London, England, 21 September 2015 - Before he left for the day’s other engagements this morning, His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave an interview to Christiane Amanpour of CNN. She began by asking: “What are you trying to do here?” and he replied:
“What’s important is that all human beings, wherever they are, whether they are rich or poor, educated or uneducated, have a right to live a happy life. Many think that happiness is to be found outside ourselves in material things, but actually happiness is something that comes from within. So I try to present the importance of inner values not on the basis of religious quotations, but by taking a secular approach based on scientific findings and common sense.
Ms Amanpour remarked that China is changing because of its rapidly developing economy and yet the authorities still refer to His Holiness as a ‘splittist’. He told her that Tibetans had not been seeking independence since 1974 and everybody knows that. She mentioned concern about who will succeed him. He replied that as far as Tibetan Buddhism is concerned the 10,000 monks and nuns who are studying and practising today will be able to preserve it. He made the point that the Buddha’s teaching has survived for 2600 years without there being a recognised reincarnation of the Buddha. He conceded that while he might be the last Dalai Lama, he may yet appoint a successor from among qualified lamas before he goes.
Asked how he sees the persecution of Rohingyas in Burma His Holiness said: “It’s very sad. I have appealed to Burmese Buddhists to stop and think. When they feel angry or resentful of these people, remember the face of the Buddha. I believe that if the Buddha were there, he would offer the Rohingyas his protection.”
Finally, noting that President Xi Jinping will shortly be visiting the USA and the UK, Ms Amanpour wanted to know what His Holiness would say to him if he had the opportunity to do so. He answered:
“Perhaps I’d say that that although historically we were an independent country, as records of the 7th to 9th centuries show, we are not seeking independence now. We can benefit from the development we get as part of the People’s Republic of China, but we must be able to preserve our language, culture and Buddhist traditions. I’d remind him that last year in Paris and Delhi he said that Buddhism plays an important role in Chinese culture. Buddhist values can be of help at a time when the injustice and corruption he seeks to contain are widespread.”
Arriving at the House of Lords to attend an Interfaith Meeting organized by the Buddhist Society, His Holiness was welcomed by Baroness Caroline Cox and Desmond Biddulph, the Society’s President. They escorted him through the grand halls to the meeting, which was attended by Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus of various denominations and a Sikh.
Baroness Cox amused everyone when she introduced herself as a nurse and social scientist by profession and a Baroness by astonishment. Remarking that she was the first Baroness she’d ever met, she added that she realized that the role gave her a voice to use on behalf of those who have no voice. Desmond Biddulph told the gathering that His Holiness is the Patron of the Buddhist Society and that this was an opportunity to celebrate his 80th birthday and the Society’s 90th anniversary. He said that one of His Holiness’s requests had been that, as Buddhists, members of the Society should reach out to others. He invited His Holiness to address the gathering, which he did.
“It’s a great honour for me to be sitting here with spiritual brothers and sisters of various traditions. In too many places today it seems religious and nationalistic feelings are giving rise to terrible conflicts. We have to find ways to bring peace. This is something that those of us who are religious have to do. Meetings like this are an opportunity to build and nurture friendship and trust among us.
“There is an impression in many people’s minds these days that Muslims are especially militant. However, we have to remember that there are militant Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Jews and Buddhists too. The Muslim community that lived in Tibet were a very peaceful community and meeting them in exile I am reminded of the pure Lhasa dialect they still speak.
“Muslim friends have told me that if you shed blood you are no longer a genuine Muslim and that Muslims have a commitment to respect all the creatures of Allah. They also tell me that the word ‘jihad’ is misunderstood. It doesn’t have anything to do with fighting other people, but refers to combating disturbing emotions within yourself.”
The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu spoke of growing up in Uganda with two Muslim children from Zanzibar. His father took them in when their own parents died in a fire and he was unable to trace any other relatives. Although theirs was a Christian family, his father arranged for these two children to attend a mosque on Fridays. The Archbishop reported that in a similar spirit he has spoken in the House of Lords of the need to encourage the Chinese authorities to acknowledge and respect His Holiness the Dalai Lama as a spiritual leader. He said he feels it’s important to remember, “I am not my brother’s keeper, I am my brother’s brother.”
Archbishop Kevin McDonald conveyed greetings to His Holiness and members of the gathering from Cardinal Vincent Nichols, leader of the Roman Catholic Church in the United Kingdom. He also recalled serving in the Vatican when Pope John Paul II convened the ground-breaking interfaith gathering in Assisi in 1986 that His Holiness and Archbishop Robert Runcie had attended.
Baroness Berridge, Chair of the All Party Group on International Religious Freedom, who had just returned from the USA, mentioned her concern for persecuted Muslims and Christians in Burma and elsewhere. She said that those in public life have a responsibility to work for rights for all.
Chime Rinpoche took the opportunity simply to say thank you to His Holiness for all he has done.
The Bishop of Coventry, Christopher Cocksworth, remarked that violence is never of any help and that religious leaders need to make this clear their various governments. He pointed out that while there is public horror at the violence in Syria and Iraq, last week saw a great arms show in the UK. He said it seems there is still too great a sense that the use of military force is the way to solve problems, but in fact in the long run words are more effective than bullets. The meeting as a whole expressed dismay at the way violence continues and a determination to work for dialogue.
In his closing remarks, His Holiness repeated what he often says, that love and compassion are what bring people together, while anger and suspicion push them apart. He noted that religious people have their own different paths, each of which is worthy of respect. He said the common purpose of different kinds of food is to fill our stomachs, but it would be foolish to say, “I like to eat this food, therefore you should eat it too!”
He drew attention to three aspects of religious tradition. The religious aspect concerns the common practice of love and compassion, tolerance and self-discipline. While philosophical views may be quite different, they are all dedicated to the same goal of reinforcing the practice of love. However, he said, there may also be cultural aspects of religious tradition, like caste discrimination, that are no longer relevant and should be changed. He said he encourages religious leaders to speak out about these things whenever they can. The meeting adjourned for lunch in the Strangers’ Dining Room of the House of Commons.
In the afternoon, an enthusiastic and friendly audience of more than 2000 awaited His Holiness’s arrival at the Lyceum theatre. He was met at the stage door by his old friend Lord Richard Layard, who with Director of Action for Happiness, Mark Williamson, escorted him to the stage. They were received with resounding cheers and applause. Dr Williams explained that a new course of training was being launched today on World Peace Day, called Exploring What Matters. He said that it is ever more important to bring people together to think about their lives and to help them make their lives happier.
He invited Jasmine Hodge-Lake to the stage to tell her story. She explained that following an accident that left her injured and in pain, she had become depressed. Attending an Action for Happiness talk helped her understand she could relate differently to her pain. She then took the pilot Action for Happiness course that helped her realize how she could bring hope back into her life and help others. She said:
“I learned how helping others you can help yourself. I’m a different person now to the one I was before the Action for Happiness course. I realized I could be the change I wanted to see.”
Adrian Bethune, a teacher at John Stainer Community Primary School told of becoming disillusioned with teaching until he also took the course. It helped him understand how he could do his work more positively and introduce changes in the classroom. He began to discuss with his students how the mind and brain work based on insights from neuroscience. He rebranded an anti-bullying programme as ‘it’s cool to be kind.’ On Fridays he asked the students to think back and choose three good things they’d done that week. He said teacher and students have become much happier about coming to school.
Prof Layard then opened a conversation with His Holiness, who is Action for Happiness’s Patron. He asked him how we can have more happiness, more peace in our hearts and His Holiness replied:
“Peace means no disturbance, no danger. It relates to our mental attitude. If we have a calm mind, obstacles will be less disruptive. The important thing is to realize that ultimately peace of mind is within us, it takes a warm heart and using our intelligence. People sometimes think warm heartedness, compassion and love are religious topics; they are actually factors for our survival. If we don’t take steps to reinforce these qualities now, the 21st century will also end up being an era of violence like the 20th century. We can’t expect change if we don’t take action. Prayer is not sufficient; we have to take responsibility ourselves. Problems created by human beings have to be solved by human beings.”
When Prof Layard asked how we can improve our relations with each other, His Holiness told him that as social animals people have to overcome their old habit of seeing others in terms of ‘us’ and ‘them’, which just solidifies division. He said we have to see that we are all just human beings and that in our globalized world we have to deal with a global economy and problems like climate change whose effects ignore national boundaries. We have instead to cultivate a sense of global responsibility that sees everyone as ‘us’.
His Holiness explained how discussions with scientists over 30 years had contributed to an understanding of a curriculum of secular ethics in education from kindergarten to university. Part of this involves working with a map of emotions to ensure that the physical hygiene we need to be healthy is accompanied by emotional hygiene.
He answered several questions from the audience, observing that the natural seed of compassion we all possess can, if we use our intelligence, be extended to encompass even our enemies. He acknowledged the need to look after our own interests, but explained that the foolish way to do this is to focus on ourselves alone. A wiser sense of self-interest takes others’ interests into account as well. Asked what one thing people could do to make the world a happier place he answered: “Cultivate affection.”
As the discussions came to a close and His Holiness waved goodbye to the audience they responded with affectionate cheers.
Once the curtain had dropped on the stage, the BBC’s Mark Easton asked His Holiness about the launch of Exploring What Matters and Action for Happiness. He suggested that some were cynical that such moves could be effective. His Holiness retorted that such resistance is just old-fashioned thinking. Warm-heartedness can make individuals, families, communities and even countries happier. He said:
“Even the creation of the EU was essentially an act of compassion. And look, I'm convinced more positive reporting by the BBC and the media, just as you are doing now, can really help make people happier.”
original link + ;photos: http://dalailama.com/news/post/1320-interfaith-meeting-and-action-for-happiness-event
Monday, September 28, 2015
Dalai Lama: Interfaith Meeting & Action for Happiness Event
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Residual Hauntings -- The Falseness Exposed
In this blog I am going to help you the reader understand what paranormal people like to claim as a “residual haunting” to be real. The haunting is real, however, in order to understand why it is real you need to read the blog “My Haunted Home, the Truth Revealed” so you can understand why this blog which is about residual haunting’s are FALSE. From the blog ‘My Haunted Home’ I explained who it is doing this activity and why they (DEMONS) are doing this to begin with the home, house or building.
As a refresher so to speak the 3 main reasons a house, home or building is full of activity is: (1) The former owners were not righteous people thus they engaged within the occult realm giving the Demonic rights to that previous family as well as the residence (i.e. house/home) (2) Sin is present in the lives of the people who now reside within the walls of the house or home (3) Cursed objects are present within the walls of the house or home.
So let me expand your thought pattern upon this subject even more. In the Holy Bible there are very specific verses which explain as well as nullify the existence of lingering around (Ghosts) after you die. The very word of God stands as truth and debunks what one can consider a ‘ghost’ as well as a ‘residual haunting’. When you discuss this type of activity you have to understand this is a lot of falseness with a little truth mixed in.
The truth is that the Demonic are involved pulling strings with some type of intelligence behind this type of torment. Realize that the Demons are Fallen Angels who are highly intelligent about mankind. They know more about man than man himself due to the length of time existing since creation. Now people take and mix into this whole mess of a ‘residual haunting’ a lot of falseness that a person who passes on is doing this act over and over again at the same time or in a similar matter/pattern. The truth is this, it is the Fallen Angels doing this activity as they are the intelligent ones drawing a person to become more curious.
So I shall explain to you what the very word of God states regarding ‘residual hauntings’ which are false and cannot exist. We find the very answers from the Holy Bible to nullify a ‘residual haunting’. The first one is taken from the Book of Job. Job 7: 9-10 KJV states the following “As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more. He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him anymore.”
Who is the He this verse is referring to? This is man, woman or child. Goeth to the grave – meaning you die – this is final no more can you come up (even as a lingering spirit – i.e. Ghost). Follow this with the next part – he shall return no more to his house – Why because you have now faced judgment from God – awarded Heaven or cast into Hell. Lastly, his place (object) shall not know him anymore – meaning one cannot get out of Heaven or Hell to come back, hang around in your once known earthly realm which violates the authority of God. As I like to say it like this – you think you have more power than God? Really, do tell me how?
Now to further add even more support here is what is said in other verses within the Holy Bible about residual hauntings as well as the thought process of having Ghosts. Further in the book of Job we find these words in chapter 14:10-12 KJV states “But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.”
Once again we see that when you die you cannot rise up, go wander about (like a ghost) and reside in your once living paradigm of the earthly realm that you had. If that is the case then you have more power than God and thus Satan and all forces of evil would fear you!
So to further explain why ‘residual hauntings’ cannot be from once living humans let me examine these Holy Scripture found in the book of Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 KJV which states “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.”
So as you can see this is a double ‘whammy’ against both ‘ghosts’ and the aspects of a ‘residual haunting’ from this verse above. As you can read and now understand when you die you have nothing to do under the ‘sun’ anymore. No more day or night, it is either now Heaven or Hell for your soul.
So why is then that many of the so called experts in the “paranormal realm” ascertain that these activities are occurring is because ‘they are simply lost souls’ wanting to hang around or are angry because you ‘remodeled their home’. I recently viewed something online which this person stated you linger around because you worked your ‘butt off’ for what you had and now these people are changing everything within your home.
NO, the new home owners can do what they want because you are no longer here. If you want to continue to believe in ‘residual hauntings’ of a home because of the spirit being upset with the new homeowners, then let’s discuss all these ‘haunted cars’ that are on the roads. A majority of everyone has or had a vehicle within the last 50 years. Let’s examine those cars who people took very good care of and since they are dead would they not too be “upset” because someone else is driving “their” vehicle?
So as a reader you’re going to tell me a car is different than a home? You’re going to say you are comparing apples to oranges. So am I really? An object is an object and a possession is a possession. If you owned it (i.e. a car/truck) then why are you (as a ghost) not going after those who are now driving your former mode of transportation?
How many stories are going around with all these vehicles having a haunting? Very few and as a matter of fact, and I am willing to bet less than 1%. More activity of ‘residual hauntings’ are taking place within the walls of the home. The answer why lies with what has taken place inside the home prior has much more strength for evil. Many more SINS were committed inside the walls of the home/house than inside of a vehicle.
Rev. Bradley Luoma
As a refresher so to speak the 3 main reasons a house, home or building is full of activity is: (1) The former owners were not righteous people thus they engaged within the occult realm giving the Demonic rights to that previous family as well as the residence (i.e. house/home) (2) Sin is present in the lives of the people who now reside within the walls of the house or home (3) Cursed objects are present within the walls of the house or home.
So let me expand your thought pattern upon this subject even more. In the Holy Bible there are very specific verses which explain as well as nullify the existence of lingering around (Ghosts) after you die. The very word of God stands as truth and debunks what one can consider a ‘ghost’ as well as a ‘residual haunting’. When you discuss this type of activity you have to understand this is a lot of falseness with a little truth mixed in.
The truth is that the Demonic are involved pulling strings with some type of intelligence behind this type of torment. Realize that the Demons are Fallen Angels who are highly intelligent about mankind. They know more about man than man himself due to the length of time existing since creation. Now people take and mix into this whole mess of a ‘residual haunting’ a lot of falseness that a person who passes on is doing this act over and over again at the same time or in a similar matter/pattern. The truth is this, it is the Fallen Angels doing this activity as they are the intelligent ones drawing a person to become more curious.
So I shall explain to you what the very word of God states regarding ‘residual hauntings’ which are false and cannot exist. We find the very answers from the Holy Bible to nullify a ‘residual haunting’. The first one is taken from the Book of Job. Job 7: 9-10 KJV states the following “As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more. He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him anymore.”
Who is the He this verse is referring to? This is man, woman or child. Goeth to the grave – meaning you die – this is final no more can you come up (even as a lingering spirit – i.e. Ghost). Follow this with the next part – he shall return no more to his house – Why because you have now faced judgment from God – awarded Heaven or cast into Hell. Lastly, his place (object) shall not know him anymore – meaning one cannot get out of Heaven or Hell to come back, hang around in your once known earthly realm which violates the authority of God. As I like to say it like this – you think you have more power than God? Really, do tell me how?
Now to further add even more support here is what is said in other verses within the Holy Bible about residual hauntings as well as the thought process of having Ghosts. Further in the book of Job we find these words in chapter 14:10-12 KJV states “But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.”
Once again we see that when you die you cannot rise up, go wander about (like a ghost) and reside in your once living paradigm of the earthly realm that you had. If that is the case then you have more power than God and thus Satan and all forces of evil would fear you!
So to further explain why ‘residual hauntings’ cannot be from once living humans let me examine these Holy Scripture found in the book of Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 KJV which states “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.”
So as you can see this is a double ‘whammy’ against both ‘ghosts’ and the aspects of a ‘residual haunting’ from this verse above. As you can read and now understand when you die you have nothing to do under the ‘sun’ anymore. No more day or night, it is either now Heaven or Hell for your soul.
So why is then that many of the so called experts in the “paranormal realm” ascertain that these activities are occurring is because ‘they are simply lost souls’ wanting to hang around or are angry because you ‘remodeled their home’. I recently viewed something online which this person stated you linger around because you worked your ‘butt off’ for what you had and now these people are changing everything within your home.
NO, the new home owners can do what they want because you are no longer here. If you want to continue to believe in ‘residual hauntings’ of a home because of the spirit being upset with the new homeowners, then let’s discuss all these ‘haunted cars’ that are on the roads. A majority of everyone has or had a vehicle within the last 50 years. Let’s examine those cars who people took very good care of and since they are dead would they not too be “upset” because someone else is driving “their” vehicle?
So as a reader you’re going to tell me a car is different than a home? You’re going to say you are comparing apples to oranges. So am I really? An object is an object and a possession is a possession. If you owned it (i.e. a car/truck) then why are you (as a ghost) not going after those who are now driving your former mode of transportation?
How many stories are going around with all these vehicles having a haunting? Very few and as a matter of fact, and I am willing to bet less than 1%. More activity of ‘residual hauntings’ are taking place within the walls of the home. The answer why lies with what has taken place inside the home prior has much more strength for evil. Many more SINS were committed inside the walls of the home/house than inside of a vehicle.
Rev. Bradley Luoma
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Saturday, September 26, 2015
Intercessory Prayer Against The Demonic Can Be Dangerous
Editor's Note: This blog originally ran right after Halloween 2014. Please bookmark this blog post so that you can be prepared this year!
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Happy Sunday everyone. This is the day of our Lord. I hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween and didn't eat too much candy. I really hope everyone stayed safe and didn't try anything stupid! Such as trespassing into spooky places. You might have learned you've picked up a attachment that is now a new resident in your home.
I say this only because I am receiving a alarming amount of emails regarding somebody being concerned for a loved one with the route was a friend's son daughter mother brother because they seem to be interested in all this dark paranormal stuff that's flooding our TV channels and movie theaters. Everybody's drawing pentagrams trying to make a deal with a crossroads demon. I can't begin to even elaborate how dangerous this is. Once you are on their radar they never ever forget you.
What Is Intercessory Prayer:
Intercessory prayer is the act of praying for other people. God has instructed us to pray not only for our own personal needs but to reach out and pray for others as well. We find an example of this in 1 Timothy 2:1-6 where we are told to pray and to make intercession for all of God's children in need or in danger.
The Greek noun, “enteuxus” in the Bible is the word for “intercession.” It primarily denotes a “meeting with,” a conversation or petition rendered on the behalf of others. “Intercessory prayer,” then, is seeking the presence and audience of God in another’s stead. When we pray for the needs of others that is called “intercession” or we are said to be “interceding” for them. It's a lot like spiritual warfare really. Some may choose to call it that. It can be very dangerous. Satan has a counterfeit for everything that is God's word and truth in the Bible like Angels and miracles, faith, unity, doctrines. He has even has counterfeits our Saviour Himself. (Mathew 24:24.)
Today, saying prayers and prayer in general are very much a priority at many churches. Prayer ministries and prayer departments are showing up everywhere on the Internet and are popping up everywhere to coordinate prayer offensives against the enemy and demonic forces.. These may seem like very positive developments and some feel this is evidence of spiritual growth in the lives of members and a sign of revival in the church. But is it okay for just anyone to start tackling Satan? Shouldn't ones called into this specific area be the ones to tackle and dare step up to this highly dangerous area? The ones boasting about how long they've done this and how much experience they have are the ones who usually have NO business trying to get involved. They are the ones who are all over the Internet and have websites that just continually seem to boast and always find the need to bring up all the "experience" they have. They also put down and slam the few legit Warriors we do have! It blows my mind...and Satan just loves it. All the backstabbing all the fighting people who are so arrogant to think that you have a right to call out and go after people just to create more chaos. As if God can't handle these situations and the people who are of wrongdoing. Don't misunderstand me though, we should call out certain people when it is very blatant what they're up to and if you or someone close to you have been scammed should by all means warn others and make it public. I'm certainly not saying we are always to ignore it there are people out there who should and are called by God to do so. But sadly way too many just choose to think they are because they enjoy drama. That makes them just as low if not lower than the people they are exposing.
The following information I found from the Bible but is also talked about on bible-knowledge.com....
In the area of spiritual warfare, one very controversial issue you will come across is whether or not we, as born-again believers, have the power and authority to try and attempt to engage with demons who are in the 2nd heaven, who are in what the Bible calls the “heavenly places.”
After researching both sides of this very controversial issue, it is our personal opinion that unless God Himself directly authorizes and commissions you to engage in this kind of very special, high level type of spiritual warfare, that you stay completely away from this kind of activity.
If you try to step into this kind of arena without God’s direct approval and protection, you could open both yourself and possibly the members of your immediate family to major attacks from these higher-ranking demons.
The Apostle Paul gives us a major revelation in that there are 3 heavens. As you will see from this following verse, it would appear that he is talking about himself when he was taken up to the “third heaven”where God the Father and Jesus dwell. Here is the first verse you will need to have on this topic so you can see exactly how Satan has some of his demonic hierarchy set up, both on our earth and in the heavens.
“I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago – whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows – such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man – whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows – how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” (2 Corinthians 12:2-3)...
To me this is very powerful information that proves I am correct about the wrong people getting involved with this level of prayer. I'm not trying to debate the "The Three Heavens" controversy as I only used this content as a example of my point in this blog. A lot of people feel sleep paralysis is really a way of visiting other spiritual realms. They truly felt when they finally defeated a demon in this state, certain areas of their life became much better and God had answered their prayers and they had defeated the demon of fear or lust whatever it was that they struggled with. Spiritual Warfare is a very real and powerful thing. We must be free ourselves of any major strongholds before we decide to battle on behalf of a loved one or someone under attack. It's so very important to wait and first pray and hear God's Word on what we should do in every situation. He may tell us to find guidance and direct help for that person that is not necessarily our job or calling to do. Never just jump into these situations without first asking God for guidance and protection.
Dreams are also a way these things like to attack. For some reason we are vulnerable when we're sleeping. I have mention sleep paralysis many times which I feel is a legitimate condition. But other times I do believe it's a form of demonic visitation. Like the Incubus/Succubus I wrote a two part blog about.
These demons used dreams to pursue and fight against the person to whom they are sent. I know from personal experience what demons try to do to a person while they are asleep. I know what I know and what I have seen while being wide awake after woken up,from a terrible dream. Shadow demons are usually what harassed me but of course I'm just crazy. (Rolls eyes) For example, demons will come into your sleep for the soul intention of weakening your soul, your belief in Gods protection, while you are in the altered state of sleep.
Written By Jennifer L Auld
~~~~~~~~
Happy Sunday everyone. This is the day of our Lord. I hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween and didn't eat too much candy. I really hope everyone stayed safe and didn't try anything stupid! Such as trespassing into spooky places. You might have learned you've picked up a attachment that is now a new resident in your home.
I say this only because I am receiving a alarming amount of emails regarding somebody being concerned for a loved one with the route was a friend's son daughter mother brother because they seem to be interested in all this dark paranormal stuff that's flooding our TV channels and movie theaters. Everybody's drawing pentagrams trying to make a deal with a crossroads demon. I can't begin to even elaborate how dangerous this is. Once you are on their radar they never ever forget you.
What Is Intercessory Prayer:
Intercessory prayer is the act of praying for other people. God has instructed us to pray not only for our own personal needs but to reach out and pray for others as well. We find an example of this in 1 Timothy 2:1-6 where we are told to pray and to make intercession for all of God's children in need or in danger.
The Greek noun, “enteuxus” in the Bible is the word for “intercession.” It primarily denotes a “meeting with,” a conversation or petition rendered on the behalf of others. “Intercessory prayer,” then, is seeking the presence and audience of God in another’s stead. When we pray for the needs of others that is called “intercession” or we are said to be “interceding” for them. It's a lot like spiritual warfare really. Some may choose to call it that. It can be very dangerous. Satan has a counterfeit for everything that is God's word and truth in the Bible like Angels and miracles, faith, unity, doctrines. He has even has counterfeits our Saviour Himself. (Mathew 24:24.)
Today, saying prayers and prayer in general are very much a priority at many churches. Prayer ministries and prayer departments are showing up everywhere on the Internet and are popping up everywhere to coordinate prayer offensives against the enemy and demonic forces.. These may seem like very positive developments and some feel this is evidence of spiritual growth in the lives of members and a sign of revival in the church. But is it okay for just anyone to start tackling Satan? Shouldn't ones called into this specific area be the ones to tackle and dare step up to this highly dangerous area? The ones boasting about how long they've done this and how much experience they have are the ones who usually have NO business trying to get involved. They are the ones who are all over the Internet and have websites that just continually seem to boast and always find the need to bring up all the "experience" they have. They also put down and slam the few legit Warriors we do have! It blows my mind...and Satan just loves it. All the backstabbing all the fighting people who are so arrogant to think that you have a right to call out and go after people just to create more chaos. As if God can't handle these situations and the people who are of wrongdoing. Don't misunderstand me though, we should call out certain people when it is very blatant what they're up to and if you or someone close to you have been scammed should by all means warn others and make it public. I'm certainly not saying we are always to ignore it there are people out there who should and are called by God to do so. But sadly way too many just choose to think they are because they enjoy drama. That makes them just as low if not lower than the people they are exposing.
The following information I found from the Bible but is also talked about on bible-knowledge.com....
In the area of spiritual warfare, one very controversial issue you will come across is whether or not we, as born-again believers, have the power and authority to try and attempt to engage with demons who are in the 2nd heaven, who are in what the Bible calls the “heavenly places.”
After researching both sides of this very controversial issue, it is our personal opinion that unless God Himself directly authorizes and commissions you to engage in this kind of very special, high level type of spiritual warfare, that you stay completely away from this kind of activity.
If you try to step into this kind of arena without God’s direct approval and protection, you could open both yourself and possibly the members of your immediate family to major attacks from these higher-ranking demons.
The Apostle Paul gives us a major revelation in that there are 3 heavens. As you will see from this following verse, it would appear that he is talking about himself when he was taken up to the “third heaven”where God the Father and Jesus dwell. Here is the first verse you will need to have on this topic so you can see exactly how Satan has some of his demonic hierarchy set up, both on our earth and in the heavens.
“I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago – whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows – such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man – whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows – how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” (2 Corinthians 12:2-3)...
To me this is very powerful information that proves I am correct about the wrong people getting involved with this level of prayer. I'm not trying to debate the "The Three Heavens" controversy as I only used this content as a example of my point in this blog. A lot of people feel sleep paralysis is really a way of visiting other spiritual realms. They truly felt when they finally defeated a demon in this state, certain areas of their life became much better and God had answered their prayers and they had defeated the demon of fear or lust whatever it was that they struggled with. Spiritual Warfare is a very real and powerful thing. We must be free ourselves of any major strongholds before we decide to battle on behalf of a loved one or someone under attack. It's so very important to wait and first pray and hear God's Word on what we should do in every situation. He may tell us to find guidance and direct help for that person that is not necessarily our job or calling to do. Never just jump into these situations without first asking God for guidance and protection.
Dreams are also a way these things like to attack. For some reason we are vulnerable when we're sleeping. I have mention sleep paralysis many times which I feel is a legitimate condition. But other times I do believe it's a form of demonic visitation. Like the Incubus/Succubus I wrote a two part blog about.
These demons used dreams to pursue and fight against the person to whom they are sent. I know from personal experience what demons try to do to a person while they are asleep. I know what I know and what I have seen while being wide awake after woken up,from a terrible dream. Shadow demons are usually what harassed me but of course I'm just crazy. (Rolls eyes) For example, demons will come into your sleep for the soul intention of weakening your soul, your belief in Gods protection, while you are in the altered state of sleep.
Written By Jennifer L Auld
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Thursday, September 24, 2015
Sympathy for the Devil?
By Reverend Mark Hunnemann
Recently, a friend asked, "If enough people prayed for Satan, would he be transformed/saved?" The question was buttressed with this comment--"If God is loving and desires all to be saved, then why not Satan?" There seemed to be a tacit sympathy for the devil, and any demons who might be repentant.
My short response to my friend was, "No chance..none."
Before I elaborate, it might surprise some to know how common this sentiment/question is. A Christian author friend, well versed in the bible, who writes on demonology issues, asked essentially the same question a while back.And others have wondered out loud..... My hunch is that many of us have pondered the same issue.....And no sincere question should be met with calloused dismissiveness.
Let me elaborate on my short negation.Even when you listen to the Rolling Stones song "Sympathy...", they hint at the answer..."I will lay waste to your soul...."
1. From Genesis to Revelation, there is prophesied and sovereignly decreed, the eternal punishment of Satan for rebelling against God and leading His original image bearers (Adam and Eve...Genesis 3) into sin.I don't want to pile up verses, but the bible is replete with references to the triumph of God over the Evil One. The God of Truth predicted and decreed Satan's certain eternal damnation. For Him to now have sympathy for the devil would make God out to be the consummate liar.
2. One of the primary accomplishments of the atonement was securing the defeat and eternal punishment of Satan.The integrity and perfection of the cross of Christ would be abolished/negated if Satan/demons were "transformed". The NT is filled with references to how Jesus came to destroy the work of Satan (e.g. Colossians 2:15)The cross did not just secure our salvation, but it secured the devils damnation. Hence, any notion of Satanic transformation is an attack on the perfection of the design and accomplishment of the atonement.
3. In Hebrews 2:14-18 are some singularly humbling verses re grace. Grace is God giving us what we don't deserve, and mercy is God NOT giving us what we do deserve.Paraphrasing these verses, Once the Lord freely decided to save humans, God HAD to take on human flesh in order to be a proper substitute for us humans...the God/Man on the cross. However, nowhere are we told that God decided to save the lost angels, taking on their nature, and dying a substitutionary death on a cross for them.They received justice....we received grace and mercy. Please let this sink in. GOD DID NOT HAVE TO SAVE US...AND IF HE DIDN'T, HE STILL WOULD HAVE BEEN JUST. Our misunderstanding of God's love seems to force Him to give us (Satan) a second chance. But that is not grace...it is not mercy. It is a deficient understanding of both, as well as God's burning holiness.God freely decided to give His image bearers a second chance....He freely decided to not give Satan/demons a second chance. Justice.
4. We should rejoice in the eternal destruction of Satan..not have sympathy for him. The devil, if he could, would entice you to hell, after he murdered you and your loved ones. (John 10:10) Satan wants to steal what he can from you...he wants to kill you...and to destroy you. Satan has no remorse for his original sin, nor for the countless and unspeakable horrors since then. He is irredeemable because the notion is noxious to him. It is psychologically impossible for a sentient being to choose to do something they hate.We always do want we want to do (everything considered).
If every person on the planet prayed everyday for Satan's transformation, it would not change a thing. Prayer does change things, but no amount of prayer can change the eternal decree of God Almighty toward His hated enemy, and the enemy of our souls. God hates Satan--hence, he is doomed for eternal torture. No sympathy for the devil. None. We should rejoice in his eternal punishment. The friend I referred to at the outset, agreed after we discussed these and other issues.
Mark Hunnemann is the author of Seeing Ghosts Through God's Eyes: A Worldview Analysis of Earthbound Spirits. It's also available in eBook format.
"The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy..."
(John 10:10)
Recently, a friend asked, "If enough people prayed for Satan, would he be transformed/saved?" The question was buttressed with this comment--"If God is loving and desires all to be saved, then why not Satan?" There seemed to be a tacit sympathy for the devil, and any demons who might be repentant.
My short response to my friend was, "No chance..none."
Before I elaborate, it might surprise some to know how common this sentiment/question is. A Christian author friend, well versed in the bible, who writes on demonology issues, asked essentially the same question a while back.And others have wondered out loud..... My hunch is that many of us have pondered the same issue.....And no sincere question should be met with calloused dismissiveness.
Let me elaborate on my short negation.Even when you listen to the Rolling Stones song "Sympathy...", they hint at the answer..."I will lay waste to your soul...."
1. From Genesis to Revelation, there is prophesied and sovereignly decreed, the eternal punishment of Satan for rebelling against God and leading His original image bearers (Adam and Eve...Genesis 3) into sin.I don't want to pile up verses, but the bible is replete with references to the triumph of God over the Evil One. The God of Truth predicted and decreed Satan's certain eternal damnation. For Him to now have sympathy for the devil would make God out to be the consummate liar.
2. One of the primary accomplishments of the atonement was securing the defeat and eternal punishment of Satan.The integrity and perfection of the cross of Christ would be abolished/negated if Satan/demons were "transformed". The NT is filled with references to how Jesus came to destroy the work of Satan (e.g. Colossians 2:15)The cross did not just secure our salvation, but it secured the devils damnation. Hence, any notion of Satanic transformation is an attack on the perfection of the design and accomplishment of the atonement.
3. In Hebrews 2:14-18 are some singularly humbling verses re grace. Grace is God giving us what we don't deserve, and mercy is God NOT giving us what we do deserve.Paraphrasing these verses, Once the Lord freely decided to save humans, God HAD to take on human flesh in order to be a proper substitute for us humans...the God/Man on the cross. However, nowhere are we told that God decided to save the lost angels, taking on their nature, and dying a substitutionary death on a cross for them.They received justice....we received grace and mercy. Please let this sink in. GOD DID NOT HAVE TO SAVE US...AND IF HE DIDN'T, HE STILL WOULD HAVE BEEN JUST. Our misunderstanding of God's love seems to force Him to give us (Satan) a second chance. But that is not grace...it is not mercy. It is a deficient understanding of both, as well as God's burning holiness.God freely decided to give His image bearers a second chance....He freely decided to not give Satan/demons a second chance. Justice.
4. We should rejoice in the eternal destruction of Satan..not have sympathy for him. The devil, if he could, would entice you to hell, after he murdered you and your loved ones. (John 10:10) Satan wants to steal what he can from you...he wants to kill you...and to destroy you. Satan has no remorse for his original sin, nor for the countless and unspeakable horrors since then. He is irredeemable because the notion is noxious to him. It is psychologically impossible for a sentient being to choose to do something they hate.We always do want we want to do (everything considered).
If every person on the planet prayed everyday for Satan's transformation, it would not change a thing. Prayer does change things, but no amount of prayer can change the eternal decree of God Almighty toward His hated enemy, and the enemy of our souls. God hates Satan--hence, he is doomed for eternal torture. No sympathy for the devil. None. We should rejoice in his eternal punishment. The friend I referred to at the outset, agreed after we discussed these and other issues.
Mark Hunnemann is the author of Seeing Ghosts Through God's Eyes: A Worldview Analysis of Earthbound Spirits. It's also available in eBook format.
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Monday, September 21, 2015
Dalai Lama Talks on Ethics and Ahimsa [Non-Violence]
London, England, 20 September 2015 - When BBC news journalist Clive Myrie came to interview His Holiness the Dalai Lama this morning, many of his questions touched on the refugee crisis confronting Europe. He wanted to know if there was not a general lack of compassion in the indifference and hostility being expressed. His Holiness responded:
“It's about suspicion and mistrust. We have to explore how to bring peace and reconciliation to those places where violent conflict is compelling these people to seek an alternative”
When Myrie quoted former Archbishop George Carey’s advocating the use of military force, His Holiness said: “He has his own view. I don’t see things that way.”
Myrie suggested there are young Tibetans who feel that non-violence has failed their cause. His Holiness countered that they too are entitled to their opinion, but that it’s not true to say the Middle Way Approach has failed when it draws continuing support and admiration from Chinese citizens. He reported that many Chinese who come to meet him apologise for what has happened in Tibet.
When asked about the pro-Shugden demonstrations, His Holiness answered that the people concerned should do more research and not let themselves be driven by anger that clouds their judgement. He suggested they go to South India and see the monasteries in the Tibetan settlements where about 2000 monks’ practice is unconstrained.
His Holiness denied that he is disappointed not to be meeting Prime Minister David Cameron on this visit, saying that he has no political agenda. He repeated that whether or not a 15th Dalai Lama is sought and found will depend on the wishes of the Tibetan people. He concurred, as he has elsewhere, that if there is another reincarnation, it could be woman.
Next His Holiness was welcomed by the businessmen, the Hinduja brothers - Srichand, Gopichand, Prakash and Ashok - to their house at Carlton Terrace. This grand mansion was once occupied by Queen Victoria’s Prime Minister, William Gladstone. His Holiness affirmed to a small family gathering that wherever he goes he carries India’s message of ‘ahimsa’ or non-violence and inter-religious harmony. He was introduced to a gathering of about 100 Indian political and business leaders by Lady Mohini Kent Noon, who said how privileged they were to have him there. She mentioned His Holiness’s consistent dedication to non-violence, noting that while there may be hotheads, there have been no Tibetan terrorists.
His Holiness responded, remarking that Hindu, Jain and Buddhist traditions have the practice of ethics, concentration and wisdom in common, the only difference being that the Buddha taught ‘anatman’, the lack of an independently existent self. He said he considered himself to be a ‘son of India’, because his brain is filled with Nalanda thought and his body had been nourished so long by Indian rice and dal.
Asked if he thought there were evil people in the world or just that some were misguided, he replied:
“Just misguided. We can’t find evil children. It’s when people become adults that they behave badly. Human beings are social animals. It is love that brings us together. As to whether the world is getting better or not, we can say that more people are becoming aware of the importance of peace of mind.”
To a question about astrology, His Holiness replied that he didn’t know, but that the 5th Dalai Lama, who had been a qualified astrologer, had made the remark that on the auspicious day of his birth, thousands of dogs had also been born.
After a lunch hosted by Lady Mohini Kent Noon and the Hinduja Foundation, His Holiness left for the Coliseum Theatre, where he was to speak to an audience of 2300 in celebration of ‘Ahimsa - India Day’. In an introduction to the event it was explained that ‘ahimsa’ means to do no harm and that His Holiness considers it to be compassion in action.
“Brothers and sisters,” he began, “all human beings are the same. We are mentally, physically and emotionally the same. We all experience constructive and destructive emotions. Our basic human nature is compassionate, and compassion brings people together. In our daily life, we feel happy when someone smiles and treats us with affection. But if they frown we feel uncomfortable. This is a sign that we need friends. Friendship doesn’t depend on fame, money or physical strength. It’s based on trust and trust depends on love and affection. Therefore, love and affection are important if we are to live a happy life. And the purpose of life is to be joyful and happy.”
The audience responded to this last remark with warm applause. His Holiness continued:
“Many of the problems we face are of our own making. Why is that? because we tend to pay too much attention to secondary differences between us. We emphasise differences of nationality, of race, of colour and faith, whether we are rich or poor. We neglect the fact that fundamentally we are all human beings, who all want to live a happy life. And because of that what we should do is to help one another.
“In the past, when nations went to war, they looked for their own victory and the destruction of their opponent. This kind of attitude is out of date because we have now become so interdependent. In defeating our neighbour we will defeat ourselves. In our increasingly globalized world, climate change and the global economy are not limited by national boundaries, they affect us all. I often point out that the 20th century, besides its many great developments, was a period of violence and bloodshed. We need the 21st century to be an era of peace. We need to take a more human approach to conflict and seek to resolve it through dialogue instead of resorting to military force.”
His Holiness affirmed that his first commitment is to promoting human happiness. His second, he said, as a Buddhist monk is to fostering inter-religious harmony. He described religion as having three aspects: religious, philosophical and cultural. The religious aspect includes the message of love, compassion, tolerance and self-discipline that all religious traditions have in common. The philosophical aspects, belief in a creator or the law of causality, are different means to strengthen the practice of love and compassion. In this context ‘ahimsa’ relates to physical and verbal action, but the demarcation lies in the quality of our motivation, which involves our mind.
His Holiness expressed his great admiration for India’s ancient traditions of ‘ahimsa’ and inter-religious harmony, demonstrating to the world that different religious traditions can live together side by side in peace and respect. He said that the Indian community in places like the UK has a responsibility to uphold these ancient traditions and show their relevance in today’s world.
Answering questions from the audience His Holiness said that ‘ahimsa’ doesn’t fall from the sky; it comes of cultivating a warm heart within. Asked if there were even situations when ‘ahimsa’ is inappropriate, he replied that ‘ahimsa’ non-violence and non-harm are the proper solution to any human problem. When a member of the audience asked how to respond to the rape and murder of her friends, he said:
“Ask yourself if getting angry would solve the problem and make it better. Anger and feelings of revenge only disturb your own peace of mind. The 8th century Indian master Shantideva gave advice that I find practical and realistic. ‘If there is a way to solve a problem, there is no need to worry about it and if there is no way to solve a problem, worry won’t help’.
When a young woman cried out a question related to the practice of Shugden and religious freedom, His Holiness listened and suggested that people who demonstrate about this don’t know the full story. They should do more investigation. He said he feels sorry for them in their ignorance.
Finally, asked the purpose of life, His Holiness answered:
“Happiness and joy are the purpose of life.” Again the theatre was filled with applause. “If our actions bring joy to others, that’s good. Thank you.”
“It's about suspicion and mistrust. We have to explore how to bring peace and reconciliation to those places where violent conflict is compelling these people to seek an alternative”
When Myrie quoted former Archbishop George Carey’s advocating the use of military force, His Holiness said: “He has his own view. I don’t see things that way.”
Myrie suggested there are young Tibetans who feel that non-violence has failed their cause. His Holiness countered that they too are entitled to their opinion, but that it’s not true to say the Middle Way Approach has failed when it draws continuing support and admiration from Chinese citizens. He reported that many Chinese who come to meet him apologise for what has happened in Tibet.
When asked about the pro-Shugden demonstrations, His Holiness answered that the people concerned should do more research and not let themselves be driven by anger that clouds their judgement. He suggested they go to South India and see the monasteries in the Tibetan settlements where about 2000 monks’ practice is unconstrained.
His Holiness denied that he is disappointed not to be meeting Prime Minister David Cameron on this visit, saying that he has no political agenda. He repeated that whether or not a 15th Dalai Lama is sought and found will depend on the wishes of the Tibetan people. He concurred, as he has elsewhere, that if there is another reincarnation, it could be woman.
Next His Holiness was welcomed by the businessmen, the Hinduja brothers - Srichand, Gopichand, Prakash and Ashok - to their house at Carlton Terrace. This grand mansion was once occupied by Queen Victoria’s Prime Minister, William Gladstone. His Holiness affirmed to a small family gathering that wherever he goes he carries India’s message of ‘ahimsa’ or non-violence and inter-religious harmony. He was introduced to a gathering of about 100 Indian political and business leaders by Lady Mohini Kent Noon, who said how privileged they were to have him there. She mentioned His Holiness’s consistent dedication to non-violence, noting that while there may be hotheads, there have been no Tibetan terrorists.
His Holiness responded, remarking that Hindu, Jain and Buddhist traditions have the practice of ethics, concentration and wisdom in common, the only difference being that the Buddha taught ‘anatman’, the lack of an independently existent self. He said he considered himself to be a ‘son of India’, because his brain is filled with Nalanda thought and his body had been nourished so long by Indian rice and dal.
Asked if he thought there were evil people in the world or just that some were misguided, he replied:
“Just misguided. We can’t find evil children. It’s when people become adults that they behave badly. Human beings are social animals. It is love that brings us together. As to whether the world is getting better or not, we can say that more people are becoming aware of the importance of peace of mind.”
To a question about astrology, His Holiness replied that he didn’t know, but that the 5th Dalai Lama, who had been a qualified astrologer, had made the remark that on the auspicious day of his birth, thousands of dogs had also been born.
After a lunch hosted by Lady Mohini Kent Noon and the Hinduja Foundation, His Holiness left for the Coliseum Theatre, where he was to speak to an audience of 2300 in celebration of ‘Ahimsa - India Day’. In an introduction to the event it was explained that ‘ahimsa’ means to do no harm and that His Holiness considers it to be compassion in action.
“Brothers and sisters,” he began, “all human beings are the same. We are mentally, physically and emotionally the same. We all experience constructive and destructive emotions. Our basic human nature is compassionate, and compassion brings people together. In our daily life, we feel happy when someone smiles and treats us with affection. But if they frown we feel uncomfortable. This is a sign that we need friends. Friendship doesn’t depend on fame, money or physical strength. It’s based on trust and trust depends on love and affection. Therefore, love and affection are important if we are to live a happy life. And the purpose of life is to be joyful and happy.”
The audience responded to this last remark with warm applause. His Holiness continued:
“Many of the problems we face are of our own making. Why is that? because we tend to pay too much attention to secondary differences between us. We emphasise differences of nationality, of race, of colour and faith, whether we are rich or poor. We neglect the fact that fundamentally we are all human beings, who all want to live a happy life. And because of that what we should do is to help one another.
“In the past, when nations went to war, they looked for their own victory and the destruction of their opponent. This kind of attitude is out of date because we have now become so interdependent. In defeating our neighbour we will defeat ourselves. In our increasingly globalized world, climate change and the global economy are not limited by national boundaries, they affect us all. I often point out that the 20th century, besides its many great developments, was a period of violence and bloodshed. We need the 21st century to be an era of peace. We need to take a more human approach to conflict and seek to resolve it through dialogue instead of resorting to military force.”
His Holiness affirmed that his first commitment is to promoting human happiness. His second, he said, as a Buddhist monk is to fostering inter-religious harmony. He described religion as having three aspects: religious, philosophical and cultural. The religious aspect includes the message of love, compassion, tolerance and self-discipline that all religious traditions have in common. The philosophical aspects, belief in a creator or the law of causality, are different means to strengthen the practice of love and compassion. In this context ‘ahimsa’ relates to physical and verbal action, but the demarcation lies in the quality of our motivation, which involves our mind.
His Holiness expressed his great admiration for India’s ancient traditions of ‘ahimsa’ and inter-religious harmony, demonstrating to the world that different religious traditions can live together side by side in peace and respect. He said that the Indian community in places like the UK has a responsibility to uphold these ancient traditions and show their relevance in today’s world.
Answering questions from the audience His Holiness said that ‘ahimsa’ doesn’t fall from the sky; it comes of cultivating a warm heart within. Asked if there were even situations when ‘ahimsa’ is inappropriate, he replied that ‘ahimsa’ non-violence and non-harm are the proper solution to any human problem. When a member of the audience asked how to respond to the rape and murder of her friends, he said:
“Ask yourself if getting angry would solve the problem and make it better. Anger and feelings of revenge only disturb your own peace of mind. The 8th century Indian master Shantideva gave advice that I find practical and realistic. ‘If there is a way to solve a problem, there is no need to worry about it and if there is no way to solve a problem, worry won’t help’.
When a young woman cried out a question related to the practice of Shugden and religious freedom, His Holiness listened and suggested that people who demonstrate about this don’t know the full story. They should do more investigation. He said he feels sorry for them in their ignorance.
Finally, asked the purpose of life, His Holiness answered:
“Happiness and joy are the purpose of life.” Again the theatre was filled with applause. “If our actions bring joy to others, that’s good. Thank you.”
original link and photos: http://dalailama.com/news/post/1319-talks-on-ethics-and-ahimsa
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Saturday, September 19, 2015
Satan's Limitations
I'm sure many of us already know that there are limitations that Satan and his demons have on them. They are terrified Jesus Christ because they are truly petrified of being thrown into the lake of fire for eternity before the appointed time. Demons know they do not have the power that Gods Angels do. Satan knows he does not have the same power and wrath that God has. They know they can only do so much.
Satan is not omnipresent
Satan is an individual personality, so he can be in only one place at a time (as seen in Job 1:7). So when we say that the devil is personally tempting us, more than likely it is his power working through his network of demons.
Satan is not omnipotent
Because of this, many references to Satan or the devil include his whole kingdom. The person of Satan does not personally tempt each of us for he simply cannot do that. Satan must rely on the following agents to carry out his temptation: His Army of demons, the world system which lies under his control, carnal or ignorant Christians he is able to use as he did Peter (Matthew 16:22-23), unbelievers under his influence or domination therefore, he can surely be resisted and made to flee in the name of Jesus Christ. but only by the strength of God all mighty made available to believers in Christ (Ephesians 6:10-18).
Satan is not omniscient
Satan is an angel and angels don’t know everything (1 Peter 1:11-12). There is no indication in Scripture that Satan can really read our thoughts despite it is a common belief. Because he’s an expert on human nature, he’s pretty good at predicting our behavior and can easily tempt and corrupt weak humans.
Satan is not self-existent.
He was created by God . It can even been said that God created and uses Satan to his own ends (2 Corinthians 12:7).
Another one of Satan’s limitations is that he is not allowed to reveal or show himself, being forced to work solely by secrecy and deceit. He is NOTHING but our vicious enemy to all human souls, but non-appearance is a significant containment of his power. 2 Thessalonians shows us that Satan must content himself with an appointee, the man of sin, who will appear on his behalf at the end of time, only to be immediately destroyed by the brightness of the coming of Christ.
Satan is now a spiritual vagrant, powerful, yes, with a vast host of fallen angels doing his bidding, but he must tempt us from ‘outside’, and secure our co-operation for everything he wants us to do. He is certainly the prince of this world, but a prince with no palace or rights a dispossessed and a doomed prince. This limiting of Satan is also referred to in the book of Revelation, chapters 12 and 20, the last of these telling us that Satan would be bound during the Christian era so that he would not be able to deceive the nations any more by keeping them in total spiritual darkness. All nations would be penetrated by the Gospel of Christ.
Lying is Satan main weapon against God’s children. He uses the tactic of deceit to separate people from their Heavenly Father. The most common lie is "there is no God,” “God doesn’t care about you,” “the Bible cannot be trusted,” But we must remember the apostle Paul tells us that Satan “masquerades as an angel of light” so that what he says and does sounds good and seems reasonable. Another example would be "familiar spirits" demons masquerading as your past love one in order to get a foothold into your life. Of course they would know exactly what to say that only your grandmother would know and they could appear to look like you're lost and dearly departed. The Bible warns us to "be aware of the familiar spirit"
What makes these demons dangerous Is they are very cunning, and very patient. They lie and manipulate better than the best lawyers and politicians. And they will subtly influence someone for decades if they have to, to gain the coveted result. They have no boundaries of what they will not do to further their own ends. They kill people, they cause severely debilitating illness. They tear families apart, they take all that is good and pure and drag it through the dirt and blood until there is nothing left. They are never to be taken lightly or as a joke. It is not adventurous or romantic or 'cool' to be as hunter. It is dangerous. Not just physically, but spiritually. Whatever they can do to you physically will end, because life is short. But spiritually... the soul is immortal. We who are filled with faith and the Holy Spirit we have nothing to fear,..absolutely not. We all know how this ends and so does the enemy and his network of demons and they know how this all ends. And it isn't good for them. It's only a matter of time.
Here is more great news on his limitations God set forth:
He was casted out of heaven. Isaiah 14:12-14 stipulates: "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didn't weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
2. He cannot devise a temptation that is so great that God cannot deliver us from it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Satan is no where near as powerful as God. And he knows this too.
Revelation 20:10; 'And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.'
Written by Jennifer L Auld
Satan is not omnipresent
Satan is an individual personality, so he can be in only one place at a time (as seen in Job 1:7). So when we say that the devil is personally tempting us, more than likely it is his power working through his network of demons.
Satan is not omnipotent
Because of this, many references to Satan or the devil include his whole kingdom. The person of Satan does not personally tempt each of us for he simply cannot do that. Satan must rely on the following agents to carry out his temptation: His Army of demons, the world system which lies under his control, carnal or ignorant Christians he is able to use as he did Peter (Matthew 16:22-23), unbelievers under his influence or domination therefore, he can surely be resisted and made to flee in the name of Jesus Christ. but only by the strength of God all mighty made available to believers in Christ (Ephesians 6:10-18).
Satan is not omniscient
Satan is an angel and angels don’t know everything (1 Peter 1:11-12). There is no indication in Scripture that Satan can really read our thoughts despite it is a common belief. Because he’s an expert on human nature, he’s pretty good at predicting our behavior and can easily tempt and corrupt weak humans.
Satan is not self-existent.
He was created by God . It can even been said that God created and uses Satan to his own ends (2 Corinthians 12:7).
Another one of Satan’s limitations is that he is not allowed to reveal or show himself, being forced to work solely by secrecy and deceit. He is NOTHING but our vicious enemy to all human souls, but non-appearance is a significant containment of his power. 2 Thessalonians shows us that Satan must content himself with an appointee, the man of sin, who will appear on his behalf at the end of time, only to be immediately destroyed by the brightness of the coming of Christ.
Satan is now a spiritual vagrant, powerful, yes, with a vast host of fallen angels doing his bidding, but he must tempt us from ‘outside’, and secure our co-operation for everything he wants us to do. He is certainly the prince of this world, but a prince with no palace or rights a dispossessed and a doomed prince. This limiting of Satan is also referred to in the book of Revelation, chapters 12 and 20, the last of these telling us that Satan would be bound during the Christian era so that he would not be able to deceive the nations any more by keeping them in total spiritual darkness. All nations would be penetrated by the Gospel of Christ.
Lying is Satan main weapon against God’s children. He uses the tactic of deceit to separate people from their Heavenly Father. The most common lie is "there is no God,” “God doesn’t care about you,” “the Bible cannot be trusted,” But we must remember the apostle Paul tells us that Satan “masquerades as an angel of light” so that what he says and does sounds good and seems reasonable. Another example would be "familiar spirits" demons masquerading as your past love one in order to get a foothold into your life. Of course they would know exactly what to say that only your grandmother would know and they could appear to look like you're lost and dearly departed. The Bible warns us to "be aware of the familiar spirit"
What makes these demons dangerous Is they are very cunning, and very patient. They lie and manipulate better than the best lawyers and politicians. And they will subtly influence someone for decades if they have to, to gain the coveted result. They have no boundaries of what they will not do to further their own ends. They kill people, they cause severely debilitating illness. They tear families apart, they take all that is good and pure and drag it through the dirt and blood until there is nothing left. They are never to be taken lightly or as a joke. It is not adventurous or romantic or 'cool' to be as hunter. It is dangerous. Not just physically, but spiritually. Whatever they can do to you physically will end, because life is short. But spiritually... the soul is immortal. We who are filled with faith and the Holy Spirit we have nothing to fear,..absolutely not. We all know how this ends and so does the enemy and his network of demons and they know how this all ends. And it isn't good for them. It's only a matter of time.
Here is more great news on his limitations God set forth:
He was casted out of heaven. Isaiah 14:12-14 stipulates: "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didn't weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
2. He cannot devise a temptation that is so great that God cannot deliver us from it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Satan is no where near as powerful as God. And he knows this too.
Revelation 20:10; 'And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.'
Written by Jennifer L Auld
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Thursday, September 17, 2015
Is it Wrong for a Christian to have a Dreamcatcher?
By Reverend Mark Hunnemann
“When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering,5 anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer 11 or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or cone who inquires of the dead, 12 for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. And because of these abominations the LORD your God is driving them out before you. 13 You shall be blameless before the LORD your God, 14 for these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune-tellers and to diviners. But as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you to do this.
“If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. 7 Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. 8 Keep my statutes and do them; I am the LORD who sanctifies you.
Psalm 3:5 I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.
Psalm 4:8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king win haste and said thus to him: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.” 26 The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” 27 Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: 29 To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. 30 But gas for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.
Dream catchers have long been a part of Native American religion, lore, and art, originating with the Ojibwe, or Chippewa, and the Lakota, a confederation of seven Sioux tribes. Dream catchers are webbed and beaded circles hung with feathers from the base of the circle. As the name suggests,, the purpose of a dream catcher is to catch dreams—that is, to trap bad or evil dreams and channel good dreams to the sleeper. Dream catchers are usually placed in a window or above the bed, allowing the good dreams to drip down the feathers onto the sleeper below.
Millions of Americans adorn their bedrooms,front porches, and various rooms in their homes with dream catchers. It has become extremely popular and fashionable to own a dream catcher. The motive or intent of why folks buy and display them vary—for some it is merely an interesting piece of historical art…..looks cool….Others do so for protection while sleeping. However, since the name is so self-explanatory, when a person purchases/displays one, they can’t help but know what their purpose is. Besides, we usually have mixed motives when doing most anything. For example, while a person may primarily buy a dream catcher simply because they think it is cool, deep down they know the crystal clear intentions of those who originally made and used them. It is, after all, a DREAM CATCHER!
My guess is that the vast majority of folks who buy them do so with at least some desire for them to produce the results for which they were originally created….positive vibes while sleeping and warding off bad dreams. But regardless of intent, is there any problem or danger in the use of a dream catcher? To answer that, consider the following fact….
Essentially, a dream catcher is intended to manipulate the spirit world.
You may wish to re-read the last sentence. Folks have become enamored with all things Native American. What many folks may not realize is how much of their religion is focused on spiritism and other attempts to manipulate the spirit realm.
Most Native American tribes believe that the souls of the dead pass into a spirit world and become part of the spiritual forces that influence every part of their daily lives.
Deuteronomy 18, Leviticus 19, 20 list forbidden practices…they are all attempts to communicate/manipulate the spirit world. While dream catchers are not explicitly mentioned in the bible, what they purport to do (protect our dreams) is a demonic lie. We are to look to God alone for protection, while awake or asleep. God demands that we look to Him alone for protection (Psalm 125:2…see verses above) If we are anxious we are to look to Him alone (Philippians 4:6-7)
To look to a man-made object to protect our dreams is idolatry. That in itself should be enough to steer clear of them. God is jealous, and He will not share His glory with His creation.
By their very nature, dream catchers are unclean. Spiritually polluted. Objects which are unclean and are used for unclean purposes, can attract demonic attention or even attachment to the object. Recently I cleansed a young woman’s room which had a dream catcher on her door (and a voodoo necklace), which were removed.. I don’t think that her room was infested, but better safe than sorry…many others have not been as fortunate..
Am I saying that every person who owns a dream catcher is under demonic oppression? No. I’m not. However, not every person who owns and uses a Ouija board is under demonic oppression either.Nevertheless, owning a Ouija board is playing with fire….playing spiritual Russian Roulette.The purpose of a Ouija board is manipulating the spirit realm, as is a dream catcher. This will become clearer as we see the connection between spirits and dreams in Native American thought.
There are many stories about folks coming under attack when they placed a dream catcher in their home, and the activity stopped when it was removed….similar to the experience countless other folks have had when they played around with many other types of occult objects.Those of us who do cleansings of homes know how important it is to extract/destroy any and all objects that may have some ritualistic connection to the occult.
Some things are mysteries, but one thing is crystal clear—dream catchers, are by their very nature, spiritually unclean objects. Even if you only view your dream catcher as purely adornment, we need to ask how God views your dream catcher. In the above texts He makes it abundantly clear that ANY objects whose purpose is to manipulate the spirit realm is an abomination in His eyes.(Deuteronomy 18:9-14) As I mentioned last week God is love, but He is an intellectual authoritarian. He demands that our thoughts conform to His Word, and not be conformed to sentimental or romantic ideas of false religions.
According to Romans 1:18ff non-Christian religions (though they all have noble elements in them), are essentially demonically originated lies, designed to flee from the Living God. This may not be politically correct, but we must seek to please God and not man. Throughout the bible non-Christian religions are seen as attempts to flee from the Living God, and not an attempt to seek Him.(Isaiah 40-48) In Colossians 2:8 elemental spirits (stoichea) are the demonic forces behind the false teachings of humans.
In Genesis 40-41 Joseph, and in Daniel (see text above), are both given interpretations of the kings dreams. It is important to note that both of these godly men deflected the glory away from themselves and towards the Living God, who alone can interpret the king’s dreams. No pagan occultist could accomplish this. The point is that God is in control of all things (Ephesians 1:11), including our sleep and dreams. To impute to a pagan artifact the ability to control or interpret part of God’s world—our sleep and dreams—is cosmic treason. It is idolatry. The texts in the Psalm 3 and 4 state that we are safe while we sleep only because the Living God protects us! (see Psalm 91) Yahweh is our refuge, our fortress, our protector, and only under His wings do we find redemption and protection.
Perhaps I should have placed this earlier, but we need to understand dream catchers in the context of Native American spirituality in general, and the Ojibwe in particular. The first article summarizes what most Native Americans believe regarding ghosts and spirits. The second article summarizes the spiritual beliefs of the Objibwe, the tribe thought to have created the dream catcher.
Native Americans: Ghosts & Spirits
American spiritual beliefs hold rich accounts of ghosts and spirits - that the dead live on and even visit us. Death is typically viewed as a door into the next life, or world, and not something to be feared but embraced.
"We believe that the spirit pervades all creation and that every creature possesses a soul in some degree, though not necessarily a soul conscious to itself. The tree, the waterfall, the grizzly bear, each is an embodied force, and as such an object of reverence." - Ohiyesa, Sioux 1902 (aka Charles Eastman)
The Native American belief in spirit (and ghost) visitation can be found in an amazing speech made in 1854, by Chief Seattle:
"And when the last red man shall have perished from the earth and his memory among white men shall have become a myth, these shores shall swarm with the invisible dead of my tribe, and when your children's children shall think themselves alone in the field, the store, the shop, upon the highway or in the silence of the woods, they will not be alone." - Chief Seattle, 1854
This incredible Native American idea of spirit interaction with the living, what we call spirits or ghosts, could be understood as meaning that Chief Seattle's people (Suquamish) will be with us, for we are all connected as one, great humanity - brothers. However, his address from 1854 is also haunting as we continue to read his words for he seemed to give a warning that, in the afterlife, ghosts and spirits affect the living:
"The white man will never be alone. Let him be just and lindly deal with my people, for the dead are not powerless. Dead - I say? There is no death. Only a change of worlds."
We might say that Native American beliefs in the afterlife reveal a hidden, spirit world that interacts with this earthly plane - a greater, underlying connection that exists before our eyes - many remaining unaware of its existence. Black Elk, a Lakota Sioux medicine man, had much to say about the unseen world of Spirit co-existing with the physical world we know:
“The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when theyrealize at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that its center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.”
"The Great Spirit is everywhere; he hears whatever is in our minds and our hearts, and it is not necessary to speak to him in a loud voice."
This idea of a Great Spirit being everywhere and within everything is the meaning behind Black Elk's words. Here are two more quotes from this great Native American:
“Peace will come to the hearts of men when they realize their oneness with the universe. It is everywhere.”
“The Holy Land is everywhere.”
Another example of this idea is reflected in the story of how the great warrior, Crazy Horse, was said to have found his courage and strength. According to the book, Black Elk Speaks, Crazy Horse shared with Black Elk his vision that occurred in the spirit world:
“Crazy Horse dreamed and went into the world where there is nothing but the spirits of all things. That is the real world that is behind this one, and everything we see here is something like a shadow from that one.”
Crazy Horse also described his horse floating and moving differently above the field (thus, "Crazy Horse") in his powerful vision. It's been said that he was able to move in and out between the spirit realm and the physical world, able to see both, and so his courage and power was greater than most men.
Let's consider the concept that people can make a choice to move beyond this plane after death of the body but still interact with the living (at times, as loving, guiding spirits often seen in dreams and visions), or consistently remain behind, earthbound and troubled (what we would call ghosts). We can find this choice upon death of the body reflected in Native American beliefs by reading A Speech to the Dead by Native American (Luiseno) Chief Fox:
"Now this day you have ceased to see daylight.
Think only of what is good.
Do not think of anything uselessly.
You must think all the time of what is good.
You will go and live with our nephew.
And do not think evil towards these your relatives.
When you start to leave them this day you must not think backwards of them with regret.
And do not think of looking back at them.
And do not feel badly because you have lost sight of this daylight.
This does not happen today to you alone, so that you thus be alone when you die.
Bless the people so that they may not be sick.
This is what you will do.
You must merely bless them so that they may live as mortals here.
You must always think kindly.
Today is the last time I shall speak to you.
Now I shall cease speaking to you, my relative."
Ojibwe Spirituality and Beliefs
Spiritual Connections
The Ojibwe people believe in the Great Spirit or Creator. Their Creator holds a supernatural power that it shares with all aspects of nature, humans, and the forces of the universe, such as the sun, moon, lightning, ghosts, and thunder. All of these non-living and living things posses animistic spirits, some of which are evil and some of which are good. The Ojibwe oral tradition states that these good spirits can help the people in their quest for self-awareness, growth, and spiritual development because everyone and everything in nature are spiritually connected and influence each other.
The Vision Quest
When a young Ojibwe boy or girl reaches the age of adolescence, they are expected to begin a journey called a "vision quest". This quest leads them into the wilderness, where one can find seclusion from the outside world. On these quests, the young Ojibwe practices fasting and meditation in an attempt to invoke a vision or dream. Through these dreams, one becomes capable of being guided on a spiritual path. The main purpose of a vision quest is to discover a spiritual guide. This guide typically comes in the form of an animal, only revealing itself with an important message when it so chooses. The success of a young Ojibwe's vision quest may determine their potential role as a Shaman, or spiritual leader, later in life. Spiritual development continues into adulthood where one discovers the meaning of life and moral responsibilities. Transitioning through each stage of life, an Ojibwe eventually reaches old age, and their sacred journey becomes fulfilled. It is then the responsibility of the elder to impart their wisdom and teachings unto the young tribal members.
The Medicine Man and the "Shaking Tents"
The Ojibwe medicine man is both a physical and spiritual healer. He is the tribe's connection to the spiritual world, who calls upon powers and knowledge through song and prayer. The medicine man is responsible for a great deal of knowledge concerning the tribe's ways of life, spiritual healing, and plant and herbal properties. Most importantly, the medicine man is responsible for teaching his young tribal members the Ojibwe way of life and the importance of spiritual healing.
The Ojibwe practice a ritual known as the "shaking tent". The main purpose of a shaking tent is to consult with the spirits about a health issue or an important event in the future. During this ritual, the ailing person lays outside the tent, or wigwam, while the medicine man goes inside to sing or pray to the spirits. Then, when the spirits are present, the tent begins to shake back and forth. The medicine man asks for their advice, and they answer with many different voices, sounding like a crowd. The medicine man then treats the ill person and tells them of the message sent by the spirits.
While there is great diversity of belief amongst Native Americans, they generally share an occultic cosmology….shamnism. Though Native Americans decry the abuse of the dream catcher by New Agers, their spirituality is quite similar to New Age, which is actually quite old.Hopefully the above quotes/article clarify the dangerous side of Native American spirituality.
It is common knowledge that Native American lands are prone to being infested. (For many paranormal investigators one of the first things they seek is whether or not there is an Indian connection.) Many folks assume that the reason for the infestation is that these people, and especially their dead, have been desecrated. And there is no doubt that this has happened on a large scale, which is tragic.
However, given the intensely spiritistic nature of Native American spirituality, may I suggest that the land was spiritually polluted by their beliefs and practices…and generations of occultic ceremonies. Remember, ALL non-Christian religions originated and are continually energized by demons.(see Colossians 2:6ff) When you combine that with the fact that Native American spirituality is occultic to the core (all is one….animism….daily seeking of interaction with ‘spirits. ect) Suppose a group of 10,000 witches settled on a land and for generations practiced their incantations, ect, What do you think would happen to that land? In the Old Testament we are told that the spiritistic practices of the Canaanites polluted the land so badly that the land vomited them out.Witches have a high view of nature, like Native Americans, and many similar beliefs. Why would we think that generations of witches may spiritually pollute the land (causing infestation), but not with Native Americans?
Americans, including many Christians, have a high regard for Native American religion. Perhaps we feel that way due to their being the ‘original inhabitants”…..or that they were treated so horribly (which they were)….or that they have such a high regard for nature. Even though almost all religions have some good traits, we must not forget that Jesus is the only way to salvation (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 John 5:13, ect.). Apart from Christ we are not merely spiritually sick, but we are DEAD. It was Jesus, and not Christians, who created this “narrowness”. However, given our rebellion, we are blessed that God provided one way of salvation!
Once we understand the context/cosmology of dream catchers and how they are tied to an occultic spirituality, then that should put them in proper perspective.For God’s glory, and for your safety, please get rid of all Native American artifacts, especially dream catchers or masks.
One of the most critical issues facing the Native Christian Church today is the effort to revive, adapt and utilize Native cultural forms in worship of the church. In the light of the resurgence of Native religious traditionalism, the coming of the peyote movement (Native American Church), the influx of New Age philosophy, and questions concerning Native spirituality and Biblical truth, we as Native believers in Christ, from a score of tribes and with hundreds of combined years of experience in tribal ministry among us, have gathered together to speak with one voice on these subjects to the body of Christ at large, basing our responses on the clear statements of the revealed Word of God.
1Tm 4:1, 2Tim 4:3-4, 2Cor. 4:1-2, 1Pet 4.- 1.
1. As Native leaders,
3. We believe our salvation is in the finished work of Christ and that we cannot add anything to that work to improve our relationship with God. As believers, we should not, therefore, use or attach any spiritual value to items regarded as sacred such as tobacco, cedar smoke, sweet grass, peyote, prayer feathers, fetishes, masks, drums, dances, etc.; to places regarded as sacred such as mother earth, kivas, mountains, sweat lodge, longhouse, or other traditional religious places of worship, etc.; or to spirit beings
Acts 4:12, 1Tim. 2:5-6, Josh. 24.14-15, Mark 7:1-9,
5. We believe we are redeemed and purified only through the blood of Christ for forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation; therefore, we should not teach that a Native can be purified by any other means (smoke, sweats, smudging, other blood sacrifices, etc.). To do so is to substitute or add Native rituals and ceremonies to the finished work of Christ.
1Pet. 1:18-19, Eph. 1:7, Heb. 9:12-14, 22, 1Jn. 1:7, Col. 1:14, Tit. 3:5, Eph. 2:8-9, Col. 2:7-10, Col. 2:20 - 3:2.
6. We believe that Christ has set us free and that the liberty we have in Christ should not be used as a license to introduce anything from the native traditional ways that would hinder our lives in Christ, that would offend any of our fellow believers, or that would hinder our witness to unbelievers.
Gal. 5:1, Jn. 8: Gal. 5:13-15, 1Cor. 8, 1Cor. 10:31-33, Rom 6:16-18.
7. We believe that Christ reigns supreme above all cultures. When Christ redeems and transforms us through faith and obedience to His Word, then Christ will transform our culture through us. (We believe that Christ only redeems people by His blood; the Bible does not teach redemption of culture). At the same time, we affirm that there are many good traditions within our Native cultures, which enhance the lives of both Christians and non-Christians. Such traditions include: respect for elders, love for children, sharing with others, entertaining strangers, considering others before oneself, honoring the accomplishments of others, etc. These all are outstanding examples of the scriptural "law of love" and are to be encouraged.
Eph. 1:20-23, Col. 1:16-18, Phil. 2:9-11, 1Pet. 2:9-12, Gal. 2:20, 2Cor. 5:17, Rom. 12:1-2, Rom. 1:5-6, Tit. 3:5, Gal. 2:16, Eph. 2:8-9, Rev. 5:9, Heb. 9:22, Eph. 1:7-8, Eph. 2:12-13, 1Pet. 1:18-19, 2Thes. 2:15, Phil. 4:8-9.
By biblical truth, we mean the sole authority of the divine revelation of God to man, clearly inspired by the Holy Spirit in the Holy Scriptures, and not what man thinks about God.
By native religious traditionalism, we mean the influence of the unwritten rules concerning spiritual conduct in our historical cultures which are not in accord with the revealed Word of God.
One of the most critical issues facing the Native Christian Church today is the effort to revive, adapt and utilize Native cultural forms in worship of the church. In the light of the resurgence of Native religious traditionalism, the coming of the peyote movement (Native American Church), the influx of New Age philosophy, and questions concerning Native spirituality and Biblical truth, we as Native believers in Christ, from a score of tribes and with hundreds of combined years of experience in tribal ministry among us, have gathered together to speak with one voice on these subjects to the body of Christ at large, basing our responses on the clear statements of the revealed Word of God.
1Tm 4:1, 2Tim 4:3-4, 2Cor. 4:1-2, 1Pet 4.- 1.
1. As Native leaders, we believe that God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is personal, eternal, and pre-exists all of creation. God is both the Creator and the Reason for all creation, including the heavens and the earth, plant life, animal life, and man. Life originated from God who is our true heavenly Father, not from earth as our "mother".
Gen. 1:26, Heb. 4.14, Jn 1:14, 1Tim. 1:17, Jn 1:1-3, Col. 1:16-17, Neh. 9:6, Rom. 1:20, Acts 17:26-30, Gen. 2:7, Deut. 32:39, Psa. 104:5, Isa 51:6, Job 12.7-9.
2. We believe that Christ should have preeminence and permeates all aspects of our l ves and, through us, all aspects of our cultures, to promote the glory of God. God will not share His glory with anything in creation. To do so is idolatry. To combine elements of Native religion and Biblical truth is syncretism. We must renounce and avoid any form of idolatry and syncretism, because they are forbidden in Scripture.
Deut. 32:39, Col. 1:17-19, Eph. 1:6,12,14, Heb. 1:3-4, 1Cor. 10:31, Isa 42:8, Ex. 20:3-6, Rom. 1:23, CoL 3:5, 2Ki. 40:41, 2Cor. 6:14-17, 2Cor 4.2, Acts 19:18-20, ICor. 5:11, Isa 42:17.
3. We believe our salvation is in the finished work of Christ and that we cannot add anything to that work to improve our relationship with God. As believers, we should not, therefore, use or attach any spiritual value to items regarded as sacred such as tobacco, cedar smoke, sweet grass, peyote, prayer feathers, fetishes, masks, drums, dances, etc.; to places regarded as sacred such as mother earth, kivas, mountains, sweat lodge, longhouse, or other traditional religious places of worship, etc.; or to spirit beings such as kachinas, skin walkers, animal and nature spirits, etc.
Jn. 19:30, Eph. 2:8-9, 5:8-12, Ex. 20:1-5, Isa. 1:13-16, Deut. 18:9-13, Jn. 4:21-24, Deut. 12:2, 2Chron. 34:4, Thes. 1:9.
4. We believe that Christ has always been and always will be the one and only mediator between God and man. Man is totally helpless to reach God through any traditional spiritual efforts such as Native ceremonies, rituals and forms of worship.
Jn. 14:6, Acts 4:12, 1Tim. 2:5-6, Josh. 24.14-15, Mark 7:1-9, Rom. 3:9-18,23, Col. 2:20-23.
5. We believe we are redeemed and purified only through the blood of Christ for forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation; therefore, we should not teach that a Native can be purified by any other means (smoke, sweats, smudging, other blood sacrifices, etc.). To do so is to substitute or add Native rituals and ceremonies to the finished work of Christ.
1Pet. 1:18-19, Eph. 1:7, Heb. 9:12-14, 22, 1Jn. 1:7, Col. 1:14, Tit. 3:5, Eph. 2:8-9, Col. 2:7-10, Col. 2:20 - 3:2.
6. We believe that Christ has set us free and that the liberty we have in Christ should not be used as a license to introduce anything from the native traditional ways that would hinder our lives in Christ, that would offend any of our fellow believers, or that would hinder our witness to unbelievers.
Gal. 5:1, Jn. 8:32,, Gal. 5:13-15, 1Cor. 8, 1Cor. 10:31-33, Rom 6:16-18.
7. We believe that Christ reigns supreme above all cultures. When Christ redeems and transforms us through faith and obedience to His Word, then Christ will transform our culture through us. (We believe that Christ only redeems people by His blood; the Bible does not teach redemption of culture). At the same time, we affirm that there are many good traditions within our Native cultures, which enhance the lives of both Christians and non-Christians. Such traditions include: respect for elders, love for children, sharing with others, entertaining strangers, considering others before oneself, honoring the accomplishments of others, etc. These all are outstanding examples of the scriptural "law of love" and are to be encouraged.
Eph. 1:20-23, Col. 1:16-18, Phil. 2:9-11, 1Pet. 2:9-12, Gal. 2:20, 2Cor. 5:17, Rom. 12:1-2, Rom. 1:5-6, Tit. 3:5, Gal. 2:16, Eph. 2:8-9, Rev. 5:9, Heb. 9:22, Eph. 1:7-8, Eph. 2:12-13, 1Pet. 1:18-19, 2Thes. 2:15, Phil. 4:8-9.
Definitions:
By biblical truth, we mean the sole authority of the divine revelation of God to man, clearly inspired by the Holy Spirit in the Holy Scriptures, and not what man thinks about God.
By native religious traditionalism, we mean the influence of the unwritten rules concerning spiritual conduct in our historical cultures which are not in accord with the revealed Word of God.
By native culture, we mean the dynamic learned lifeways, beliefs and values of our people as revealed in our languages, customs, relationships, arts and rituals. In native culture, religion permeates all aspects of life and is often identified as being the culture, even though it is only an aspect of it.
• By syncretism, we refer specifically to the subtle attempt to integrate Biblical truth and faith in Christ with non-biblical Native religious beliefs, practices, and forms. The result is an adulteration of biblical truth and the birth of "another gospel (Gal 1: 6-9)."
By idolatry, we mean exchanging the worship of the Creator for the worship of the creation. The Bible teaches that we must not "exchange the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures (Ro. 1:23)."
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“When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering,5 anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer 11 or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or cone who inquires of the dead, 12 for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. And because of these abominations the LORD your God is driving them out before you. 13 You shall be blameless before the LORD your God, 14 for these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune-tellers and to diviners. But as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you to do this.
“If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. 7 Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. 8 Keep my statutes and do them; I am the LORD who sanctifies you.
Psalm 3:5 I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.
Psalm 4:8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king win haste and said thus to him: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.” 26 The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” 27 Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: 29 To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. 30 But gas for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.
Dream catchers have long been a part of Native American religion, lore, and art, originating with the Ojibwe, or Chippewa, and the Lakota, a confederation of seven Sioux tribes. Dream catchers are webbed and beaded circles hung with feathers from the base of the circle. As the name suggests,, the purpose of a dream catcher is to catch dreams—that is, to trap bad or evil dreams and channel good dreams to the sleeper. Dream catchers are usually placed in a window or above the bed, allowing the good dreams to drip down the feathers onto the sleeper below.
Millions of Americans adorn their bedrooms,front porches, and various rooms in their homes with dream catchers. It has become extremely popular and fashionable to own a dream catcher. The motive or intent of why folks buy and display them vary—for some it is merely an interesting piece of historical art…..looks cool….Others do so for protection while sleeping. However, since the name is so self-explanatory, when a person purchases/displays one, they can’t help but know what their purpose is. Besides, we usually have mixed motives when doing most anything. For example, while a person may primarily buy a dream catcher simply because they think it is cool, deep down they know the crystal clear intentions of those who originally made and used them. It is, after all, a DREAM CATCHER!
My guess is that the vast majority of folks who buy them do so with at least some desire for them to produce the results for which they were originally created….positive vibes while sleeping and warding off bad dreams. But regardless of intent, is there any problem or danger in the use of a dream catcher? To answer that, consider the following fact….
Essentially, a dream catcher is intended to manipulate the spirit world.
You may wish to re-read the last sentence. Folks have become enamored with all things Native American. What many folks may not realize is how much of their religion is focused on spiritism and other attempts to manipulate the spirit realm.
Most Native American tribes believe that the souls of the dead pass into a spirit world and become part of the spiritual forces that influence every part of their daily lives.
Deuteronomy 18, Leviticus 19, 20 list forbidden practices…they are all attempts to communicate/manipulate the spirit world. While dream catchers are not explicitly mentioned in the bible, what they purport to do (protect our dreams) is a demonic lie. We are to look to God alone for protection, while awake or asleep. God demands that we look to Him alone for protection (Psalm 125:2…see verses above) If we are anxious we are to look to Him alone (Philippians 4:6-7)
To look to a man-made object to protect our dreams is idolatry. That in itself should be enough to steer clear of them. God is jealous, and He will not share His glory with His creation.
By their very nature, dream catchers are unclean. Spiritually polluted. Objects which are unclean and are used for unclean purposes, can attract demonic attention or even attachment to the object. Recently I cleansed a young woman’s room which had a dream catcher on her door (and a voodoo necklace), which were removed.. I don’t think that her room was infested, but better safe than sorry…many others have not been as fortunate..
Am I saying that every person who owns a dream catcher is under demonic oppression? No. I’m not. However, not every person who owns and uses a Ouija board is under demonic oppression either.Nevertheless, owning a Ouija board is playing with fire….playing spiritual Russian Roulette.The purpose of a Ouija board is manipulating the spirit realm, as is a dream catcher. This will become clearer as we see the connection between spirits and dreams in Native American thought.
There are many stories about folks coming under attack when they placed a dream catcher in their home, and the activity stopped when it was removed….similar to the experience countless other folks have had when they played around with many other types of occult objects.Those of us who do cleansings of homes know how important it is to extract/destroy any and all objects that may have some ritualistic connection to the occult.
Some things are mysteries, but one thing is crystal clear—dream catchers, are by their very nature, spiritually unclean objects. Even if you only view your dream catcher as purely adornment, we need to ask how God views your dream catcher. In the above texts He makes it abundantly clear that ANY objects whose purpose is to manipulate the spirit realm is an abomination in His eyes.(Deuteronomy 18:9-14) As I mentioned last week God is love, but He is an intellectual authoritarian. He demands that our thoughts conform to His Word, and not be conformed to sentimental or romantic ideas of false religions.
According to Romans 1:18ff non-Christian religions (though they all have noble elements in them), are essentially demonically originated lies, designed to flee from the Living God. This may not be politically correct, but we must seek to please God and not man. Throughout the bible non-Christian religions are seen as attempts to flee from the Living God, and not an attempt to seek Him.(Isaiah 40-48) In Colossians 2:8 elemental spirits (stoichea) are the demonic forces behind the false teachings of humans.
In Genesis 40-41 Joseph, and in Daniel (see text above), are both given interpretations of the kings dreams. It is important to note that both of these godly men deflected the glory away from themselves and towards the Living God, who alone can interpret the king’s dreams. No pagan occultist could accomplish this. The point is that God is in control of all things (Ephesians 1:11), including our sleep and dreams. To impute to a pagan artifact the ability to control or interpret part of God’s world—our sleep and dreams—is cosmic treason. It is idolatry. The texts in the Psalm 3 and 4 state that we are safe while we sleep only because the Living God protects us! (see Psalm 91) Yahweh is our refuge, our fortress, our protector, and only under His wings do we find redemption and protection.
Perhaps I should have placed this earlier, but we need to understand dream catchers in the context of Native American spirituality in general, and the Ojibwe in particular. The first article summarizes what most Native Americans believe regarding ghosts and spirits. The second article summarizes the spiritual beliefs of the Objibwe, the tribe thought to have created the dream catcher.
Native Americans: Ghosts & Spirits
American spiritual beliefs hold rich accounts of ghosts and spirits - that the dead live on and even visit us. Death is typically viewed as a door into the next life, or world, and not something to be feared but embraced.
"We believe that the spirit pervades all creation and that every creature possesses a soul in some degree, though not necessarily a soul conscious to itself. The tree, the waterfall, the grizzly bear, each is an embodied force, and as such an object of reverence." - Ohiyesa, Sioux 1902 (aka Charles Eastman)
The Native American belief in spirit (and ghost) visitation can be found in an amazing speech made in 1854, by Chief Seattle:
"And when the last red man shall have perished from the earth and his memory among white men shall have become a myth, these shores shall swarm with the invisible dead of my tribe, and when your children's children shall think themselves alone in the field, the store, the shop, upon the highway or in the silence of the woods, they will not be alone." - Chief Seattle, 1854
This incredible Native American idea of spirit interaction with the living, what we call spirits or ghosts, could be understood as meaning that Chief Seattle's people (Suquamish) will be with us, for we are all connected as one, great humanity - brothers. However, his address from 1854 is also haunting as we continue to read his words for he seemed to give a warning that, in the afterlife, ghosts and spirits affect the living:
"The white man will never be alone. Let him be just and lindly deal with my people, for the dead are not powerless. Dead - I say? There is no death. Only a change of worlds."
We might say that Native American beliefs in the afterlife reveal a hidden, spirit world that interacts with this earthly plane - a greater, underlying connection that exists before our eyes - many remaining unaware of its existence. Black Elk, a Lakota Sioux medicine man, had much to say about the unseen world of Spirit co-existing with the physical world we know:
“The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when theyrealize at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that its center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.”
"The Great Spirit is everywhere; he hears whatever is in our minds and our hearts, and it is not necessary to speak to him in a loud voice."
This idea of a Great Spirit being everywhere and within everything is the meaning behind Black Elk's words. Here are two more quotes from this great Native American:
“Peace will come to the hearts of men when they realize their oneness with the universe. It is everywhere.”
“The Holy Land is everywhere.”
Another example of this idea is reflected in the story of how the great warrior, Crazy Horse, was said to have found his courage and strength. According to the book, Black Elk Speaks, Crazy Horse shared with Black Elk his vision that occurred in the spirit world:
“Crazy Horse dreamed and went into the world where there is nothing but the spirits of all things. That is the real world that is behind this one, and everything we see here is something like a shadow from that one.”
Crazy Horse also described his horse floating and moving differently above the field (thus, "Crazy Horse") in his powerful vision. It's been said that he was able to move in and out between the spirit realm and the physical world, able to see both, and so his courage and power was greater than most men.
Let's consider the concept that people can make a choice to move beyond this plane after death of the body but still interact with the living (at times, as loving, guiding spirits often seen in dreams and visions), or consistently remain behind, earthbound and troubled (what we would call ghosts). We can find this choice upon death of the body reflected in Native American beliefs by reading A Speech to the Dead by Native American (Luiseno) Chief Fox:
"Now this day you have ceased to see daylight.
Think only of what is good.
Do not think of anything uselessly.
You must think all the time of what is good.
You will go and live with our nephew.
And do not think evil towards these your relatives.
When you start to leave them this day you must not think backwards of them with regret.
And do not think of looking back at them.
And do not feel badly because you have lost sight of this daylight.
This does not happen today to you alone, so that you thus be alone when you die.
Bless the people so that they may not be sick.
This is what you will do.
You must merely bless them so that they may live as mortals here.
You must always think kindly.
Today is the last time I shall speak to you.
Now I shall cease speaking to you, my relative."
Ojibwe Spirituality and Beliefs
Spiritual Connections
The Ojibwe people believe in the Great Spirit or Creator. Their Creator holds a supernatural power that it shares with all aspects of nature, humans, and the forces of the universe, such as the sun, moon, lightning, ghosts, and thunder. All of these non-living and living things posses animistic spirits, some of which are evil and some of which are good. The Ojibwe oral tradition states that these good spirits can help the people in their quest for self-awareness, growth, and spiritual development because everyone and everything in nature are spiritually connected and influence each other.
The Vision Quest
When a young Ojibwe boy or girl reaches the age of adolescence, they are expected to begin a journey called a "vision quest". This quest leads them into the wilderness, where one can find seclusion from the outside world. On these quests, the young Ojibwe practices fasting and meditation in an attempt to invoke a vision or dream. Through these dreams, one becomes capable of being guided on a spiritual path. The main purpose of a vision quest is to discover a spiritual guide. This guide typically comes in the form of an animal, only revealing itself with an important message when it so chooses. The success of a young Ojibwe's vision quest may determine their potential role as a Shaman, or spiritual leader, later in life. Spiritual development continues into adulthood where one discovers the meaning of life and moral responsibilities. Transitioning through each stage of life, an Ojibwe eventually reaches old age, and their sacred journey becomes fulfilled. It is then the responsibility of the elder to impart their wisdom and teachings unto the young tribal members.
The Medicine Man and the "Shaking Tents"
The Ojibwe medicine man is both a physical and spiritual healer. He is the tribe's connection to the spiritual world, who calls upon powers and knowledge through song and prayer. The medicine man is responsible for a great deal of knowledge concerning the tribe's ways of life, spiritual healing, and plant and herbal properties. Most importantly, the medicine man is responsible for teaching his young tribal members the Ojibwe way of life and the importance of spiritual healing.
The Ojibwe practice a ritual known as the "shaking tent". The main purpose of a shaking tent is to consult with the spirits about a health issue or an important event in the future. During this ritual, the ailing person lays outside the tent, or wigwam, while the medicine man goes inside to sing or pray to the spirits. Then, when the spirits are present, the tent begins to shake back and forth. The medicine man asks for their advice, and they answer with many different voices, sounding like a crowd. The medicine man then treats the ill person and tells them of the message sent by the spirits.
While there is great diversity of belief amongst Native Americans, they generally share an occultic cosmology….shamnism. Though Native Americans decry the abuse of the dream catcher by New Agers, their spirituality is quite similar to New Age, which is actually quite old.Hopefully the above quotes/article clarify the dangerous side of Native American spirituality.
It is common knowledge that Native American lands are prone to being infested. (For many paranormal investigators one of the first things they seek is whether or not there is an Indian connection.) Many folks assume that the reason for the infestation is that these people, and especially their dead, have been desecrated. And there is no doubt that this has happened on a large scale, which is tragic.
However, given the intensely spiritistic nature of Native American spirituality, may I suggest that the land was spiritually polluted by their beliefs and practices…and generations of occultic ceremonies. Remember, ALL non-Christian religions originated and are continually energized by demons.(see Colossians 2:6ff) When you combine that with the fact that Native American spirituality is occultic to the core (all is one….animism….daily seeking of interaction with ‘spirits. ect) Suppose a group of 10,000 witches settled on a land and for generations practiced their incantations, ect, What do you think would happen to that land? In the Old Testament we are told that the spiritistic practices of the Canaanites polluted the land so badly that the land vomited them out.Witches have a high view of nature, like Native Americans, and many similar beliefs. Why would we think that generations of witches may spiritually pollute the land (causing infestation), but not with Native Americans?
Americans, including many Christians, have a high regard for Native American religion. Perhaps we feel that way due to their being the ‘original inhabitants”…..or that they were treated so horribly (which they were)….or that they have such a high regard for nature. Even though almost all religions have some good traits, we must not forget that Jesus is the only way to salvation (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 John 5:13, ect.). Apart from Christ we are not merely spiritually sick, but we are DEAD. It was Jesus, and not Christians, who created this “narrowness”. However, given our rebellion, we are blessed that God provided one way of salvation!
Once we understand the context/cosmology of dream catchers and how they are tied to an occultic spirituality, then that should put them in proper perspective.For God’s glory, and for your safety, please get rid of all Native American artifacts, especially dream catchers or masks.
One of the most critical issues facing the Native Christian Church today is the effort to revive, adapt and utilize Native cultural forms in worship of the church. In the light of the resurgence of Native religious traditionalism, the coming of the peyote movement (Native American Church), the influx of New Age philosophy, and questions concerning Native spirituality and Biblical truth, we as Native believers in Christ, from a score of tribes and with hundreds of combined years of experience in tribal ministry among us, have gathered together to speak with one voice on these subjects to the body of Christ at large, basing our responses on the clear statements of the revealed Word of God.
1Tm 4:1, 2Tim 4:3-4, 2Cor. 4:1-2, 1Pet 4.- 1.
1. As Native leaders,
3. We believe our salvation is in the finished work of Christ and that we cannot add anything to that work to improve our relationship with God. As believers, we should not, therefore, use or attach any spiritual value to items regarded as sacred such as tobacco, cedar smoke, sweet grass, peyote, prayer feathers, fetishes, masks, drums, dances, etc.; to places regarded as sacred such as mother earth, kivas, mountains, sweat lodge, longhouse, or other traditional religious places of worship, etc.; or to spirit beings
Acts 4:12, 1Tim. 2:5-6, Josh. 24.14-15, Mark 7:1-9,
5. We believe we are redeemed and purified only through the blood of Christ for forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation; therefore, we should not teach that a Native can be purified by any other means (smoke, sweats, smudging, other blood sacrifices, etc.). To do so is to substitute or add Native rituals and ceremonies to the finished work of Christ.
1Pet. 1:18-19, Eph. 1:7, Heb. 9:12-14, 22, 1Jn. 1:7, Col. 1:14, Tit. 3:5, Eph. 2:8-9, Col. 2:7-10, Col. 2:20 - 3:2.
6. We believe that Christ has set us free and that the liberty we have in Christ should not be used as a license to introduce anything from the native traditional ways that would hinder our lives in Christ, that would offend any of our fellow believers, or that would hinder our witness to unbelievers.
Gal. 5:1, Jn. 8: Gal. 5:13-15, 1Cor. 8, 1Cor. 10:31-33, Rom 6:16-18.
7. We believe that Christ reigns supreme above all cultures. When Christ redeems and transforms us through faith and obedience to His Word, then Christ will transform our culture through us. (We believe that Christ only redeems people by His blood; the Bible does not teach redemption of culture). At the same time, we affirm that there are many good traditions within our Native cultures, which enhance the lives of both Christians and non-Christians. Such traditions include: respect for elders, love for children, sharing with others, entertaining strangers, considering others before oneself, honoring the accomplishments of others, etc. These all are outstanding examples of the scriptural "law of love" and are to be encouraged.
Eph. 1:20-23, Col. 1:16-18, Phil. 2:9-11, 1Pet. 2:9-12, Gal. 2:20, 2Cor. 5:17, Rom. 12:1-2, Rom. 1:5-6, Tit. 3:5, Gal. 2:16, Eph. 2:8-9, Rev. 5:9, Heb. 9:22, Eph. 1:7-8, Eph. 2:12-13, 1Pet. 1:18-19, 2Thes. 2:15, Phil. 4:8-9.
By biblical truth, we mean the sole authority of the divine revelation of God to man, clearly inspired by the Holy Spirit in the Holy Scriptures, and not what man thinks about God.
By native religious traditionalism, we mean the influence of the unwritten rules concerning spiritual conduct in our historical cultures which are not in accord with the revealed Word of God.
One of the most critical issues facing the Native Christian Church today is the effort to revive, adapt and utilize Native cultural forms in worship of the church. In the light of the resurgence of Native religious traditionalism, the coming of the peyote movement (Native American Church), the influx of New Age philosophy, and questions concerning Native spirituality and Biblical truth, we as Native believers in Christ, from a score of tribes and with hundreds of combined years of experience in tribal ministry among us, have gathered together to speak with one voice on these subjects to the body of Christ at large, basing our responses on the clear statements of the revealed Word of God.
1Tm 4:1, 2Tim 4:3-4, 2Cor. 4:1-2, 1Pet 4.- 1.
1. As Native leaders, we believe that God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is personal, eternal, and pre-exists all of creation. God is both the Creator and the Reason for all creation, including the heavens and the earth, plant life, animal life, and man. Life originated from God who is our true heavenly Father, not from earth as our "mother".
Gen. 1:26, Heb. 4.14, Jn 1:14, 1Tim. 1:17, Jn 1:1-3, Col. 1:16-17, Neh. 9:6, Rom. 1:20, Acts 17:26-30, Gen. 2:7, Deut. 32:39, Psa. 104:5, Isa 51:6, Job 12.7-9.
2. We believe that Christ should have preeminence and permeates all aspects of our l ves and, through us, all aspects of our cultures, to promote the glory of God. God will not share His glory with anything in creation. To do so is idolatry. To combine elements of Native religion and Biblical truth is syncretism. We must renounce and avoid any form of idolatry and syncretism, because they are forbidden in Scripture.
Deut. 32:39, Col. 1:17-19, Eph. 1:6,12,14, Heb. 1:3-4, 1Cor. 10:31, Isa 42:8, Ex. 20:3-6, Rom. 1:23, CoL 3:5, 2Ki. 40:41, 2Cor. 6:14-17, 2Cor 4.2, Acts 19:18-20, ICor. 5:11, Isa 42:17.
3. We believe our salvation is in the finished work of Christ and that we cannot add anything to that work to improve our relationship with God. As believers, we should not, therefore, use or attach any spiritual value to items regarded as sacred such as tobacco, cedar smoke, sweet grass, peyote, prayer feathers, fetishes, masks, drums, dances, etc.; to places regarded as sacred such as mother earth, kivas, mountains, sweat lodge, longhouse, or other traditional religious places of worship, etc.; or to spirit beings such as kachinas, skin walkers, animal and nature spirits, etc.
Jn. 19:30, Eph. 2:8-9, 5:8-12, Ex. 20:1-5, Isa. 1:13-16, Deut. 18:9-13, Jn. 4:21-24, Deut. 12:2, 2Chron. 34:4, Thes. 1:9.
4. We believe that Christ has always been and always will be the one and only mediator between God and man. Man is totally helpless to reach God through any traditional spiritual efforts such as Native ceremonies, rituals and forms of worship.
Jn. 14:6, Acts 4:12, 1Tim. 2:5-6, Josh. 24.14-15, Mark 7:1-9, Rom. 3:9-18,23, Col. 2:20-23.
5. We believe we are redeemed and purified only through the blood of Christ for forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation; therefore, we should not teach that a Native can be purified by any other means (smoke, sweats, smudging, other blood sacrifices, etc.). To do so is to substitute or add Native rituals and ceremonies to the finished work of Christ.
1Pet. 1:18-19, Eph. 1:7, Heb. 9:12-14, 22, 1Jn. 1:7, Col. 1:14, Tit. 3:5, Eph. 2:8-9, Col. 2:7-10, Col. 2:20 - 3:2.
6. We believe that Christ has set us free and that the liberty we have in Christ should not be used as a license to introduce anything from the native traditional ways that would hinder our lives in Christ, that would offend any of our fellow believers, or that would hinder our witness to unbelievers.
Gal. 5:1, Jn. 8:32,, Gal. 5:13-15, 1Cor. 8, 1Cor. 10:31-33, Rom 6:16-18.
7. We believe that Christ reigns supreme above all cultures. When Christ redeems and transforms us through faith and obedience to His Word, then Christ will transform our culture through us. (We believe that Christ only redeems people by His blood; the Bible does not teach redemption of culture). At the same time, we affirm that there are many good traditions within our Native cultures, which enhance the lives of both Christians and non-Christians. Such traditions include: respect for elders, love for children, sharing with others, entertaining strangers, considering others before oneself, honoring the accomplishments of others, etc. These all are outstanding examples of the scriptural "law of love" and are to be encouraged.
Eph. 1:20-23, Col. 1:16-18, Phil. 2:9-11, 1Pet. 2:9-12, Gal. 2:20, 2Cor. 5:17, Rom. 12:1-2, Rom. 1:5-6, Tit. 3:5, Gal. 2:16, Eph. 2:8-9, Rev. 5:9, Heb. 9:22, Eph. 1:7-8, Eph. 2:12-13, 1Pet. 1:18-19, 2Thes. 2:15, Phil. 4:8-9.
Definitions:
By biblical truth, we mean the sole authority of the divine revelation of God to man, clearly inspired by the Holy Spirit in the Holy Scriptures, and not what man thinks about God.
By native religious traditionalism, we mean the influence of the unwritten rules concerning spiritual conduct in our historical cultures which are not in accord with the revealed Word of God.
By native culture, we mean the dynamic learned lifeways, beliefs and values of our people as revealed in our languages, customs, relationships, arts and rituals. In native culture, religion permeates all aspects of life and is often identified as being the culture, even though it is only an aspect of it.
• By syncretism, we refer specifically to the subtle attempt to integrate Biblical truth and faith in Christ with non-biblical Native religious beliefs, practices, and forms. The result is an adulteration of biblical truth and the birth of "another gospel (Gal 1: 6-9)."
By idolatry, we mean exchanging the worship of the Creator for the worship of the creation. The Bible teaches that we must not "exchange the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures (Ro. 1:23)."
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Monday, September 14, 2015
Refugee Crisis: Dalai Lama in Plea to put 'Interests of Humanity' First
At start of UK trip, spiritual leader praises German and Austrian response to crisis but declines to criticise British plan to take only 20,000 refugees over five years
National interests should come second to the interests of humanity, the Dalai Lama has said in relation to the global refugee crisis, as he praised the response of Germany and Austria to those “crying, starving and asking for help”.
However, speaking in Oxford on Monday at the start of a nine-day trip to the UK, the Tibetan spiritual leader declined to criticise the UK government’s proposal to take only 20,000 refugees over five years. “You have to consider many factors, whether you can take care of these people,” he said, adding that Britain was a small country and “you have to be practical”.
Ultimately the only solution to the mass movement of people fleeing war and persecution was “genuine peace” in their home countries and regions, added the Dalai Lama, who will address MPs at Westminster and give a talk at London’s O2 arena during his visit.
Referring to conflict and instability in the Middle East, a major factor behind the current refugee crisis, he said that the US’s forceful response to 9/11 had produced “a lot of unintended consequences”. He added: “The billions of dollars spent on weapons could be spent on education and health instead.”
He called for religious harmony across the globe, saying that faith was depicted as the cause of conflict. “People feel religion is a troublemaker [but in fact] religion teaches compassion, tolerance, forgiveness and contentment.”
The media, he said, should report love and harmony, not just focus on division. “The idea of a clash of civilisations is dangerous,” he said, adding that Islam emphasised love, not bloodshed.
The Dalai Lama, who turned 80 this year, also criticised China’s “politics of suppression”, which he said makes it impossible for people to express their real views. The Chinese government has said it will designate the next Dalai Lama, rather than the figurehead being chosen through the traditional method where Buddhist monks identify their reincarnated spiritual leader after his death.
The Beijing regime routinely vilifies the Dalai Lama – who has lived in exile in India since 1959 – over his demands for greater autonomy for Tibet. China says his true intention is independence for Tibet, and it strongly objects to heads of state, dignitaries and high-profile figures meeting with him.
The Dalai Lama is to meet MPs at the invitation of the all-party parliamentary group on Tibet, of which the new Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, is a member. The group exists to pressure the government “to encourage negotiations between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile, whilst recognising that Tibet is an occupied country which had independent links with Britain”.
There are no scheduled meetings with David Cameron or any government ministers. The Dalai Lama’s visit comes just a month before the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, is due to travel to Britain for the first state visit in 10 years.
Cameron and his then coalition partner, Nick Clegg, met the Dalai Lama in 2012, triggering a furious response from the Chinese, who accused the government of “conniving at and supporting separatist attempts to achieve Tibetan independence”.
The following year Cameron led a large trade delegation to China, partly to repair the diplomatic damage over the Dalai Lama meeting. At the time, Downing Street said the prime minister had “turned a page” on the issue and had no plans to meet the Tibetan spiritual leader in the future.
Last week, the Chinese authorities cancelled two Bon Jovi concerts in Shanghai and Beijing, reportedly because the rock band used an image of the Dalai Lama as a backdrop during a 2010 performance in Taiwan.
The Dalai Lama’s main public event during his trip is a talk at the 20,000-seat O2 on Saturday, entitled Compassion: the Foundation of Well-being. Proceeds from the sale of tickets – with prices ranging from £24.75 to £90 – will go to the Tibet House Trust, the Dalai Lama’s UK charity, a spokesman said.
The spiritual leader will also join Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, in leading a two-day private symposium at Cambridge University. The purpose was “to shape humane, compassionate, intelligent responses to the various crises that confront us today”, Williams said.
original link & video: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/14/dalai-lama-uk-refugee-crisis-plea-interests-humanity
National interests should come second to the interests of humanity, the Dalai Lama has said in relation to the global refugee crisis, as he praised the response of Germany and Austria to those “crying, starving and asking for help”.
However, speaking in Oxford on Monday at the start of a nine-day trip to the UK, the Tibetan spiritual leader declined to criticise the UK government’s proposal to take only 20,000 refugees over five years. “You have to consider many factors, whether you can take care of these people,” he said, adding that Britain was a small country and “you have to be practical”.
Ultimately the only solution to the mass movement of people fleeing war and persecution was “genuine peace” in their home countries and regions, added the Dalai Lama, who will address MPs at Westminster and give a talk at London’s O2 arena during his visit.
Referring to conflict and instability in the Middle East, a major factor behind the current refugee crisis, he said that the US’s forceful response to 9/11 had produced “a lot of unintended consequences”. He added: “The billions of dollars spent on weapons could be spent on education and health instead.”
He called for religious harmony across the globe, saying that faith was depicted as the cause of conflict. “People feel religion is a troublemaker [but in fact] religion teaches compassion, tolerance, forgiveness and contentment.”
The media, he said, should report love and harmony, not just focus on division. “The idea of a clash of civilisations is dangerous,” he said, adding that Islam emphasised love, not bloodshed.
The Dalai Lama, who turned 80 this year, also criticised China’s “politics of suppression”, which he said makes it impossible for people to express their real views. The Chinese government has said it will designate the next Dalai Lama, rather than the figurehead being chosen through the traditional method where Buddhist monks identify their reincarnated spiritual leader after his death.
The Beijing regime routinely vilifies the Dalai Lama – who has lived in exile in India since 1959 – over his demands for greater autonomy for Tibet. China says his true intention is independence for Tibet, and it strongly objects to heads of state, dignitaries and high-profile figures meeting with him.
The Dalai Lama is to meet MPs at the invitation of the all-party parliamentary group on Tibet, of which the new Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, is a member. The group exists to pressure the government “to encourage negotiations between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile, whilst recognising that Tibet is an occupied country which had independent links with Britain”.
There are no scheduled meetings with David Cameron or any government ministers. The Dalai Lama’s visit comes just a month before the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, is due to travel to Britain for the first state visit in 10 years.
Cameron and his then coalition partner, Nick Clegg, met the Dalai Lama in 2012, triggering a furious response from the Chinese, who accused the government of “conniving at and supporting separatist attempts to achieve Tibetan independence”.
The following year Cameron led a large trade delegation to China, partly to repair the diplomatic damage over the Dalai Lama meeting. At the time, Downing Street said the prime minister had “turned a page” on the issue and had no plans to meet the Tibetan spiritual leader in the future.
Last week, the Chinese authorities cancelled two Bon Jovi concerts in Shanghai and Beijing, reportedly because the rock band used an image of the Dalai Lama as a backdrop during a 2010 performance in Taiwan.
The Dalai Lama’s main public event during his trip is a talk at the 20,000-seat O2 on Saturday, entitled Compassion: the Foundation of Well-being. Proceeds from the sale of tickets – with prices ranging from £24.75 to £90 – will go to the Tibet House Trust, the Dalai Lama’s UK charity, a spokesman said.
The spiritual leader will also join Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, in leading a two-day private symposium at Cambridge University. The purpose was “to shape humane, compassionate, intelligent responses to the various crises that confront us today”, Williams said.
original link & video: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/14/dalai-lama-uk-refugee-crisis-plea-interests-humanity
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Sunday, September 13, 2015
Act of Smudging -- Witchcraft Ritual
During this blog I hope to help you understand how Witchcraft is not only false but very dangerous. Many of the diabolic cases I have worked are the result of Witchcraft which was done not only in the bloodline, but also by those who sought out Deliverance from the demonic forces that were upon them. So what caused these people to seek out witchcraft in the first place when they know of Lord Jesus Christ as well as God the Father?
So let us begin shall we. What is witchcraft? Is this the same as Wicca? Is it a form of Satan worship, as critics allege? Or can witches be good? Can they really cast spells that somehow call forth the spirits beyond the world of nature to help them accomplish their will – whether good or evil? Is magic real? Why do witches often perform their ceremonies naked? And most of all, why do so many people today aspire to be witches?
So the answers to these questions are Witchcraft and Wicca are the same. Both are satanic worship at its finest (worship of the creation vs. the creator). There is no such thing as a good or bad witch, they are witches. When people have said there are good witches and bad witches to me, I have simply replied so then you’re saying there is a good Satan and a bad Satan then right? Those people look at you with “deer in the headlights” glaze and then realize good or bad this is the same.
So can witches really call forth some spirit from beyond? Yes, but the spirit is a demonic spirit posing as a helpful and kind spirit thus to deceive. Can witches cast spells? Absolutely and these are actually curses which not only affect them, but can affect others much like Voodoo, since that craft too is a form of Witchcraft. Do witches always perform rituals in the nude? Some “ceremonial” aspects involve being nude called ‘skyclad’ which is more designed for gathering more power from the source they want. The naked body is to represent truth and this truth goes deeper than social custom. The naked body is a sign that a Witch's loyalty is to the truth before any ideology or any comforting illusions.
So what is the fascination regarding witchcraft? Well popular culture and a satiated appetite for sexualized supernatural characters is popular. There was a time when witches, witchcraft and general feminine maleficium (malevolent sorcery) held a prominent place in our hearts. I personally believe this desire to be in Witchcraft is to be a result of personal empowerment.
The collective obsession with witches has been exaggerated over the years thanks to the literature, film and television shows that gave us the Weird Sisters, the Wicked Witch of the West and Sabrina the Teenage Witch along with other shows. Whether we feared them, envied them or were utterly enchanted by them, witches have held the attention of readers and cinema viewers.
The art world has certainly played a role over the last few centuries too, amping up our fear and infatuation with wicked women with an indissoluble fascination with the phenomenon of witches. Art history anthologies are filled with images of female characters endowed with magical, sometimes malevolent abilities, echoing the general long-lasting cultural obsession of these characters.
If you did not know, Wicca is an official, legal religion in the U.S., and a fast-growing one at that. Judges have ruled that witches must be allowed to lead prayers at local government meetings, and that Wiccan convicts must be provided with requested “sacred objects” so they can perform spells in their cells. Witches in the armed services have even formed covens and routinely “worship” on U.S. military bases.
How did this happen – and why? Simple – Continue to remove God out of our lives from the Government on down to each of our own lives. That’s how!
Witchcraft, sorcery, magic and idol worship have been around since the earliest days of man. This does indeed, pre-date Christianity as we know it today – just as their practitioners certainly like to point this out with great pride. I wonder who had PRIDE in them and fell from Heaven above? Sadly, they do not pre-date the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – the one who created the universe and all that is. They are, in fact, part of the rebellion against Him and His laws.
So why is this occurring then? Unfortunately as more and more people turn from God and living according to the rules God has governed, witchcraft offers ways to bend these rules so to speak by changing outcomes. I would say the attributes for why this is occurring is because of several aspects:
1. Humans like power – witchcraft offers a person to become empowered.
2. Humans like rituals and traditions – witchcraft offers ancient aspects.
3. Humans like mystery – witchcraft offers a mysterious and legitimate experiences.
Now the interesting aspect to the ploy of witchcraft is this. Witchcraft says this – do as thou will, and harm no one”. They believe that chanting and spell casting is akin to prayers to influence the will of others. This is in direct violation of God for it is the will of God that is to be done.
Witchcraft states we don’t do evil with our powers ‘that is the black witchcraft that does this and we are white witches’. Once again a bad Satan vs. a good Satan the logic does not appear to be true. They say they won’t do evil because it comes back 3 fold. This is not a deterrent from them at all. The issue is spell casting to control the will of someone else – violates doing the will of God.
Witchcraft also states we don’t do evil with our power. What that is really saying is we can do it but we just choose not to do that. So the question becomes what deity would give them a choice to do evil or good? God the Father clearly states we are to do his HOLY and righteous will while on earth. See the contrast here?
Witchcraft worships the nature aspect. So therefore since nature is able to heal itself then we might as well stop all environmental projects and hazards because nature can heal itself due to the power that it possesses. Once again a false claim they hold and have bought into.
Witchcraft and wiccans feel this is the most discriminated against religion. They constantly go against Christians because they feel they are experiencing harsh and extreme harassment and gives them a martyr appeal to their cause and voice. When in truth Christians have been the ones harassed and destroyed more than ANY other religion.
Bottom line is this, do you feel witchcraft is okay to do and partake as well? Understand you are playing and giving permission to diabolic forces to have you. It will be a matter of time before that pendulum has swung so to speak against thee…Then what will thee do? Something those who are in this ‘darkness’ truly need to ponder…
Blessings…
Rev. Bradley Luoma, Exorcist Minister
So let us begin shall we. What is witchcraft? Is this the same as Wicca? Is it a form of Satan worship, as critics allege? Or can witches be good? Can they really cast spells that somehow call forth the spirits beyond the world of nature to help them accomplish their will – whether good or evil? Is magic real? Why do witches often perform their ceremonies naked? And most of all, why do so many people today aspire to be witches?
So the answers to these questions are Witchcraft and Wicca are the same. Both are satanic worship at its finest (worship of the creation vs. the creator). There is no such thing as a good or bad witch, they are witches. When people have said there are good witches and bad witches to me, I have simply replied so then you’re saying there is a good Satan and a bad Satan then right? Those people look at you with “deer in the headlights” glaze and then realize good or bad this is the same.
So can witches really call forth some spirit from beyond? Yes, but the spirit is a demonic spirit posing as a helpful and kind spirit thus to deceive. Can witches cast spells? Absolutely and these are actually curses which not only affect them, but can affect others much like Voodoo, since that craft too is a form of Witchcraft. Do witches always perform rituals in the nude? Some “ceremonial” aspects involve being nude called ‘skyclad’ which is more designed for gathering more power from the source they want. The naked body is to represent truth and this truth goes deeper than social custom. The naked body is a sign that a Witch's loyalty is to the truth before any ideology or any comforting illusions.
So what is the fascination regarding witchcraft? Well popular culture and a satiated appetite for sexualized supernatural characters is popular. There was a time when witches, witchcraft and general feminine maleficium (malevolent sorcery) held a prominent place in our hearts. I personally believe this desire to be in Witchcraft is to be a result of personal empowerment.
The collective obsession with witches has been exaggerated over the years thanks to the literature, film and television shows that gave us the Weird Sisters, the Wicked Witch of the West and Sabrina the Teenage Witch along with other shows. Whether we feared them, envied them or were utterly enchanted by them, witches have held the attention of readers and cinema viewers.
The art world has certainly played a role over the last few centuries too, amping up our fear and infatuation with wicked women with an indissoluble fascination with the phenomenon of witches. Art history anthologies are filled with images of female characters endowed with magical, sometimes malevolent abilities, echoing the general long-lasting cultural obsession of these characters.
If you did not know, Wicca is an official, legal religion in the U.S., and a fast-growing one at that. Judges have ruled that witches must be allowed to lead prayers at local government meetings, and that Wiccan convicts must be provided with requested “sacred objects” so they can perform spells in their cells. Witches in the armed services have even formed covens and routinely “worship” on U.S. military bases.
How did this happen – and why? Simple – Continue to remove God out of our lives from the Government on down to each of our own lives. That’s how!
Witchcraft, sorcery, magic and idol worship have been around since the earliest days of man. This does indeed, pre-date Christianity as we know it today – just as their practitioners certainly like to point this out with great pride. I wonder who had PRIDE in them and fell from Heaven above? Sadly, they do not pre-date the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – the one who created the universe and all that is. They are, in fact, part of the rebellion against Him and His laws.
So why is this occurring then? Unfortunately as more and more people turn from God and living according to the rules God has governed, witchcraft offers ways to bend these rules so to speak by changing outcomes. I would say the attributes for why this is occurring is because of several aspects:
1. Humans like power – witchcraft offers a person to become empowered.
2. Humans like rituals and traditions – witchcraft offers ancient aspects.
3. Humans like mystery – witchcraft offers a mysterious and legitimate experiences.
Now the interesting aspect to the ploy of witchcraft is this. Witchcraft says this – do as thou will, and harm no one”. They believe that chanting and spell casting is akin to prayers to influence the will of others. This is in direct violation of God for it is the will of God that is to be done.
Witchcraft states we don’t do evil with our powers ‘that is the black witchcraft that does this and we are white witches’. Once again a bad Satan vs. a good Satan the logic does not appear to be true. They say they won’t do evil because it comes back 3 fold. This is not a deterrent from them at all. The issue is spell casting to control the will of someone else – violates doing the will of God.
Witchcraft also states we don’t do evil with our power. What that is really saying is we can do it but we just choose not to do that. So the question becomes what deity would give them a choice to do evil or good? God the Father clearly states we are to do his HOLY and righteous will while on earth. See the contrast here?
Witchcraft worships the nature aspect. So therefore since nature is able to heal itself then we might as well stop all environmental projects and hazards because nature can heal itself due to the power that it possesses. Once again a false claim they hold and have bought into.
Witchcraft and wiccans feel this is the most discriminated against religion. They constantly go against Christians because they feel they are experiencing harsh and extreme harassment and gives them a martyr appeal to their cause and voice. When in truth Christians have been the ones harassed and destroyed more than ANY other religion.
Bottom line is this, do you feel witchcraft is okay to do and partake as well? Understand you are playing and giving permission to diabolic forces to have you. It will be a matter of time before that pendulum has swung so to speak against thee…Then what will thee do? Something those who are in this ‘darkness’ truly need to ponder…
Blessings…
Rev. Bradley Luoma, Exorcist Minister
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Saturday, September 12, 2015
What is Demonic Infestation?
Hello my friends. I pray everyone had a wonderful weekend and everyone you love is healthy.
Last week I spoke about demonic possession and demonic oppression. I was asked this week by a few if I could give some insight to what exactly demonic infestation is. I know these titles can be very confusing but never doubt, they are ALL very dangerous and require immediate help from your Priest or local Minister. The longer someone lives with these kind of symptoms the more power these creatures continue gain from us. You will only become more weak and in bondage by these evil entities. It can't be ignored. It won't just go away by ignoring it.
What is demonic infestation?
It is believed this is a phenomenon in which a demon possesses a location or place, such as a house or building, or an object. A demon, by possessing a place, can move things at will and cause various noises and smells. Infestation never causes the possession of any of the people who live there. An infestation may occur in a particular place due to some esoteric or satanic rites being performed with frequency. Such infestation may result from a hex, spell, or curse, or from voodoo or witchcraft. To end the infestation of a place, the rite of exorcism lists several specific prayers that need to be prayed. Without the complete cooperation of the family the priests/ministers prayers will not work.
The following I found at theblaze.com:
Home’s Secret History Led to a ‘Demonic Infestation’ That Terrorized them for Years — and share Some of Their Terrifying Photos
It’s an eerie story of a so-called “demonic infestation” that seems so terrifying that it is perfectly suited for the pages of a horror novel. But Bob Cranmer, a former commissioner in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, insists that it was a horrific and life-altering reality for him and his family.
From a mysterious, blood-like substance coating the walls of his home to crucifixes purportedly snapping in half on their own and scratches randomly appearing on his body, Cranmer told TheBlaze earlier this year that something profoundly evil was terrorizing his family.
He claims that the demonic force was eventually expelled, but only after the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Fr. Michael Salvagna, a local priest, Protestant pastors and Adam Blai, a self-described demonologist, spent two years fervently battling its presence by repeatedly holding Mass and blessing the home.
Cranmer, who has four children, said his kids also once saw the entity, describing the figure as “a really strange-looking person” wearing a black dress.
But that was the only overt apparition, as he said the demon would typically manifest itself as a shadowy figure moving about the home.
Blai, a demonology expert, has a degree in psychology and said he saw shadows with no origin and experienced phantom smells.
“I observed black shadows sliding along floors and walls that were not being cast by anything,” Blai told TheBlaze. “I also smelled a column of air with a horrific death-like stench that moved like a person walking. This column of air left no lingering scent behind it like natural odors would.”
The obsession society seems to have with the dark side and evil will probably turn into a obsession and become a addictive influence on said person. That's why in the past I have blogged about all of these movies and reality TV shows constantly coming out and being marketed can easily open doors and give these demonic entities legal right to be in your life. Chances are some of you know somebody who loves horror movies like just the ones that are about possession and the devil and things to that nature. Eventually the persons personality begins to change. The person in question can seem normal most of the time, but he'll have "dark moments" when his inner demons start injecting thoughts into the person's head and manipulating them to believe things that are just not true. basically that's the start of their work to manipulate in the beginning as most people think it is a spirit guide helping but it's these evil entities who are trying to take over. And the end goal is to get as many souls driven crazy make them homicidal, suicidal and a whole number of things.
Difficulty in diagnosing demonic influence is that these same symptoms may indicate substance abuse problems, mental illness, social maladjustment, emotional inadequacy, relationship problems or a complex web of such difficulties. Demonic influence will cause these symptoms, but these symptoms are not necessarily a sign of demonic activity. People really need to not jump the gun and assume everything is demonic as that just gives the devil attention and we suffer already from people being told we are the nuts if we believe in demons and we're the ones that need mental help when people make stuff up and it hurts us all honest ones called by God trying to do the right thing and help people.
In the first 2'stages of demonic attachment/ the inhuman entity (Demons!) is still outside the personality. Next these demons attempt to enter the whole person in a spiritual, mental and even physical dimension. This level of influence is called infestation when the person exhibits disturbing physical, mental, and spiritual signs of infestation. These evil creatures are very tricky they can mimic general valid depression but in reality it's oppression and then somebody maybe has a problem that goes deeper than that, which then happens to be a valid demonic attack and these people end up in a mental institute. And the ones that are not there permanently are just doped up on a bunch of different medication that just suppresses the voices through hearing or visions they're seeing that's all it does or they don't get to go home at all and all they need is an exorcism and or deliverance. From what I understand having the gift of discernment allows me to be able to help in the situations to decipher what is a true illness and what is a demon as well as the knowledge coming upon me what type of demon whether it be a demon of fear or a demon of anger and at that point I try to get the name but you don't have to have the demons name in order to get rid of it. It is important to break the strongholds. My. point is if you're not sure it's the Holy Spirit and it something in your own thoughts it doesn't hurt to follow through anyway and gather what you're being told to take to the property or to pray with the person afflicted.
The individual is "taken over" by the demonic spirit and will surely do some terrifying paranormal antics and when they start doing things that are paranormal it is only to distract you from completing what you done to them and at the same time they're trying to scare you and freak you out so over the years I've learned to ignore any and all attempts of supernatural event such as levitation, body contorting, spewing out intimate information no one else would know in order just to humiliate you, throwing this using the mind etc...
I had a case recently where the person completely contorted their body in a way that was just The freakiest in the most scariest thing that I have seen in a while . It all started when I walked in the room. And when that didn't work they tried saying things that nobody else would know just very mean and for that quick five seconds I lost my train of thought it started speaking some very very personal and hurtful things to me. And I just simply asked if Jesus Christ the Son of God give it permission to speak to me that way and I wait for an answer yes or no if he did or did not have that permission. They don't like that at all. I then commanded it to shut it's mouth that it was under the authority of Jesus Christ through me for it to silence it's tongue. This person responded terribly to anointed oil literally it created a burn in smoke from the flesh of the vessel this demon managed to possess. I don't know what made me make sure to actually go out of my way to get anointed oil which on that particular day was going to be time-consuming and very challenging to put it lightly however, when you have a calling it's not a good idea to ignore doing something harmless even if by chance it was just a thought in your mind and not directed from God.
Demons do nothing but lie in general. I'm not a huge believer spending a lot of time talking to them just enough to make you wonder and all it does is take the focus off at what the situation at hand is to be exercised that they end up back in hell where they are tortured by Satan and they want to find another body on earth to take over because apparently Satan tortures his own demons their job is nothing except to kill and ruin lives and create mental disorders and drag all souls to hell. When the signs of preternatural strength are seen, horrible alien voices come from the person, vile blasphemies are heard and perverted and violent actions are witnessed, one can be fairly sure that a demonic infestation is happening. However, many of these symptoms may also be signs of a deep mental or spiritual illness which is not demonic in origin.
The difficulty in diagnosing demonic influence is that these same symptoms may indicate substance abuse problems, mental illness, social maladjustment, emotional inadequacy, relationship problems or a complex web of such difficulties. Demonic influence will cause these symptoms, but these symptoms are not necessarily a sign of demonic activity.
People also need to remember the Bible is very clear and stipulates a verse which I can't seem to remember which one to save my life at this point ( no sleep and a very ill mother ) however, it reads the following: " THE DEAD KNOW NOTHING, BEWARE OF THE FAMILIAR SPIRIT" I will paraphrase this so you understand what it means or what the Bible means is demons are known to mimic passed loved ones or a child or maybe the person who died in your home 50 years ago and he started to get attached to the spirit feeling bad for it so you continue to play with the EVP'S and spirit boards etc...
Just like in the very first Exorcist was based on a true story and look what happened when the mother took the Ouija board away from the little girl? All hell broke loose so evidently he had not been speaking to his Aunt who recently passed who he loved dearly. But he did use the Ouija board by himself a lot! When she was alive he used to use that board with her daily. In real life it was a little boy and thank God he remembers nothing and he's a believer in Christ and he's doing great has grandkids and I'm just very glad that he doesn't remember any of that. A lot of it is sensationalized for movies but like I said they'll use supernatural antics to to mess with the mind of the person doing the exorcism or deliverance and the people who are helping and assisting. You cannot hesitate you cannot allow any room for it one bit that's why I choose to try not to have too much conversations with them and allow them The possibility to distract me even for a moment means they could easily jump me new and my body is their new vessel they've been known to jump to clients family anybody in the room is in danger that's why when these things take place it's really not good to have five or six family members and cousins coming over to be in there and watch I mean this isn't entertainment it is very dangerous you are dealing with something you can't see as I've said before this is this beer sure thing not physically you cannot see you got your fighting dangerous not to mention the more people the harder it is in my opinion because you've got more talking going on so that's more contamination on your audio which seems to be the best way that I can say hey listen to this and you tell me I've done it many times to a couple different people who were analysts of audio and screen spotting any manufacturing and 4 different ones all said the same thing " I can't say this is paranormal all I can say is I have no answer for why that voice came through" we will never have all the answers I have been at this 26 years my dad did it for 50 well it was part of what he did he also married people in the baptisms but there are just some things we won't know till we pass on however, while we're on the earth and do our best to avoid anything summoning demons is one of one of them.
ETA: I wanted to make it known you that I am in the Orlando area and if there's any Zaidi who got going on somebody jet who serious extra help feel free to contact address I will stay as an underwriter so there are a lot of things I can do at home during the day as well. I can provide credentials I was ordained through the church properly I also have references going back to 99 also I attended Trinity Bible college for four years just to take courses on biblical demonology and everything related to demonology as well and I received a certificate of completion. You can find my bio here on the website under special contributors. I also have a Google Plus account and Twitter. I have a website I pay for and its very basic my bio and there's a place where you can submit your name and email from just answering your questions to Skype talks helping somebody explain to a friend or a loved one the dangers of provoking demons or possible help. I'm legit and I'm pretty much independent I have learned in the past and being a part of teams and being on Facebook unfortunately I ran into 90% of the folks in the paranormal looking to gain some kind of fame and notoriety that will complain 15 years 10 years whatever experience and they had no way nothing no phone number nothing of any sort that would be able to be verified or even indicate the truth. I'm certainly not saying because I've had 26 years and my father was a minister that that makes me better I'm simply saying heck somebody three years I could learn something from each other but there's just so many of you guys and that's what I'm trying to avoid that out there. With what I do is very difficult when the paranormal became popular there were ghost hunters popping up on every corner they were everywhere, and there's just a lot of drama and I want to avoid anything like that but I want to follow my calling as well. I also work with Reverend Bradley little Roma who's an Exorcist and he knows exactly what he's doing. I have had the pleasure to have his guidance at times. He is very dedicated to what he does and I just thought I would put it out there anybody closer to me knows I don't just build someone up. He gives Christ ALL the glory and a humble servant of God just like me. If your in his area he can help and he does travel and there is never any fees.
Written By Jennifer L Auld
Biblicaldemonologist@gmail.com
Last week I spoke about demonic possession and demonic oppression. I was asked this week by a few if I could give some insight to what exactly demonic infestation is. I know these titles can be very confusing but never doubt, they are ALL very dangerous and require immediate help from your Priest or local Minister. The longer someone lives with these kind of symptoms the more power these creatures continue gain from us. You will only become more weak and in bondage by these evil entities. It can't be ignored. It won't just go away by ignoring it.
What is demonic infestation?
It is believed this is a phenomenon in which a demon possesses a location or place, such as a house or building, or an object. A demon, by possessing a place, can move things at will and cause various noises and smells. Infestation never causes the possession of any of the people who live there. An infestation may occur in a particular place due to some esoteric or satanic rites being performed with frequency. Such infestation may result from a hex, spell, or curse, or from voodoo or witchcraft. To end the infestation of a place, the rite of exorcism lists several specific prayers that need to be prayed. Without the complete cooperation of the family the priests/ministers prayers will not work.
The following I found at theblaze.com:
Home’s Secret History Led to a ‘Demonic Infestation’ That Terrorized them for Years — and share Some of Their Terrifying Photos
It’s an eerie story of a so-called “demonic infestation” that seems so terrifying that it is perfectly suited for the pages of a horror novel. But Bob Cranmer, a former commissioner in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, insists that it was a horrific and life-altering reality for him and his family.
From a mysterious, blood-like substance coating the walls of his home to crucifixes purportedly snapping in half on their own and scratches randomly appearing on his body, Cranmer told TheBlaze earlier this year that something profoundly evil was terrorizing his family.
He claims that the demonic force was eventually expelled, but only after the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Fr. Michael Salvagna, a local priest, Protestant pastors and Adam Blai, a self-described demonologist, spent two years fervently battling its presence by repeatedly holding Mass and blessing the home.
Cranmer, who has four children, said his kids also once saw the entity, describing the figure as “a really strange-looking person” wearing a black dress.
But that was the only overt apparition, as he said the demon would typically manifest itself as a shadowy figure moving about the home.
Blai, a demonology expert, has a degree in psychology and said he saw shadows with no origin and experienced phantom smells.
“I observed black shadows sliding along floors and walls that were not being cast by anything,” Blai told TheBlaze. “I also smelled a column of air with a horrific death-like stench that moved like a person walking. This column of air left no lingering scent behind it like natural odors would.”
The obsession society seems to have with the dark side and evil will probably turn into a obsession and become a addictive influence on said person. That's why in the past I have blogged about all of these movies and reality TV shows constantly coming out and being marketed can easily open doors and give these demonic entities legal right to be in your life. Chances are some of you know somebody who loves horror movies like just the ones that are about possession and the devil and things to that nature. Eventually the persons personality begins to change. The person in question can seem normal most of the time, but he'll have "dark moments" when his inner demons start injecting thoughts into the person's head and manipulating them to believe things that are just not true. basically that's the start of their work to manipulate in the beginning as most people think it is a spirit guide helping but it's these evil entities who are trying to take over. And the end goal is to get as many souls driven crazy make them homicidal, suicidal and a whole number of things.
Difficulty in diagnosing demonic influence is that these same symptoms may indicate substance abuse problems, mental illness, social maladjustment, emotional inadequacy, relationship problems or a complex web of such difficulties. Demonic influence will cause these symptoms, but these symptoms are not necessarily a sign of demonic activity. People really need to not jump the gun and assume everything is demonic as that just gives the devil attention and we suffer already from people being told we are the nuts if we believe in demons and we're the ones that need mental help when people make stuff up and it hurts us all honest ones called by God trying to do the right thing and help people.
In the first 2'stages of demonic attachment/ the inhuman entity (Demons!) is still outside the personality. Next these demons attempt to enter the whole person in a spiritual, mental and even physical dimension. This level of influence is called infestation when the person exhibits disturbing physical, mental, and spiritual signs of infestation. These evil creatures are very tricky they can mimic general valid depression but in reality it's oppression and then somebody maybe has a problem that goes deeper than that, which then happens to be a valid demonic attack and these people end up in a mental institute. And the ones that are not there permanently are just doped up on a bunch of different medication that just suppresses the voices through hearing or visions they're seeing that's all it does or they don't get to go home at all and all they need is an exorcism and or deliverance. From what I understand having the gift of discernment allows me to be able to help in the situations to decipher what is a true illness and what is a demon as well as the knowledge coming upon me what type of demon whether it be a demon of fear or a demon of anger and at that point I try to get the name but you don't have to have the demons name in order to get rid of it. It is important to break the strongholds. My. point is if you're not sure it's the Holy Spirit and it something in your own thoughts it doesn't hurt to follow through anyway and gather what you're being told to take to the property or to pray with the person afflicted.
The individual is "taken over" by the demonic spirit and will surely do some terrifying paranormal antics and when they start doing things that are paranormal it is only to distract you from completing what you done to them and at the same time they're trying to scare you and freak you out so over the years I've learned to ignore any and all attempts of supernatural event such as levitation, body contorting, spewing out intimate information no one else would know in order just to humiliate you, throwing this using the mind etc...
I had a case recently where the person completely contorted their body in a way that was just The freakiest in the most scariest thing that I have seen in a while . It all started when I walked in the room. And when that didn't work they tried saying things that nobody else would know just very mean and for that quick five seconds I lost my train of thought it started speaking some very very personal and hurtful things to me. And I just simply asked if Jesus Christ the Son of God give it permission to speak to me that way and I wait for an answer yes or no if he did or did not have that permission. They don't like that at all. I then commanded it to shut it's mouth that it was under the authority of Jesus Christ through me for it to silence it's tongue. This person responded terribly to anointed oil literally it created a burn in smoke from the flesh of the vessel this demon managed to possess. I don't know what made me make sure to actually go out of my way to get anointed oil which on that particular day was going to be time-consuming and very challenging to put it lightly however, when you have a calling it's not a good idea to ignore doing something harmless even if by chance it was just a thought in your mind and not directed from God.
Demons do nothing but lie in general. I'm not a huge believer spending a lot of time talking to them just enough to make you wonder and all it does is take the focus off at what the situation at hand is to be exercised that they end up back in hell where they are tortured by Satan and they want to find another body on earth to take over because apparently Satan tortures his own demons their job is nothing except to kill and ruin lives and create mental disorders and drag all souls to hell. When the signs of preternatural strength are seen, horrible alien voices come from the person, vile blasphemies are heard and perverted and violent actions are witnessed, one can be fairly sure that a demonic infestation is happening. However, many of these symptoms may also be signs of a deep mental or spiritual illness which is not demonic in origin.
The difficulty in diagnosing demonic influence is that these same symptoms may indicate substance abuse problems, mental illness, social maladjustment, emotional inadequacy, relationship problems or a complex web of such difficulties. Demonic influence will cause these symptoms, but these symptoms are not necessarily a sign of demonic activity.
People also need to remember the Bible is very clear and stipulates a verse which I can't seem to remember which one to save my life at this point ( no sleep and a very ill mother ) however, it reads the following: " THE DEAD KNOW NOTHING, BEWARE OF THE FAMILIAR SPIRIT" I will paraphrase this so you understand what it means or what the Bible means is demons are known to mimic passed loved ones or a child or maybe the person who died in your home 50 years ago and he started to get attached to the spirit feeling bad for it so you continue to play with the EVP'S and spirit boards etc...
Just like in the very first Exorcist was based on a true story and look what happened when the mother took the Ouija board away from the little girl? All hell broke loose so evidently he had not been speaking to his Aunt who recently passed who he loved dearly. But he did use the Ouija board by himself a lot! When she was alive he used to use that board with her daily. In real life it was a little boy and thank God he remembers nothing and he's a believer in Christ and he's doing great has grandkids and I'm just very glad that he doesn't remember any of that. A lot of it is sensationalized for movies but like I said they'll use supernatural antics to to mess with the mind of the person doing the exorcism or deliverance and the people who are helping and assisting. You cannot hesitate you cannot allow any room for it one bit that's why I choose to try not to have too much conversations with them and allow them The possibility to distract me even for a moment means they could easily jump me new and my body is their new vessel they've been known to jump to clients family anybody in the room is in danger that's why when these things take place it's really not good to have five or six family members and cousins coming over to be in there and watch I mean this isn't entertainment it is very dangerous you are dealing with something you can't see as I've said before this is this beer sure thing not physically you cannot see you got your fighting dangerous not to mention the more people the harder it is in my opinion because you've got more talking going on so that's more contamination on your audio which seems to be the best way that I can say hey listen to this and you tell me I've done it many times to a couple different people who were analysts of audio and screen spotting any manufacturing and 4 different ones all said the same thing " I can't say this is paranormal all I can say is I have no answer for why that voice came through" we will never have all the answers I have been at this 26 years my dad did it for 50 well it was part of what he did he also married people in the baptisms but there are just some things we won't know till we pass on however, while we're on the earth and do our best to avoid anything summoning demons is one of one of them.
ETA: I wanted to make it known you that I am in the Orlando area and if there's any Zaidi who got going on somebody jet who serious extra help feel free to contact address I will stay as an underwriter so there are a lot of things I can do at home during the day as well. I can provide credentials I was ordained through the church properly I also have references going back to 99 also I attended Trinity Bible college for four years just to take courses on biblical demonology and everything related to demonology as well and I received a certificate of completion. You can find my bio here on the website under special contributors. I also have a Google Plus account and Twitter. I have a website I pay for and its very basic my bio and there's a place where you can submit your name and email from just answering your questions to Skype talks helping somebody explain to a friend or a loved one the dangers of provoking demons or possible help. I'm legit and I'm pretty much independent I have learned in the past and being a part of teams and being on Facebook unfortunately I ran into 90% of the folks in the paranormal looking to gain some kind of fame and notoriety that will complain 15 years 10 years whatever experience and they had no way nothing no phone number nothing of any sort that would be able to be verified or even indicate the truth. I'm certainly not saying because I've had 26 years and my father was a minister that that makes me better I'm simply saying heck somebody three years I could learn something from each other but there's just so many of you guys and that's what I'm trying to avoid that out there. With what I do is very difficult when the paranormal became popular there were ghost hunters popping up on every corner they were everywhere, and there's just a lot of drama and I want to avoid anything like that but I want to follow my calling as well. I also work with Reverend Bradley little Roma who's an Exorcist and he knows exactly what he's doing. I have had the pleasure to have his guidance at times. He is very dedicated to what he does and I just thought I would put it out there anybody closer to me knows I don't just build someone up. He gives Christ ALL the glory and a humble servant of God just like me. If your in his area he can help and he does travel and there is never any fees.
Written By Jennifer L Auld
Biblicaldemonologist@gmail.com
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demons,
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