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Rise of the Occultic World

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March 27, 2024, 12:55:24 pm Mark says: Shocked Shocked Shocked Shocked  When Hamas spokesman Abu Ubaida began a speech marking the 100th day of the war in Gaza, one confounding yet eye-opening proclamation escaped the headlines. Listing the motives for the Palestinian militant group's Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, he accused Jews of "bringing red cows" to the Holy Land.
December 31, 2022, 10:08:58 am NilsFor1611 says: blessings
August 08, 2018, 02:38:10 am suzytr says: Hello, any good churches in the Sacto, CA area, also looking in Reno NV, thanks in advance and God Bless you Smiley
January 29, 2018, 01:21:57 am Christian40 says: It will be interesting to see what happens this year Israel being 70 years as a modern nation may 14 2018
October 17, 2017, 01:25:20 am Christian40 says: It is good to type Mark is here again!  Smiley
October 16, 2017, 03:28:18 am Christian40 says: anyone else thinking that time is accelerating now? it seems im doing days in shorter time now is time being affected in some way?
September 24, 2017, 10:45:16 pm Psalm 51:17 says: The specific rule pertaining to the national anthem is found on pages A62-63 of the league rulebook. It states: “The National Anthem must be played prior to every NFL game, and all players must be on the sideline for the National Anthem. “During the National Anthem, players on the field and bench area should stand at attention, face the flag, hold helmets in their left hand, and refrain from talking. The home team should ensure that the American flag is in good condition. It should be pointed out to players and coaches that we continue to be judged by the public in this area of respect for the flag and our country. Failure to be on the field by the start of the National Anthem may result in discipline, such as fines, suspensions, and/or the forfeiture of draft choice(s) for violations of the above, including first offenses.”
September 20, 2017, 04:32:32 am Christian40 says: "The most popular Hepatitis B vaccine is nothing short of a witch’s brew including aluminum, formaldehyde, yeast, amino acids, and soy. Aluminum is a known neurotoxin that destroys cellular metabolism and function. Hundreds of studies link to the ravaging effects of aluminum. The other proteins and formaldehyde serve to activate the immune system and open up the blood-brain barrier. This is NOT a good thing."
http://www.naturalnews.com/2017-08-11-new-fda-approved-hepatitis-b-vaccine-found-to-increase-heart-attack-risk-by-700.html
September 19, 2017, 03:59:21 am Christian40 says: bbc international did a video about there street preaching they are good witnesses
September 14, 2017, 08:06:04 am Psalm 51:17 says: bro Mark Hunter on YT has some good, edifying stuff too.
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Psalm 51:17
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« Reply #30 on: October 28, 2013, 02:15:49 pm »

Yeah, it's come to a point where the masses pretty much think it's not much of a deal.

Back in the 90's, while it was tolerated, it was pretty much scoffed by the masses.

As for witches - I think people have a misperception that they're unattractive looking people who wear black robes, a pointed hat, and ride on broomsticks. NOT even close!

2Cor 11:12  But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.
2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

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« Reply #31 on: October 29, 2013, 07:23:25 am »

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NOT even close!

Exactly. I know that to be true from personal knowledge. In fact, if one didn't know better, they would think that a witch is some New Age flower child looking for peace and harmony with nature. They are more aligned with nature and naturalist/tree hugger attitudes.

The wicked world has done an extensive job of promoting witches (via Halloween) as some ugly creature that lives in caves or something as a means of misdirection. The truth is a person wouldn't know somebody is a witch unless the person really pressed them about how they believe because witches do not just tell anybody who they are.
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« Reply #32 on: October 30, 2013, 12:16:08 pm »

Spellbound: why witchcraft is enchanting a new generation of teenage girls

It's like the Charmed years of the 1990s, as TV shows, books and films focus on magic, the supernatural and all things wiccan


When Ryan Murphy, the creator of American Horror Story, announced that the third season of the American TV series would focus on witches, he was riding the crest of a wave. Not since the 1990s – the era of Buffy's geek goddess, Willow Rosenberg, and a scowling Fairuza Balk in The Craft – have witches been so much in demand.

In the young-adult section of bookshops, shelves that recently groaned under the weight of tales of tormented vampires and lovelorn werewolves, are now stuffed with stories of witchcraft and magic, from Ruth Warburton's much-praised Winter Trilogy to Jessica Spotswood's Cahill Witch Chronicles. Lower down the age range, last month the most recent in Jill Murphy's long-running Worst Witch series was published, while among the predictions for this Christmas's bestselling toys are the Bratz spinoff, House of Witchez. For adults, next year will mark the climax of Deborah Harkness's All Souls Trilogy, centring on the relationship between a vampire and a feisty American witch.

In film, highlights of the BFI's gothic season include Burn Baby Burn! a festival of witchcraft on film, which comes to Belfast's Queens Film Theatre in early November, and the once-banned 1922 Danish witch movie Häxan: Witchcraft Through The Ages, showing this week at Filmhouse Edinburgh and the following week at the Glasgow Film Theatre and Dundee Contemporary Arts. Even Meryl Streep is getting in on the act – recent stills from the forthcoming film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Into The Woods show her transformed into a hag complete with wild grey hair and long nails.

However, it is on television that the season of the witch has truly taken hold. In addition to American Horror Story, with its tale of voodoo queens and teenage witches, there's Lifetime's The Witches of East End, adapted from a novel by Melissa de la Cruz and featuring a family of spellcasters led by Julia Ormond. Vampire Diaries spinoff The Originals (on the Syfy channel) has a central storyline about witchcraft and in Universal's Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod Crane deals with duelling covens in present-day America.

So why witches – and why now? "The idea of being able to manipulate supernatural forces still resonates," says Owen Davies, professor of social history at the University of Hertfordshire and author of America Bewitched: The Story of Witchcraft after Salem. "Witches and ghosts speak to something fundamental and innate in our psyche. It's an emotional connection."

The last time witches were so in fashion, in the 1990s, the response from young girls was intense. "When Buffy and Charmed were at their peak, I would get letters from teenage girls, mainly from America, asking for help about where to look for spells," says Davies. "Those shows gave teenage girls a feeling of empowerment; there's something very appealing about magic and witchcraft. There have also been studies of girls who were interested in witch shows in the 1990s, following how many went on to become practising wiccans.It's not a huge number, but it's interesting that some of them watched the shows and thought, 'I want to know more'."

Ruth Warburton, whose latest young-adult novel, Witch Finder, will be out in January, feels the growing interest is partially driven by a teenage desire to see girls in less passive roles. The most striking thing about the recent movie Beautiful Creatures (adapted from a bestselling teen novel) was that the hero worshipped from the sidelines as his witch girlfriend came into her powers.

"Often the traditional way of looking at relationships in young-adult fiction is that the guy has all the power and the interesting life and the girl goes along for the ride, but that's not the whole story," says Warburton. "Increasingly, we're trying to bring our daughters up to believe they can be the leader; they can have the adventure; they can do the cool stuff and one thing about witches is that they allow you to explore that moment when girls become teenagers and realise the power they have as women and how exhilarating that can be."

It is also arguable that these new shows reflect a changing attitude in television. The era of the anti-hero is coming to a close with the end of Breaking Bad and the final seasons of Mad Men. In their place have come female-centric shows, from Orange is the New Black to Masters of Sex, and Scandal. Thus Witches of East End is as interested in the bonds between mothers and daughters as in potions and curses, while American Horror Story: Coven conducts a serious examination of outsiderdom, exclusion and the nature of power. "The witches are a great allegory for any minority group that's been persecuted and had to go underground and finally is like: 'You know what? Dammit no, we're fighting back,'" the show's creator Murphy said.

It helps that both shows are happy to play with stereotypes. We tend to see witches as withered crone or seductive enchantress, Baba Yaga or Morgan Le Fay, yet for Witches of East End the key is that these women are a normal family with a family's ups and downs.

Yet Davies argues that the key to witch-related success remains image. "The image of the witch has transformed from someone extremely dangerous, through the sexy domesticated witches of Bewitched to the new wave of young, sexy witches in Charmed and Buffy to now," he says. "We're not interested in the mundane reality – we don't want to watch a drama about someone falsely accused of bewitching a pig." In other words, just as our vampires are now soulful lost boys, so our witches must be appealing in looks, if not always in deed.

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/26/witches-cast-spell-on-culture
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« Reply #33 on: October 30, 2013, 02:13:11 pm »

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The last time witches were so in fashion, in the 1990s, the response from young girls was intense. "When Buffy and Charmed were at their peak, I would get letters from teenage girls, mainly from America, asking for help about where to look for spells," says Davies. "Those shows gave teenage girls a feeling of empowerment; there's something very appealing about magic and witchcraft. There have also been studies of girls who were interested in witch shows in the 1990s, following how many went on to become practising wiccans.It's not a huge number, but it's interesting that some of them watched the shows and thought, 'I want to know more'."

The old lie of Satan's carrot - which will continue leading them down the rabbit hole...
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« Reply #34 on: October 31, 2013, 04:08:59 am »

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Ruth Warburton, whose latest young-adult novel, Witch Finder, will be out in January, feels the growing interest is partially driven by a teenage desire to see girls in less passive roles.

Now that's a lie. It's not driven by teenage girl's desires for less passive roles. It's driven by the desire of the world for teenage girls, and boys. Ultimately, it's the Jezebel spirit that wants to dominate man that is moving women into these wicked things.
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« Reply #35 on: October 31, 2013, 04:56:51 am »

Mike Hoggard does a pretty good presentation on the present occult activities in the media

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1029131448518
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« Reply #36 on: October 31, 2013, 10:50:06 am »

Now that's a lie. It's not driven by teenage girl's desires for less passive roles. It's driven by the desire of the world for teenage girls, and boys. Ultimately, it's the Jezebel spirit that wants to dominate man that is moving women into these wicked things.

Rev 2:18  And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;
Rev 2:19  I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.
Rev 2:20  Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
Rev 2:21  And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
Rev 2:22  Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

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« Reply #37 on: November 05, 2013, 03:34:25 pm »

Discussed this case of Ryan Ferguson, who was wrongly convicted of a murder he didn't commit in another thread here. For the most part, at least from what I've observed, the whole court process just seemed rigged and compromised from both sides for a good while. His conviction was overturned today, but again, the whole thing just seemed rigged from the beginning - and to boot the murder happened on a Halloween night.
http://endtimesandcurrentevents.freesmfhosting.com/index.php/topic,8229.msg42124.html#msg42124
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« Reply #38 on: November 05, 2013, 04:11:51 pm »

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For the most part, at least from what I've observed, the whole court process just seemed rigged and compromised from both sides for a good while

Basically, it IS rigged, right down to the state giving you a lawyer who works for the state. Roll Eyes

Society has been brainwashed into the lie that the prosecution never lies or cheats to win a case, regardless of guilt, but the fact is, men have egos and pride in the world, and some go to great lengths to make themselves be somebody, even if it means outright lying. It's not about guilt or innocence, it's about who can win their case in court.
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« Reply #39 on: January 28, 2014, 04:00:11 am »

Haunting in Indiana leads to family’s exorcism, child’s levitation: Reports

Chilling reports taken from the residents of a Gary, Ind., home recount a haunting that involved a 12-year-old girl levitating over her bed and a 9-year-old boy walking on a hospital ceiling. Astonishingly, the family's recollections are backed by not only a local police official but also by medical personnel.

 A Gary, Ind., mother of three claims demons caused her 12-year-old daughter to levitate and her 9-year-old son to walk on a hospital ceiling — accounts supported by medical personnel and police officials, according to a shocking report.

For Latoya Ammons, the late night footsteps, the creaking of a door and wet footprints left by a shadowy male figure through her living room were merely child's play when that was all her family had to endure.

But then things turned violent.

It was March 10, 2012 — four months after her family moved into a three-bedroom rental — that Ammons’ saw her daughter floating above her bed, the Indy Star reports.

It was first a scream that alerted her grandmother, Rosa Campbell, to the girl's bedroom at about 2 a.m. that night.

"I thought, 'What's going on?'" Campbell recalled to the Star. "'Why is this happening?'"

When the girl fell back onto the bed, she gained consciousness but said she had no memory of what had happened.

Two clairvoyants told them the house was filled with more than 200 demons. The family's church recommended pouring olive oil on Ammons' children's hands and feet, with smeared crosses along their foreheads, as a form of protection.

At one clairvoyant's recommendation, the frightened mother created an altar in her basement with a white candle and a statue of Mary, Joseph and Jesus. It was down there, beneath the staircase leading up to her kitchen, where the family believed the terrifying events began.

She and a friend prayed over the altar while filling the area with smoke in an attempt to spiritually purify the home, she told The Star.

For three days, nothing happened. And then Ammons and her children began acting out.

 The mother found her youngest, a 7-year-old boy, inside a closet while allegedly talking to another boy only Ammons' son could see.

When asked what they were talking about, her son allegedly told her that the other child was describing what it was like to be killed.

Not long after that, the woman claims her 7-year-old flew out of a bathroom and that her 12-year-old daughter required stitches after being hit in the head.

The girl told health care professionals that she sometimes felt like she was being choked. A voice would tell her that she'd never see her family again.

On April 19, 2012, the family went to see Dr. Geoffrey Onyeukwu, whose encounter with the children was one he said he'd never forget.

"Twenty years, and I've never heard anything like that in my life," the physician told the Star about their first meeting since the frightening events began. "I was scared myself when I walked into the room."

According to a report by the Department of Children Services obtained by The Star, one of the boys began cursing at Onyeukwu in a demonic voice. He and his brother then abruptly passed out and wouldn't come to.

The police were called. When both children woke up in a hospital, the youngest began screaming and violently thrashing about.

It took five men to hold the 7-year-old boy down, Campbell told The Star.

The children's behavior was so unusual and unexplainable that doctors feared their mother was suffering a mental illness and possibly encouraging the kids to act that way.

Ammons was reported to DCS for possible child abuse, but when she was evaluated by a hospital psychiatrist she was found to be of "sound mind."

 DCS family case manager Valerie Washington was then called in to evaluate the children. When she met them, the youngest, she reported, started to growl and flash his teeth at her. His eyes then rolled back into his head.

Then the 7-year-old lunged for his older brother and put his hands around his throat while saying in a voice that wasn't his own: "It's time to die. I will kill you," according to Washington's report.

Once released from his brother's grasp, the 9-year-old allegedly started head-butting his grandmother.

Campbell took his hand and started to pray when the boy walked backward up a wall and onto the ceiling. Once there he flipped and landed perfectly on his feet.

Washington's DCS report is corroborated by Willie Lee Walker, a registered nurse, who was in the room with them.

"He walked up the wall, flipped over her [the grandmother] and stood there," Walker told The Star. "There's no way he could've done that."

Washington, in her report to police, described the boy as "gliding."

The 7-year-old boy stayed overnight in the hospital with Ammons while Campbell took the other two children to a relative's for the night.

They returned the next day, which was the youngest boy's 8th birthday, but were greeted by DCS workers, who took all three children into custody.

The following day, the hospital chaplain called Rev. Michael Maginot, asking him to perform an exorcism on the 9-year-old boy.

The reverend agreed to interview the mother and grandmother at the home. During their meeting, a bathroom light bulb flickered, blinds in the kitchen swung, and footprints appeared in the living room, he told the Star.

 After that, Ammons and Campbell moved out to temporarily live with a relative, but less than a week later were called back for an afternoon inspection by the DCS.

Gary police Capt. Charles Austin accompanied the two women with Washington and another officer.

Austin tells the Star that after that visit, he believes in both ghosts and demons. He also vowed to never go inside the house again.

While at the home, the police audio recorder malfunctioned and brand-new batteries died. While listening to the recording later, an officer heard a voice whispering, "Hey," according to the police reports obtained by the Star.

Photos taken in the home's basement appeared to show a cloudy image near the stairs. When enlarged, the image reportedly resembled a human face.

A second, green image allegedly resembled a female figure.

Before the end of the month, a petition by the DCS for temporary wardship of the three children was granted by Lake Juvenile Court. The department argued that the children missed too much school for what the mother argued were illnesses because of their home's demons.

During their wardship, the children were given evaluations by separate psychologists. Each evaluation's report concluded that the children's behavior was reinforced by their mother or relatives.

In the meantime, several exorcisms were performed on Ammons by Rev. Maginot.

By June, Ammons and her mother had moved back to Indianapolis and by November, the children were returned to their mother.

The DCS met with the family and in their assessment found "no demonic presences or spirits in the home."

Charles Reed, the owner of the Indiana home, told the Star that he had never heard of such problems before the family moved in.

Another renter has since moved in and purportedly hasn't made any complaints, either.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/haunting-indiana-home-leads-exorcism-levitation-report-article-1.1593169?utm_content=bufferce2a7&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
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« Reply #40 on: January 28, 2014, 05:06:27 am »

"How can Satan cast out Satan?"
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« Reply #41 on: January 28, 2014, 05:09:55 am »

"How can Satan cast out Satan?"

Yet he sure can deceive and lie, and what better than that?
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« Reply #42 on: January 29, 2014, 08:21:22 am »

Mother In Indiana Says Her Demon-Possessed Children Were Levitating And “Walking On The Walls”

What would you do if your children were picked up and flung around your house by an invisible force?  What would you do if your children started convulsing while “chanting Satanic verses”?  The things that a mother in Indiana says happened to her children sound absolutely crazy.  For example, she claims that her 9-year-old son walked up a wall and ceiling backwards while under the power of a demon.  Normally people would just call her a lunatic and dismiss her wild allegations, but an official from child services and a nurse were there and saw it for themselves.  So how are we supposed to dismiss the testimony of those eyewitnesses?  And as you will read about below, that was not the only instance where public officials were able to see for themselves that these children truly were demon-possessed.

The head of the Gary, Indiana police department, Captain Charles Austin, is a believer.  According to the Indianapolis Star, he was skeptical at first but now his skepticism is totally gone…

http://thetruthwins.com/archives/mother-in-indiana-says-her-demon-possessed-children-were-levitating-and-walking-on-the-walls
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« Reply #43 on: February 10, 2014, 09:39:46 pm »

http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/newsletters/2014/newsletter20140204.htm#11
NEW BOOKLET TRACT: The “Spiritual” Truth Behind Alcoholics Anonymous—And Why Christians Should Think Twice About Joining A.A.

The “Spiritual” Truth Behind Alcoholics Anonymous written by John Lanagan is our newest Lighthouse Trails Print Booklet Tract. The Booklet Tract is 18 pages long and sells for $1.95 for single copies. Quantity discounts are as much as 50% off retail.  Below is the content of the booklet. To order copies of The “Spiritual” Truth Behind Alcoholics Anonymous, click here.

** Note: See what Dr. Harry Ironside and The Berean Call have to say below.

By John Lanagan

Can two walk together, except they be agreed? (Amos 3:3)

I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another. (Isaiah 42:Cool

Christians in Alcoholics Anonymous may not see it this way, but in their participation of A.A., they are standing in agreement with a belief system that lifts up strange gods. In Alcoholics Anonymous, all gods are considered equal and are called “the higher power,” thus relegating Christ our King to commonality as if He were simply one nameless deity among many. Yet Scripture tells us:

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

In 1941, Jack Alexander of the Saturday Evening Post wrote the article that provided A.A. its first national publicity. Describing A.A.’s “higher power,” Alexander noted the following:

[The alcoholic] “may choose to think of his Inner Self, the miracle of growth, a tree, man’s wonderment at the physical universe, the structure of the atom, or mere mathematical infinity. Whatever form is visualized, the neophyte is taught that he must rely on it and, in his own way, to pray to the Power for strength
.”1

Please note that Alexander’s article, with this A.A. definition of “god,” is distributed as official Alcoholics Anonymous literature.

“God” Without the Doctrine

Nearly eighty years later this salad-bar approach—design your own god—has seemingly become a cultural norm. “Spiritual” is in. “Religion” is out. Many Americans now refer to their god as a “higher power.” A.A.’s twelve-step program (along with cultural acceptance of anti-biblical meditative practices) has literally changed the spiritual direction of the country.

In The Fall of the Evangelical Nation, author Christine Wicker credits Alcoholics Anonymous with “hastening the fall of the evangelical church.”2 Wicker notes how A.A. “slowly exposed people to the notion they could get [a god] without the dogma, the doctrine, and the outdated rules. Without the church, in fact.”3

Since the twelve steps have nothing to do with Christ, neither sin nor biblical repentance is addressed. This, of course, is very appealing to the flesh. The Steps address “wrongs,” “making amends,” and “moral inventory,” but one inserts one’s own moral code within the context of these Steps. Because of these Steps, millions believe they are right with “god” and man.

Everything, it seems, has been turned upside down: Alcoholics Anonymous can supposedly help everyone, but experiencing Christ without the twelve steps can supposedly help no one. (Sobriety without A.A. will be addressed at the end of this booklet.)

When all is said and done, A.A. attendance serves to subtly condition Christians to worship with non-believers; perhaps this has been the point all along.

It is written:

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? . . . Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. (2 Corinthians 6:14-15, 17)

Obviously, we are not separating. Christians participate in A.A.’s Christ-less corporate prayers every day.

 A Spiritual Program

For decades, A.A. has been referred to as a “spiritual program,” a harmless adjunct to one’s own religious belief system. Because of this misrepresentation, most Christians are sincerely unaware that A.A. is a subtrend of the New Age.

Richard Rohr, a Catholic priest and renowned advocate for New Age type meditation practices says this of A.A.:

The spirituality of Alcoholics Anonymous will go down in history as the significant and authentic contribution to the history of spirituality. It is genuinely a spirituality
.4

In A.A.’s twelve step program, anything and everything—from spirits to inner divinity—can be worshiped as “god.” One of A.A.’s Big Book teachings is that God can only be found within ourselves.5 A.A.’s belief system by no means requires dealing with sin—or the Savior.

In order to comprehend the hold A.A. exerts upon people, it must be understood that two key passages in the A.A. Big Book (essentially the A.A. “bible”) are interpreted from a literal, fundamentalist perspective. Here is what is read to alcoholics at the beginning of every single meeting:

Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way.”6

The Big Book goes on to note, “We thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not.”7

Despite the elasticity of the higher power, these two fundamentalist passages lock many into the A.A. system while also teaching contempt or distrust for alternative ways of gaining sobriety. Particularly opposed is the idea of getting help in “church.”

Irving Peter Gellman observes:

A member who suggests that A.A. is not as effective as maintained, and who implies that some improvement might be made, will be censured when broaching these ideas. The A.A. program is deemed infallible, whereas other methods are considered less than perfect.8

Christians in the program often adjust their theology. In a pastor’s office, an A.A. Christian told me straight faced that alcoholics were too angry and didn’t want to hear about Christ, so the “higher power” concept was necessary. This is simply one more repetition of what I have heard at many, many A.A. meetings.

A.A. has given us the confusion of recovery passing for sanctification, and twelve-step theology has some Christians in A.A. believing it is perfectly fine to encourage alcoholics to go ahead and make up a “god.” To help justify attendance in this non-biblical spirituality, the myth has been promulgated that most alcoholics with custom-designed higher powers will eventually come to Christ. This is simply not so. It is relatively rare but is presented as a common occurrence. This claim is one of the primary ways Christians justify A.A.

In Alcoholics Anonymous, most Christians experience a transference of faith. The twelve-step experience often becomes an idol. It is not uncommon to speak with Christians who are more concerned with “recovery” than sanctification and who demonstrate a preference for A.A. rather than the fellowship with the saints.

[A]nd them that worship and that swear by the Lord, and that swear by Malcham. (Zephaniah 1:5)

On November 15, 1999, the U.S. Supreme Court let stand the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that A.A. is indeed religious in nature. An A.A. meeting is essentially a devotional service. The “higher power” receives praise and worship; confession is heard; testimony is given; the group invokes the Serenity Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer. The 12th Step instructs A.A. members to go forth and Spread the Word.

Whether one calls it religious or spiritual, the bottom line is that millions have been taught to reach outside (or inside) of themselves and draw on a higher power to give them strength.

Lost in all this is the holiness of the God of the Bible—the God who absolutely does not want His people placing Him amongst false idols. Lost—ignored, really—is the Lord’s abhorrence of worship of false gods. Was Jeremiah mistaken? King Josiah? Do biblical passages such as 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 and Galatians 1:8-9 fail to address Alcoholics Anonymous?

 A.A.’s “All-Inclusive” God

Alcoholics Anonymous is spiritual in origin; it was created to point unbelievers away from Christ and to dilute the theology of the Christians who do attend the meetings.

A simple perusal of the A.A. Big Book demonstrates how A.A. teaching opposes Christ. The A.A. Big Book states:

We found that God does not make too hard terms with those who seek Him. To us, the Realm of the Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek. It is open, we believe, to all men. When, therefore, we speak to you of God, we mean your own conception of God.”9 (emphasis added)

And yet, the Lord specifically warns against the broad way:

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. (Matthew 7:13)

If the Lord warns against the broad way of spirituality, why do we think we know better? Why would we even want to participate in such a thing or give it credibility by approving of it?

Hurting alcoholics who do not know the Lord also learn, through meetings and the A.A. Big Book, that they do not need Christ in order to have a relationship with God. According to the Big Book:

[A]ll of us, whatever our race, creed, or color are children of a living Creator with whom we may form a relationship upon simple and understandable terms as soon as we are willing and honest enough to try.10

Speaking from personal experience, this is how it is presented to alcoholics in the meetings—that one can simply reach out to “god,” and there he/she/it will be. Thus have many been pointed away from the biblical God because of A.A. Without Christ, we can never have a relationship or spend eternity with God the Father.

Some Disturbing History of A.A.

How did this happen? How did Christians get so involved with Alcoholics Anonymous and other twelve-step programs? Unfortunately, writers such as pro-A.A. author Dick B. have been churning out books and articles about the alleged Christian roots of A.A. and the twelve steps for years. This has influenced many.

According to the Alcoholics Anonymous website, “the origins of Alcoholics Anonymous can be traced to the Oxford Group,”11 an ecumenical movement of the 1930s. Oxford’s founder, Frank Buchman, said “he never touched any doctrine in any of his meetings, as he did not want to upset or offend anyone.”12

The great preacher Dr. H.A. Ironside warned that the Oxford Group:

. . . appeals to people who reject the inspiration of [the Bible] as well to those who profess to believe it; it appeals to people who deny the Deity of Christ as well as to those who acknowledge it; to those who deny the eternal punishment of sin as well as those who believe in it. Here in our city it is openly endorsed by the Swedenborgians and by leaders of the Unitarians, as well as by a number who belong to orthodox churches. But it is silent about the blood of Christ
.13

Dr. Ironside also warned about the Oxford Group’s unholy meditation (emptying the mind) which often culminated in the practice of automatic writing:

Each one is urged in the morning to sit down quietly with the mind emptied of every thought, generally with a pencil in hand, waiting for God to say something to them. They wait and wait and wait. Sometimes they tell me nothing happens, at other times the most amazing things come. Tested by the Word of God many of these things are unscriptural. They lay themselves open for demons to communicate their blasphemous thoughts to them.14 (emphasis added)

This appears to have been the method A.A. co-founder (and former Oxford Group member) Bill Wilson used to receive the twelve steps. T.A. McMahon, chief editor at The Berean Call ministry, writes, “A.A.’s official biography indicates Bill Wilson received the details of the 12 Steps through spirit dictation.”15

While some insist A.A. has a Christian or biblical origin, Alcoholics Anonymous is like a pie. One can claim it is made with lemon meringue ingredients, but if tar, rat poison, and glass shards are also in the mix, is it ever really a lemon meringue pie? “[A] little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (1 Corinthians 5:6).

The Spiritual Proclivities of A.A.’s Founders

Factors affecting A.A.’s formation must include: A.A. co-founders Bill Wilson’s and Dr. Bob Smith’s biblically forbidden spiritualism, Dr. Bob’s freemasonry, the meditative silence/spirit communication learned from the Oxford Group, and the anti-biblical teachings of William James and New Thought heretic Emmet Fox.

The A.A. co-founders attended the Oxford Group separately before they met and together during 1935, which is the official starting date of Alcoholics Anonymous. During this time, Smith and Wilson were delving deeply into biblically forbidden spiritualism, which Wilson continued to practice for decades.

Early A.A. member Tom Powers saw the A.A. co-founders firsthand as they engaged in spiritualistic practices the Lord detests. “Now, these people, Bill and Bob, believed vigorously and aggressively. They were working away at the spiritualism; it was not just a hobby.”16

There are a number of Bill Wilson’s spiritualistic experiences documented in his official A.A. biography. Wilson wrote:

The ouija board got moving in earnest
. What followed was the fairly usual experience—it was a strange mélange of Aristotle, St. Francis, diverse archangels with odd names, deceased friends—some in purgatory and others doing nicely, thank you! There were malign and mischievous ones of all descriptions, telling of vices quite beyond my ken, even as former alcoholics. Then, the seemingly virtuous entities would elbow them out with messages of comfort, information, advice—and sometimes just sheer nonsense.17

There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord (Deuteronomy 18:10-12)

A.A. and New Thought Emmet Fox

The co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous were also admirers of Emmet Fox and his heretical New Thought/New Age book, The Sermon on the Mount. This book was used in early A.A. before A.A.’s own Big Book was published. As pro-AA author Dick B. acknowledges, “[Fox’s] writings were favored by [A.A. co-founders] Bill W. and Dr. Bob.”18

Why is this significant that A.A. founders resonated with Emmet Fox? In The Sermon on the Mount, Fox teaches:

The “Plan of Salvation” which figured so prominently in the evangelical sermons and divinity books of a past generation is as completely unknown to the Bible as the Koran. There never was any such an arrangement in the universe, and the Bible does not teach it at all
.19

Fox’s book bristles with teachings that sincere Christians would not be able to embrace at all.

According to Fox’s The Sermon on the Mount:

[In] the Bible the term “Christ” is not identical with Jesus, the individual. It is a technical term which may be briefly defined as the Absolute Spiritual Truth about anything.
[/color]20

The plain fact is that Jesus taught no theology whatever.21

With regard to the story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden, Fox says it “was never intended by its author to be taken as history, but literal-minded people did so take it, with all sorts of absurd consequences.”22

Bob Smith has been portrayed for years as a biblical Christian. Yet, according to a woman quoted in A.A.’s official biography of Dr. Bob, “The first thing [Dr. Bob] did was get me Emmet Fox’s The Sermon on the Mount.”23 A Bible-believing Christian would never place such heresy in a hurting alcoholic’s hands.

Like the Gnostics, Emmet Fox was a purveyor of special secret knowledge. He writes:

Wonderful as the “outer” Bible is, it is far less than one percent of the “inner” Bible—the Bible that is hidden behind the symbols. If you have been reading the Bible without the spiritual interpretation, you have not found the real message of the Bible, for that lies below the surface.24

Fox’s influence should always be considered when one hears of references to the Bible in early AA. People assume, logically enough, that if the co-founders were mentioning the Word of God, this must mean they were Christians. Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith probably viewed the Bible along the lines of Fox’s esoteric spiritual wisdom rather than believing it to be the literal Word of God. One cannot, after all, promote anti-biblical heresy and simultaneously believe and obey the Word of God.

As you can see, Alcoholics Anonymous has anything but a fundamental biblical or Christian origin. Spiritualism, New Thought, and contemplative prayer (meditation) are three factors that must be acknowledged.

Spiritually Deceptive Meditation Practices

As previously noted, A.A.’s twelve-step program (along with anti-biblical meditative practices) has literally changed the spiritual direction of the country.

What is meant by the term anti-biblical meditative practices? This refers to Eastern and New Age meditation but also to contemplative prayer, which is New Age meditation disguised with “Christianese” terminology.

In true biblical meditation, the mind remains active. We ponder, we consider, and think about the Scripture we have read. This can be a wonderful and profound time with the holy God.

This is not so with Eastern/New Age/contemplative. Here the object is to stop active thought, often by repeating a word or phrase over and over. When thought is stilled, the person enters what is known as the silence, and it is here that incredible spiritual deception can occur. This can affect and even determine one’s theology, a frightening thing considering all the “Christian contemplative” activity in churches these days.

These practices are rampant throughout our culture. The potential—and actuality—toward such spiritually deceptive meditation exists within A.A.’s Step 11:

Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out
.

“Meditation is something that can always be further developed. It has no boundaries, either of width or height,” wrote A.A. co-founder Bill Wilson.25

Wilson believed:

The actual experience of meditation and prayer across the centuries is, of course, immense. The world’s libraries and places of worship are a treasure trove for all seekers.26

In other words, Wilson was open to meditative knowledge wherever it could be found—whether in Hinduism, Buddhism, distant libraries, the local Catholic church, or anywhere else.

This is an overall belief in twelve-step theology—there are absolutely no boundaries when it comes to defining the “higher power.”

This undefined “God” is meant, of course, to help. Tormented people, in the grasp of some overwhelming bondage, enter a twelve-step group and are told they must turn to a higher power. It doesn’t matter what you believe in, they are told, but it is crucial you believe in something.

So they do. They choose a spirit, perhaps, or a self-designed deity, or decide to worship the universe, or St. Jerome, or virtually anything else. But they surely reach out to something.

Then, when they reach Step 11, they seek through prayer and meditation even deeper communion with whatever idol–or entity–they have invited into their lives. As instructed, they ask for knowledge—what does the deity want them to do? They ask for power—and some enter the silence.

The revered Bill Wilson encouraged people to meditate. He stated, “Meditation is our step out into the sun.”27

Historically, around the world, much has been experienced in the meditative silence: bliss, spirit-guides, a higher self, oneness. And there have been false christs, wrapped in shining deception, communicating instructions and “wisdom” to some.

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14)

One God Among Many “Higher Powers”?

When it comes to A.A.’s “Christian” roots, God’s people have been—to use a technical term—snookered.

Scripture is clear. We were never meant to be part of an all-gods religion. It is not “legalism” to point out that the Lord will absolutely not be seen as one higher power among many. It is not “legalistic” to state that His people are absolutely to remain separate from non-Christian spirituality. (2 Corinthians 6:14-17, Galatians 1:8-9, Isaiah 42:8, 1 John 4:1-3, 2 John 9-11, Matthew 10:32-36, 1 John 2:23, John 14:6)

We should no more participate in A.A. because of alcohol addiction than we should attend the Mormon church to get help with family issues.

Bluntly stated, many Christians have ended up with more faith in the power of the twelve-step program than in Jesus Christ. We have disobeyed the Scriptures, and we are bearing the consequences.

If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15)

What, then, is a Christian to do? Bondage to alcohol is no light thing. It is important to understand that drunkards were set free in the early days of the church (1 Corinthians 6: 9-11). The power of Christ is just as available to us today.

A.A. co-founder Bill Wilson came to understand that many alcoholics—those who truly wanted to quit drinking—could not be helped by Alcoholics Anonymous. Wilson spent many years looking for effective alternatives,28 but alcoholics in A.A. meetings are never informed about this.

An article in Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education notes the following:

Cochrane Database conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials evaluating the effectiveness of AA and other Twelve-Step programs (labeled Twelve Step Facilitation or TSF). Eight studies were included in the review, and, of these, three evaluated AA programs. The conclusions of this review were that “no experimental studies unequivocally demonstrated the effectiveness of AA or TSF approaches for reducing alcohol dependence or problem.” (Ferri, Amato, & Davoli, 2006)”29 (emphasis added)

People have the right to know A.A.’s success rate is limited. The body of Christ has the right to know that sending people into A.A. violates Scripture, points unbelievers away from Christ, and waters down essential theology of the Christian faith.

There are powerful Christian options such as Teen Challenge and the online ministry, Setting Captives Free. There is another totally biblical approach called The Most Excellent Way founded by a husband and wife who were alcoholics. They left A.A. and sought the Lord over how to help others.

Churches that allow the Holy Spirit to work in people’s lives will see people freed from addiction (bondage to sin). My church has fellowship once a week for those who are struggling. We already have the weapons to fight: the indwelling of the Holy Spirit when we are born again into Jesus Christ, prayer, and His Word. In fact, the Bible tells us we have armor that we can wear when battling against the flesh, sin, and the works of darkness.

Therefore . . . let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. (1 Thessalonians 5:6-8, emphasis added)

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil . . . Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (Ephesians 6:11, 16)

We look to the Bible to understand the sheer power of God: His holiness, His love, and His grace and mercy.

We do not downplay His hatred of sin. We rejoice in His faithfulness.
 Nor do we overlook simple common sense—but we start first with His Word and go from there.

The Word of God will pierce even the hardest heart. It is time to stop relying on Alcoholics Anonymous and obscure “higher powers,” and on mystical meditative practices, and start depending—truly depending—on the supremacy of Jesus Christ.

. . . That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. (Ephesians 3:16-17)
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« Reply #44 on: February 11, 2014, 03:02:32 am »

Quote
When all is said and done, A.A. attendance serves to subtly condition Christians to worship with non-believers; perhaps this has been the point all along.

That's a REALLY long winded way of saying what is already known about AA.

They are indeed a "spiritual" styled program that accepts all people's gods. It's the world, right? So, no surprise.

The world hates Jesus, so of course they would relegate Him to just another god, because in the end they don't believe in spirituality, but rather in man's ability through scientific methods. The allowing of many gods and religions is a government thing and non-profit status requirement.
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« Reply #45 on: September 23, 2014, 11:23:20 pm »

http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/567088/20140922/annabelle-forest-devil-doorstep-escape-satanic-sex.htm#.VCJh1xbt929
9/22/14
Satanic Sex Cult Has 1800 Men Having Sex With A Teen

"I was a schoolgirl by day and a sex slave at night" - this is how Annabelle Forest describes her situation back when she was forced by her own mother, Jacqueline Marling, to participate in a satanic sex cult led by Colin Batley. The two were already sentenced in 2011 for their abuse of Forest. However, their sentencing was not enough to bring Forest at peace. She wrote her memoir titled, 'The Devil on the Doorstep: My Escape From a Satanic Sex Cult' published August 14.

Forest revealed that she was introduced to the Satanic sex cult when she was just 7 years old. Her initiation involved watching her own mother having sexual intercourse with Batley. By the time that she was 11 years old, Batley raped her twice; by the time she was 14 she was already partaking in group sex being held at their own home. Within their community, there were at least two other families engaging in group sex under the command of the cult.

"He ruled our little community with an iron will and we were made to do what he ordered for fear of angering the Gods," Forest recalled. The cult's dogma was fashioned after the Book of the Law by Aleister Crowley. Its teachings include brainwashing the children to believe that having sex with other cult members is a way of proving themselves with god.

Forest thought she had encountered the worst, but it turned out the worst has just come when at one point, she was raped by her own mother. After the sickening ordeal, Batley asked her if she found it enjoyable. "I had to say yes. But inside I felt like dying," she remembered. She tried to take her own life after the incident but to no avail. 

Her nightmare continues as she was forced into prostitution to raise funding for the cult. She became pregnant at the age of 17 and finally was able to escape their house at the age of 18. She did not see both her mother and Batley until 2011 when she went to see them in court during their sentencing. During the trial, the court heard that Batley usually dress in hooded robes, performs chanting before instructing all members - women and children - to partake in group sex.

"I went to the sentencing in court because I wanted to see her one last time, I wanted her to reach out to me, to say it was all his fault and she was under his spell," Forest said. However, her mother "just made a face" and asked what she was doing there.

Forest is now living in peace with her own family in northern England. Being a mother to her children, Forest said she cannot fathom how her own mother was able to do all the evil things she did to her. She came to realise that she was also pure evil as opposed to what she thinks in the past that her mother was just being manipulated by Batley.

"If there's one thing I would like to achieve with my book, it would be for others to start really paying attention to the community they live in. There are abused children everywhere - it just takes one person to see it and that life could be saved," Forest stated.
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« Reply #46 on: September 24, 2014, 08:31:47 pm »

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/976816-christian-harry-potter-evangelical-mom-rewrite-removes-witchcraft-devil-worship-could-be-satire/
Christian Harry Potter? Evangelical Mom Rewrite Removes Witchcraft / ‘Devil Worship’; Could be Satire
By Jack Phillips, Epoch Times | September 23, 2014

A housewife allegedly rewrote the Harry Potter series to remove all instances of witchcraft and spellcasting, and replaced them with “prayer and miracles.”

The story was posted on FanFiction.net before it went viral a few days ago.

Part of it reads: “Hagrid beamed widely. He had been praying so hard to save a soul today; and he was so happy to have saved the soul of such a sweet, earnest little one. The poor boy, being raised by two parents who were not Christian; and who both went to work and left him with a babysitter all day long. It was a good thing Hagrid had got here in time. Five years down the road, Harry might have been a fornicating, drug-addicted Evolutionist!”

Here’s another excerpt: “With the simple faith so often seen in little ones, Harry got down on his knees; and lifted his hands skyward; and shouted prayerfully, “Dear Lord, please open these doors; and allow me to enter my new home!”

“With a loud, thunderous boom that echoed throughout the expansive, beautiful campus, the doors crashed open. Harry stood up piously as Hermione’s jaw dropped. Now, she knew for certain that this was truly a man of the Lord!”

However, while the entry has horrified some fans of the series, it might be satirical.

“While there is indeed a Christian Harry Potter fanfiction story circulating the internet, it isn’t entirely clear whether the writer’s intent was satirical or straightforward. Contrary to some rumors, there are no plans to create a published set of Harry Potter books without the troublesome witchcraft and wizardry,” as hoax-debunking website Snopes points out.

------------------------------------------------------------

Satire? Scripture says otherwise about this mom...

Luke 6:45  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

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« Reply #47 on: September 26, 2014, 01:01:53 am »

 Huh Huh Huh

http://allafrica.com/stories/201409240829.html
9/24/14
Liberia: Dead Ebola Patients Resurrect?

By Franklin Doloquee

Two Ebola patients, who died of the virus in separate communities in Nimba County have reportedly resurrected in the county. The victims, both females, believed to be in their 60s and 40s respectively, died of the Ebola virus recently in Hope Village Community and the Catholic Community in Ganta, Nimba.

But to the amazement of residents and onlookers on Monday, the deceased reportedly regained life in total disbelief. The New Dawn Nimba County correspondent said the late Dorris Quoi of Hope Village Community and the second victim only identified as Ma Kebeh, said to be in her late 60s, were about to be taken for burial when they resurrected.

Ma Kebeh had reportedly been in door for two nights without food and medication before her alleged death. Nimba County has had bizarre news of Ebola cases with a native doctor from the county, who claimed that he could cure infected victims, dying of the virus himself last week.

News of the resurrection of the two victims has reportedly created panic in residents of Hope Village Community and Ganta at large, with some citizens describing Dorris Quoi as a ghost, who shouldn't live among them. Since the Ebola outbreak in Nimba County, this is the first incident of dead victims resurrecting.
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« Reply #48 on: November 01, 2014, 05:57:35 am »

Question: "What does the Bible say about ghosts / hauntings?"

Answer: Is there such a thing as ghosts? The answer to this question depends on what precisely is meant by the term “ghosts.” If the term means “spirit beings,” the answer is a qualified “yes.” If the term means “spirits of people who have died,” the answer is “no.” The Bible makes it abundantly clear that there are spirit beings, both good and evil. But the Bible negates the idea that the spirits of deceased human beings can remain on earth and “haunt” the living.

Hebrews 9:27 declares, “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” That is what happens to a person’s soul-spirit after death—judgment. The result of this judgment is heaven for the believer (2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:23) and hell for the unbeliever (Matthew 25:46; Luke 16:22-24). There is no in-between. There is no possibility of remaining on earth in spirit form as a “ghost.” If there are such things as ghosts, according to the Bible, they absolutely cannot be the disembodied spirits of deceased human beings.

The Bible teaches very clearly that there are indeed spirit beings who can connect with and appear in our physical world. The Bible identifies these beings as angels and demons. Angels are spirit beings who are faithful in serving God. Angels are righteous, good, and holy. Demons are fallen angels, angels who rebelled against God. Demons are evil, deceptive, and destructive. According to 2 Corinthians 11:14-15, demons masquerade as “angels of light” and as “servants of righteousness.” Appearing as a “ghost” and impersonating a deceased human being definitely seem to be within the power and abilities that demons possess.

The closest biblical example of a “haunting” is found in Mark 5:1-20. A legion of demons possessed a man and used the man to haunt a graveyard. There were no ghosts involved. It was a case of a normal person being controlled by demons to terrorize the people of that area. Demons only seek to “kill, steal, and destroy” (John 10:10). They will do anything within their power to deceive people, to lead people away from God. This is very likely the explanation of “ghostly” activity today. Whether it is called a ghost, a ghoul, or a poltergeist, if there is genuine evil spiritual activity occurring, it is the work of demons.

What about instances in which “ghosts” act in “positive” ways? What about psychics who claim to summon the deceased and gain true and useful information from them? Again, it is crucial to remember that the goal of demons is to deceive. If the result is that people trust in a psychic instead of God, a demon will be more than willing to reveal true information. Even good and true information, if from a source with evil motives, can be used to mislead, corrupt, and destroy.

Interest in the paranormal is becoming increasingly common. There are individuals and businesses that claim to be “ghost-hunters,” who for a price will rid your home of ghosts. Psychics, séances, tarot cards, and mediums are increasingly considered normal. Human beings are innately aware of the spiritual world. Sadly, instead of seeking the truth about the spirit world by communing with God and studying His Word, many people allow themselves to be led astray by the spirit world. The demons surely laugh at the spiritual mass-deception that exists in the world today.

http://www.gotquestions.org/QOTW.htm
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« Reply #49 on: November 28, 2014, 02:22:22 pm »

Animals sacrificed in Nepal to bring good luck...
http://news.yahoo.com/nepals-mass-animal-slaughter-underway-despite-protests-092450244.html

Devotees slaughter tens of thousands...
http://news.yahoo.com/nepals-mass-animal-slaughter-underway-despite-protests-092450244.html
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« Reply #50 on: April 23, 2015, 09:21:24 am »

Citing popular demand, Roman course seeks to boost exorcists


Matthew 12:26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?


 Citing what organizers describe as a culture saturated with “sexy young vampires” that trivialize evil, New Age spirituality, and a burgeoning interest in the occult and Tarot cards, a fabled Roman course held in mid-April aimed to boost the number of Catholic priests trained every year to perform exorcisms.

The annual week-long course on “Exorcism and Prayers of Liberation,” offered by an institute for priests linked to the Legionaries of Christ religious order and sponsored by Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy, concluded on Saturday.

More than 170 priests from more than 30 countries traveled to Rome to learn about this centuries-old rite, often “misrepresented” in Hollywood movies: Making evil sexy for teenagers, course organizers say, films about exorcism usually go too far.

“Exorcism movies have some foundation in real life experiences,” said the Rev. Pedro Barrajón, a Spanish priest. “But there’s too much sparkle added.”

The formation program, held April 13-18, was also open to a handful of lay people. It’s billed as an aid to deepen the ministry of exorcism, as well as a way to assist bishops in the preparation of priests licensed.

While any priest can perform exorcism, they need special permission from a bishop to do so. In recent years, more bishops have been designating priests for the role, citing popular demand

rest: http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2015/04/21/citing-popular-demand-roman-course-seeks-to-boost-exorcists/
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« Reply #51 on: May 23, 2016, 05:36:47 pm »

Ex-Witch Reveals How the Occult Is Affecting Your Life Every Day

Hidden magic, astrology, supernatural powers or agencies, also known as the occult, has slithered its way into society with little fanfare. 

Just as terrifying is how many in today's culture consider the elements of witchcraft practically mundane. 

In a recent video blog, ex-witch Beth gave a rundown of some of these items, including horoscopes, fortune telling, contacting the dead, speaking to the dead, Ouija boards, chakras, channeling energy, yoga and incantations, among others. 

"When each time they do witchcraft they are inviting in demon spirits. Each spirit brings something in with it to connect them within your person. This could be false beliefs or sickness or addiction, etc. More importantly, it causes you to feel that you have tapped in to a power, which you have. The power of the demonic (aka the occult or witchcraft). You feel the power in some way or another. It may be a high, a surge, a force and "awakening" or something similar. This feeling is incredibly satisfying to our senses and fleshly ways and it creates a desire within us to continue to do it. So the person wants to delve deeper into the witchcraft practice, to reach higher levels of this power they have experienced," Beth writes in her blog.

"What is actually happening is they are granting more and more access to the depths of their soul to the demonic, giving them more and more rights into them. Rights are permissions to use our bodies for their works and feed our soul with their beliefs and demonic spirits. Satan wants us to become portals for his evil work. Once we (give) him access, we are connected to his power, and he sets up things inside of us that can work without our conscious knowledge. So basically, we are actually doing witchcraft and we are not even aware of it. The connection has been made and we have done it on our own free will."

So how can Christians break free? Watch the video to see.

http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/57150-ex-witch-reveals-how-the-occult-is-affecting-your-life-every-day
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« Reply #52 on: May 23, 2016, 05:38:02 pm »

Ex-New Age Blogger Exposes Occultic Lies Behind Religion

x New-Age blogger Steven Bancarz wants to expose the religion that held him captive for so many years. Though the YouTube star gave his life to Christ, his goal in exposing the New Age isn't necessarily to turn people to God; rather, he wants his viewers to understand the truth.

"People deserve to hear the truth, and they are currently being lied to," Bancarz says. 

To begin, much of the New Age philosophy is built around Atlantis. Yes, that Atlantis. 

You may say what's the harm in believing in an underwater legend? 

"This Atlantis myth is almost always pushed alongside a Luciferian philosophy," Bancarz says. 

But that's not all. 

"So one of the reasons I'm exposing the New Age is just because there is some stuff that is just false," Bancarz says. "And I don't think anybody wants to actively believe in something that is obviously false. So some New Age ideas I'm going to be exposing just for the sake of truth and just so people can have something to dig their teeth into."

Watch the video to see more.

http://www.charismanews.com/culture/57355-ex-new-age-blogger-exposes-occultic-lies-behind-religion
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« Reply #53 on: June 18, 2016, 07:07:07 pm »

This week's One Minute Feature: Paranormal
Published on 06 June 2016
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This week Jan Markell’s 60 second commentary describes the  “paranormal."  Understanding the Times media has designed these short features to help you communicate these timely messages to your family and friends. They can be uploaded to any Facebook page, or downloaded to your computer to be emailed.  Remember to listen to the latest Understanding the Times radio program available here in our archives.
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« Reply #55 on: March 17, 2017, 07:40:11 pm »

Pope tells priests to call in exorcists when needed

Pope Francis on Friday advised priests who hear troubled confessions from parishioners to not hesitate to call on the services of an exorcist.

A good confessor has to be very discerning, particularly when he has to deal with "real spiritual disorders," the 80-year-old pontiff told priests at a Vatican training seminar on the art of hearing believers recount their sins.

Disorders could have their roots in all manner of circumstances, including supernatural ones, he suggested.

In such circumstances the confessor "must not hesitate to refer to exorcists... chosen with great care and prudence."

It is not the first time the pope has talked about exorcising demons from a believer's person, and he generally refers more frequently than his predecessors to the devil, characterising him as a physical presence in this world.

Francis has described jihadists who stabbed a French priest to death as satanic and the acts of priests who sexually abuse children as akin to participating in a satanic mass.

Vatican universities also regularly hold training courses for would-be exorcists despite the practice being frowned upon by some Church intellectuals.

Francis also presided on Friday over a celebration of penitence in St Peter's cathedral, during which he confessed himself before hearing confessions of several of the faithful.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/pope-tells-priests-call-exorcists-needed-183541401.html
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« Reply #56 on: July 12, 2017, 01:37:23 pm »

http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/parental-warning-demonic-online-game-blue-whale-challenge-urges-young-people-kill/
PARENTAL WARNING: Demonic Online Game ‘Blue Whale Challenge’ Urges Young People To Kill Themselves
A Georgia woman spoke Monday to CNN about her 16-year-old daughter killing herself as part of the Blue Whale Challenge but asked that their names not be used. Educators, law enforcement officers and parents across the country have reported rumors about the challenge for months. But until this week, there had been no allegations in the United States about a death directly linked to the game. Suicides in Russia, Brazil and a half dozen other countries were reportedly linked to the challenge in cases that usually involved teenagers or young adults.

7/12/17

The family of a Texas teen who hanged himself says their son was involved in a ghoulish online game that calls on participants to complete a series of tasks before taking their own lives, and some schools are warning parents about the so-called Blue Whale Challenge.

“Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.” Colossians 3:20 (KJV)

EDITOR’S NOTE: The very first “challenge” I became aware of was the incredibly stupid Cinnamon Challenge where people swallowed whole spoonfuls of cinnamon to see how much of a throat burning they could take. Then there was the Eraser Challenge, the Ice Bucket Challenge and various others. So while it’s incredibly sad, the Blue Whale Challenge, which has claimed the lives of over 130 teens around the world, seems to me like the natural and logical progression in the ‘challenge’ world. The Devil doesn’t get you in one, big bite, he gets you in a bunch of little steps. Parents, if your child participates in any ‘challenge’, take their phones away and suspend their social media accounts. Take the ‘I Love My Child’ challenge.

Jorge Gonzalez told San Antonio television station WOAI that he wanted to caution others after his son, Isaiah, was found hanging in his bedroom closet Saturday in the family’s home with his cellphone propped up on a shoe to record his death.

A report on the boy’s death from the San Antonio Police Department does not mention the challenge. But Gonzalez’ family said in the days after the teen died, they pieced together from his social media and communication with friends that he had participated in the game.

His sister, Alexis, told the TV station that a person behind the challenge had gathered personal information from Isaiah and had threatened to harm the family.

The police department did not return a message left by The Associated Press asking whether authorities were investigating the game as a factor in the case. Many parents and other authorities are skeptical that the game actually exists, citing a lack of suicides directly attributed to it.

Agent Michelle Lee of the FBI’s San Antonio office said the agency is not assisting in the investigation, but urged parents to monitor their children’s online activities.

“It’s a reminder of one of the many dangers and vulnerabilities that children face using various social media and apps online every day,” Lee said. “Parents must remain vigilant and monitor their child’s usage of the internet.”

Gonzalez is the second parent this week to tell news outlets about a child who died by suicide allegedly as a result of the game.

A Georgia woman spoke Monday to CNN about her 16-year-old daughter killing herself as part of the challenge but asked that their names not be used.

Educators, law enforcement officers and parents across the country have reported rumors about the challenge for months. But until this week, there had been no allegations in the United States about a death directly linked to the game. Suicides in Russia, Brazil and a half dozen other countries were reportedly linked to the challenge in cases that usually involved teenagers or young adults.
Mississippi teen with ties to Florida says she took part in Blue Whale Challenge:

Notes have been posted on school district social media pages and sent home to parents in school districts across the country, including Vacaville, California; Baldwin County, Alabama; Warwick, Rhode Island; and Denver.

In Connecticut, Danbury Public Schools Superintendent Sal Pascarella sent a short note to parents around May after administrators from the district’s 19 schools started hearing about the challenge from kids as young as elementary schoolers.

“The elementary school principals started hearing their kids talk about this thing. Then the secondary principals started mentioning the same thing,” he said. “We discovered on our school network content about the challenge had been looked at on YouTube. … I decided I would rather err on the side of information with parents.”

Parents allege that teens reach out to game administrators called curators through various social media platforms. Those curators lead the players through 50 days of challenges including watching scary movie clips, cutting symbols into their arms and legs and taking pictures of themselves in dangerous positions such as on the edge of a roof or on train tracks.

The participants are allegedly required to take pictures of their challenges being completed and share them before being directed to end their lives on the 50th day. A search of related hashtags on Instagram shows users posting pictures of scars and cuts or memes that depict suicide, and a similar Twitter search shows users reaching out for curators to lead them through the game.

Instagram warns that some images tagged under some of the related phrases could be harmful and directs users to mental health resources. Twitter assesses reports of self-harm or suicide and also directs users to mental health or suicide-prevention resources.

The Center for Missing and Exploited Children is aware of the challenge and encourages parents to report it and similar activity to the center’s cyber tip line even if they feel like they do not have enough information to go to police, said Eliza Harrell, the group’s director of education and outreach.

Harrell said she had not heard about the use of threats and intimidation, but said it was particularly concerning.

“That really adds another level to this,” she said. “We do not tend to address specific apps or games when we give advice to parents.”

When parents talk to their children, “the underlying conversation needs to be about dealing with strangers online and putting themselves in a position of trust,” she added. “It’s an issue that a child is listening to someone anonymously and doing what they are told by a stranger to do.” source
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« Reply #59 on: January 17, 2018, 06:13:55 pm »

Black Lives Matter Organizer Summons Spirits of Deceased African American Leaders in Methodist Church

One of the organizers of the group Black Lives Matter summoned the spirits of a number of deceased African American leaders—a practice of necromancy that is prohibited by Scripture—on Thursday during an event held by Justice LA at Hollywood United Methodist Church.

The event, which according to the group’s Facebook page, was meant to discuss opposition to the $3.5 million the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors wants to use for new jails. It featured representatives from White People for Black Lives, the ACLU of Southern California, and Dr. Melina Abdullah, a professor at California State University who was also one of the organizers of the national Black Lives Matter movement.

“This is not just a social justice, a racial justice, an economic justice struggle,” Abdullah stated. “This is also a spiritual struggle, so it’s appropriate that we’re here in this setting (a church). And it’s also important that we summon the right energy into this space no matter what faith you are. We have to understand what the struggle is about.”

During the event, Abdullah told those gathered that she was going to “pour libation” in the name of her African American ancestors, an act that is defined as “a ritual pouring of a liquid as an offering to a god or spirit, or in memory of those who have ‘passed on.'”

“We’re going to summon their energy into this space,” she stated, “and I’m going to ask you all to join me.”

Adbullah said that she wanted to first summon those who had been killed by law enforcement and then other deceased leaders who fought for the rights of African Americans. She instructed the crowd that as she named a person, and then poured the libation—using a bottle of water to pour into a plant—those gathered were to then declare “ashe.”

According to the website yagbeonilu.com, “ashe” or “ase” means “so be it,” and is an “African philosophical concept through which the Yoruba of Nigeria conceive the power to make things happen and produce change.”

“Ashe among the Yoruba is associated with the very force which is life and brings them into being in the universe. … t is also associated with the power of speech as can be seen in its meaning of command, ordain and law,” the site explains, stating that the Yoruba believe that men possess the power to “speak things into existence.”

During the event, Abdullah proceeded to summon spirits—claiming that their bodies may be dead, but their souls are still on the earth—pouring into the plant with each name, while the crowd declared “ashe” each time.

“We summon those spirits that are still with us. We summon those people whose bodies have been stolen, but whose souls are still here,” she said. “We call on Wakiesha Wilson. We call on George Jackson … Eric Garner …”

“And all of those whose bodies have been stolen: We ask that you be with us. We ask that you work through us. We ask that we do righteous work on your behalf,” Abdullah continued in speaking to the the dead.

She then began to summon deceased men and women who she called “warriors” in the struggle.

“We call on Martin Luther King into this space,” Abdullah said. “Brother Malcom [X], we call you into this space. Ashe. … Nat Turner, into this space. Ashe. Mother Harriet Tubman. Ashe.”

“We call you all into this space. We ask that you work through us. That you give us power; that the Creator give us power when we come together. This victory is assured. Ashe. Ashe. Ashe,” she concluded, pouring the rest of the water into the plant, and being joined with applause.

Scripture states speaking to the dead or summoning spirits is a violation of the law of God.

Deuteronomy 18:10-12 reads, “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord, and because of these detestable things the Lord your God will drive them out before you.”

http://christiannews.net/2018/01/16/black-lives-matter-organizer-summons-spirits-of-deceased-african-american-leaders-in-methodist-church/
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