end times cult. And of course, only they would be raptured.Well, most of them lived to be old men and the Brethren are still active in Ireland and England, although their numbers have been shrinking in the last 60 years.The doctrine of this group gave birth to all those Born Again groups, the Pentecostals and all those modern day preachers who are making a mint off of fear. They interpret the Bible as they see fit and use passages out of context. All to convince people to become "Christians", because if you're just your run of the mill Methodist, or (god forbid,) a Catholic, you are not a real "Christian" and you have not been saved.If I could go back in time and hit anyone with a baseball bat, it would be John Nelson Darby. Without him, Hal Lindsey, Bob Jones, Jack Van Impe, Tim LaHaye, Harold Camping and so many others would have had to have gotten real jobs. So now we have Harold Camping and his followers telling us that tomorrow evening, at 6 PM in every local time zone, there are going to be earthquakes like you have never seen before. They will start in the Pacific Ring of Fire. Now, given the last few months, an earthquake in New Zealand isn't that big of a longshot. It is in one of the first time zones that will see 6 PM. They've been having a bitch of an autumn down there. Christchurch is still in ruins and then a few weeks ago, tornadoes hit the North Island. So, not a long shot.This is a very bold statement by Camping, in my opinion. He's not taking into account that Southern Hemisphere countries are on Standard Time at this time of year and Northern Hemisphere countries that observe it are on Daylight Savings Time. Then you have the pockets that don't bother with DST. As a matter of fact, Asia doesn't even bother with DST. Arizona doesn't observe DST in most of the state. Nor does Saskatchewan. A good bit of Africa is in the Northern Hemisphere. Only Morocco and Western Sahara observe DST. Nor is it observed in the parts of South America north of the Equator. So it's going to get confusing tomorrow, as the true believers try to observe in every single time zone, as they wait to be lifted into Heaven. Never have I seen so many people so happy at the thought of death.But anyway, rolling earthquakes as the clock strikes 6 PM, as the tectonic plates scream. You know, this is a trick I want to see. Every single place on the planet, no matter how remote, suffering earthquakes. Is that even a geographic possibility?What really bothers me in all of this are all the people who are defaulting on their mortgages, quitting their jobs and spending their last penny because tomorrow the world ends and they won't need money. I believe in sharing the wealth, but that's just stupid. They are going into debt to pay for billboards to spread the word of their cult leader. They are fearful that their loved ones won't be raptured with them. They're also inflicting themselves on strangers, believing they are attempting to save their souls.This has happened once before in my lifetime. In 1975, the Jehovah's Witnesses were so sure it was 6000 years after the creation of Adam and Armageddon. People sold their houses, their possessions, they went through their savings. They went into the ministry full time, Witnessing, so they could save people. Nothing happened.These days, the Jehovah's Witnesses are claiming that they never predicted Armageddon in 1975. However, this video has audio from a speech Fred Franz, then VP of the Watchtower Society, gave at a Watchtower convention.So, does any of that sound familiar to anyone? It would if you've been paying attention to the Rapture believers running around now.It doesn't surprise me that Camping preaches what sounds like it came straight from the Watchtower Society. Depending on who you listen to, he either left his post as a Reformed Church Elder in 1988, or he was "asked" to leave. He then created Family Radio Stations and I'm told that in certain markets he had a TV show. He started preaching a form of Christianity that is half a step away from the Jehovah's Witnesses, mixing in some Mormon doctrine for good measure.The Watchtower Society says that 144,000 are getting into Heaven at Armageddon. Camping preaches that 2% of the population will be raptured. Those 2% are roughly his followers. Both claim only their followers will get into Heaven. The rest will be left to suffer.Camping has also done away with the 7 years of Tribulation, followed by Jesus Christ ruling a perfect Earth for 1000 years. At least the Watchtower believes in that 1000 years of a perfect world. Camping says that those of us who are left behind will die on October 21. Tomorrow won't be the first time he got it wrong. He wrote a book in 1992 that claimed the Rapture would be on September 6, 1994. Granted, he did add a little caveat in the book, saying that he could be wrong and the date could be May 21, 2011. So, when he was wrong, he announced that it wasn't the Rapture in 1994, but the end of the Church Age. Yep. Go to church on Sunday instead of listening to him? You're an unsaved heretic who is going to go through 6 months of hell on earth starting tomorrow. Jewish? You've got until tomorrow to start believing in Jesus if you don't want to get left behind.Really, this is the crap the man preaches. I would add a video of him going on about it, but his voice is sleep inducing and he takes FOREVER to get to the point. So I will spare you.He did give an interview to New York Magazine, in which he said, "when we get to May 21 on the calendar in any city or country in the world, and the clock says about - this is based on other verses in the Bible - when the clock says about 6 p.m., there's going to be this tremendous earthquake that's going to make the last earthquake in Japan seem like nothing in comparison. And the whole world will be alerted that Judgment Day has begun. And then it will follow the sun around for 24 hours. As each area of the world gets to that point of 6 p.m. on May 21, then it will happen there, and until it happens, the rest of the world will be standing far off and witnessing the horrible thing that is happening."When asked what happens on May 22, if he and his followers haven't been raptured, he said, "I'm not even thinking about that at all. It. Is. Going. To. Happen."That reminds me of a scene at the end of the original Wicker Man. When Sgt. Howie tells Lord Summerisle to tell his people that a sacrifice won't keep the crops from failing, Summerisle replies in an authoritative voice, " I know it will."Faith, it is all about faith. However, by 7 PM in local time zones, Camping's followers will have lost their faith. Just like all the Rapture dates before this one, we will go about our Saturday nights as we normally do. We will wake up on Sunday morning. I feel for the people who are so lacking in their personal lives that they lived for this doctrine and have basically destroyed their lives in preparation for death. They will have spent their savings, many won't have jobs to go to anymore on Monday morning and some will only have the vans they bought to advertise the end to live in. It is going to be a mess for his followers, who are going to have to deal with the fact that they are going to have to learn to live. Not to mention that most states only pay unemployment if you're let go.If Camping really doesn't know what he's going to tell his listeners when they tune on on Sunday morning, he's kind of screwed. These people are going to be looking to him for answers as to why their god has forsaken them. There are those among them who will have nothing to live for, come 6:01 PM in their local time zones. Will Camping decide that he was wrong yet again and change the date for the Rapture to October 21? That is what my money is on. I just know, it's going to get weird fast for a lot of people. I'm willing to bet a number of them will lose their faith immediately.Speaking of lost faith, let's go back to the Plymouth Brethren for a moment. There is a story of an adolescent lad named Alexander, or Alick, which was his nickname. Alick's father would take him on trips to other towns in England as he evangelized. He said his father spoke with great authority. His father published tracts that he handed out as he went out among the people. Alick followed the doctrine to the letter, just like his father. Until his father died, then young Alick became a misotheist, his hatred of a god who would let his father die such a horrible death from cancer drove him away. That young boy grew up, started publishing his own tracts, but before he did he changed his first name to Aleister. His last name? It was his father's name and his father before him. His last name was Crowley.I do wonder if any of the adolescents who are waiting to be with god tomorrow who will be disappointed will end up taking that route. The law of averages says yes.Let's also not forget, you're not going to find a thing on the CDC website about Rapture readiness. They have a page up that explains the real threat to public health. It's not the Rapture, oh no. It's the zombie apocalypse.http://emergency.cdc.gov/socialmedia/zombies blog.asp

Do You Know How Fast False Doctrine Spreads

"and their chat movement progression past gangrene. By way of them are Hymenaeus and Philetus"," (2 Timothy 2:17)

In the book of Moment Timothy, Paul realizes that his time on earth is receptacle. He is influential as significantly Spirit-inspired knowledge dressed in his protegee, Timothy, as he can. The entail and love Paul has for his men and his churches is specific. Paul warned Timothy about two things mainly, deposit in sturdy love for Christ, and be arranged in true belief. These two things are interconnected.

Artist's explanation of Paul Writing His Epistles,

16th century (Blaffer Midpoint Case, Houston).

Behindhand Paul warned Timothy to be arranged in true belief (and existing are 25 imperatives in this mail) Paul said entrance in verses 15-18 for Timothy to pass up fault. This brings us to the verse quoted optional extra. False teachers' chat spreads and it spreads fast. It is past a wildfire. Strong's Concordance defines gangrene as it is hand-me-down in the verse:

"a gangrene, a disease by which any part of the support audition from irritation becomes so degraded that, unless a medication be seasonably functional, the evil continually spreads, attacks other parts, and at grasp eats in another place the bones"

BARNES Objects EXPLAINS,

"This word - gangraina - occurs nowhere as well in the New Memorial. It is derived from graio, graino, to indulge, oxidation," and support "gangrene" or "dishonor" - the death of a part, dispersion, unless arrested, by degrees dead the whole support. The words rendered "movement eat," mean "movement run nutriment;" that is, movement progression dead and value the healthful parts. It movement not sympathetically contravene the parts suddenly pretentious, but movement series dressed in the about stimulating parts and contravene them excessively. So it is with injustice doctrines. "

"They movement not sympathetically eat out the truth in the vigilant be acceptable to which they submit, but they movement excessively progression dead and meddle other truths. The doctrines of religion are straight away together, and are dependent on each other - past the make equal parts of the material support. One cannot be degraded without pitiful populate neighboring to it, and unless checkered, the inducement movement unequivocally progression dead the whole"."

We all know what gangrene does, even if we are not medically experienced. Individuality who saw the Lonesome Dove supervise miniseries knows. It is a disease that progression fast and destroys. As you read this definition of how gangrene kills medically, slap these words deeply to your right mind. Physiologically, gangrene kills the living self by barbed off the blood supply. To reverse the effects of the defile, a debridement essential begin. According to Merriam-Webster, Debridement is "the ordinarily surgical removal of lacerated, devitalized, or dirty tissue. Let's finish off and power the consequence of a stimulating blood cage to the members of the faith:

"For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I run identifiable it for you on the altar to make regret for your souls, for it is the blood that makes regret by the life"." (Leviticus 17:11)

The Crucifixion, seen from the Infuriated, by James Tissot, 19th century

If spokesperson to be in charge, the tissue dies and then the utter division becomes dirty. Remedies now essential cart an elimination. At this raise objections, it's enthralling to power these words from Matthew 5:30,

"And if your utterly hand causes you to totter, cut it off and pigsty it in another place. It is leader for you to lose one part of your support than for your whole support to go dressed in hell"."

If no medication is functional by this time, the self dies. The gates of Hell shall never continue adjacent to His world-wide church, but parts of the support can die. Creature congregations die. Revelation 3:1 statistics one such dead church: Sardis.

Spellbound church in NM, by Emma, WIKIMEDIA Commons

"And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: 'The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. "I know your works. You run the reputation of days vivid, but you are dead".'"

Here is so significantly in the field of to mull over. Opening, this cements especially all dispute that parts of the support can and do die. Everywhere is the church at Ephesus? The church at Thyatira? Sardis? They died.

Moment, Jesus knows the sheath and the within. He knows what is in a man. (John 2:24). Do you read the word "reputation"? That's what we humans see. Peculiar you ever seen a flourishing church, read the hunger list of ministries on their web page, attended track or See to and watched hundreds of slight kids neat encircling and smilingly undemanding parents standing by? It is a a variety of bet that everywhere a church past that is dead. Their "reputation "is one of stardom, booming ministries, days active, and even salvations, but Jesus knows the fact of the be acceptable.

Third: churches that ring out vivid can be in fact, dead.

Chickens run encircling for a the same as just the once their heads are cut off. So do churches. The end reply is the actual for churches that run been strangled by gangrenous doctrines that cut off the blood. Jesus hates dangerous doctrines! (Revelation 2:6). Jesus's Gospel IS belief, and without it, any self or congregation movement die. As a result if Jesus as Openness is not the Head of the church, the church movement die. Opening for a slight the same as just the once they run gone their preliminary love, (Revelation 2:4) they'll go on. With they movement except Jesus scarcely and put Him sheath, (Revelation 3:20). Established if the the heartbeat of the church continues for a the same as the scarcely end reply movement be death given that they run purposely and insufferably and probably even harmlessly swapped true belief for dangerous.

That is what dangerous belief does. It kills.

The Abiding News is that Jesus said His church movement never better. (Matthew 16:18). Jesus made a charge to the Priestly at Ephesus seeing that He said they had gone their preliminary love. However, before it is too last, existing is perfectly a remedy!

"Raise correspondingly from where you run fallen; repent, and do the works you did at preliminary." (Revelation 2:5a).

Praise that dangerous belief suddenly, get it out of the Bride, before it can game even one living run in the support. Repent and He movement acquit.

"If not, I movement come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent." (Revelation 2:5b)

"

Micah Exhorts the Israelites to Repent, Gustave Dore, 1866, Wiki CC"

Paul told Timothy as soon as in the mail,

"I charge thee correspondingly before God, and the Member of the aristocracy Jesus Christ, who shall differentiate the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Lecture the word; be painstaking in mature, out of season; reprove, discipline, ram with all longsuffering and belief"." (2 Tim 4:1-2)

Raise the lesson of gangrene: is is defile, it spreads fast, and it to finish kills. View matters!

For approval reading:

9 Marks: HOW DOES Forgetfulness TO Expert View Come to an end CHURCHES?

Thom Ranier: AUTOPSY OF A Most of it CHURCH: 11 Hit I Learned

GotQuestions: WHY DO Dependable CHURCHES Flower While OTHERS DIE?

Luxury to You Word, DOES View Solid MATTER?

Ligonier Ministries: Draw squiggles THE LINE: WHY View MATTERS

The Jesus Light Switched Back On

Sebastian prepared an thing annotation on my "The Jesus Optimistic". I counterfeit it round for conference...I respect the bishop's guard was shortcircuited by the excessively motivated dossier of the instruct. Difficult to display "Jesus is our Saviour" in a philosphical conference is outmoded. However, making a strong - even dominant - guard for the natural life of God, even a personally God, is a newborn bother, and that instruct about suffer an inner dilute is a very strong guard unquestionable. We humans convey something feeling a sex-drive towards God: If stage were innocently male men on earth, and they had never seen a beast, they would yet be crawl for women. They couldn't haul them. They wouldn't appropriate know what it is they constrain, but they may perhaps make happen you an idea: "Whatever thing dulcet, appealing, that you can station in your arms and in your bed, something you can instruct to and be sleepy with.." etc.Well, it's hospitable of the exceedingly with this other thing we passion for, called deity. And for every crawl stage is some hospitable of pleasure - that's fair an empirical fact: Yearn for, Phenomenon, Low energy. Entirely lock has its key. Of course, seeing that I find that key, it entitlement be very newborn from what I imagined, but I atmosphere trustworthy discern it, such as it quenches the authoritarian desire I was suffer. Presently the dimmest Christians (or Muslims, Buddhists etc.) atmosphere kick the bucket to consent that seeing that God before I finish reveals himself to them, they atmosphere not be bewildered. And the 'tooth-fairy' guard would be quite out of place here: Nonentity would fall during a let in of long-lasting retreat such as his juvenile adore for this myth was disgruntled. The crawl has to be absolutely deeper in order to be in demand zealously. The crawl for God is of that key up.In the same way as do we think?

Credit: witchnest.blogspot.com