"If someone should take your shirt, give to him your cloak as well..."

This was an amazing story. I would like to think that I would have the personal integrity to respond in this way; but I seriously have my doubts.

Jessica Eaves was shopping in Guthrie, Okla., earlier this month when her wallet was pinched. She spotted the man she suspected of taking it in a nearby aisle and wondered what to do next. "As I saw him, a scripture came to me from Luke, which basically says 'If someone should take your cloak, you should give them your shirt as well,''...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/25/jessica-eaves-grocery-store-samaritan_n_4164691.html?utm_hp_ref=christianity

On Nikola Tesla...

  An acquaintance of mine once accused Tesla and his work of being of the Devil. This comment came a scant few days after a conversation we had, where previous to it, he had never even heard of the man. If anyone should be held accountable to the Devil and his work, it should be Edison and JP Morgan (Yes, Thomas Edison, and JP Morgan of JP Morgan-Chase.) Tesla was only ever interested in creating and distributing energy in a way that was synergistic with nature and mankind alike. His inventions could have, and would have changed the very course of human history, if it had not been for the likes of the men mentioned above, who were more interested in the almighty dollar than in what could be of benefit to mankind as a whole.Shameful really. My son Patrick is very interested in Tesla's work, and I hope that he holds on to his dream of completing what Tesla started.

From my cold, dead fingers...

   And see, herein lies the dilemma... If you believe in God, then it is assumed that you believe in the covenants of "You will not murder" and "Love your neighbor." This means NO KILLING (except in the most extreme of circumstances, and then even that is wide open for Biblical debate.) Guns were originally developed for the sole purpose of taking human lives in warfare. They did NOT start out as animal hunting weapons.

However, we as Americans (particularly) are a Gun Culture. We built this nation of the backs of Colt, Smith, and Wesson. We LOVE our guns. We love showing off our guns. We love bragging about our guns, and we love shooting our guns. What's not to love? They are cool looking, they go BANG, and they instill us with a sense of power that we would not otherwise have. The power to take another life with minimal effort. The power of, in short: GOD. 

Yet, we gun owners don't often think of our guns in that way. We tend to think of them as expensive (and dangerous if not treated with respect) toys. Not really any different than a motorcycle. But the fact remains, and we know it at least at a subconscious level, that they are killing machines.*

So no, owning a gun is not a "God given right." It is, in fact, entirely contrary to God. There is nothing about a gun that says "Love, peace, or brotherhood." That we use the justification of self-defense or even civil-defense, does not change the fact that guns are contrary in every way to the love of God. That we live in a world that is so contrary to the love of God that we need these devices is the real crime, and the real issue. It is that issue that needs to be addressed first. When it is solved, there will be no more "need" for guns.

That being said, I think I will clean my swords today.

*I am specifically talking about hand-guns and assault rifle, not hunting rifles.

Book Review: The Exorcist's Handbook, J. McCarthy

This review is from: The Exorcist's Handbook (Paperback)

   I was very disappointed with this book. After having read the first few chapters, and glanced through the rest, it appears to be geared toward the "magick" practitioner, placing all of it's emphasis on the power of the practitioner and his/her rituals and talismans, rather than on the power and providence of Deity. The most disappointing thing that I found was its complete, and thoroughly rude dismissal of the Catholic Church's Roman Rite. It is obvious that Ms. McCarthy bears no love for the Church, but they are the leaders in this field, and I can give personal testimony to the effectiveness of the Roman Rite. It does NOT, contrary to Ms. McCarthy's assertions, "bore the s*** out of demons."
This book would have been great when I was in my early twenty's, and practicing magickal rites. The methods in this book would have completely fit in with my mindset at the time, and had I pursued these kinds of activities, I would likely have found myself dead or insane. Now that I have matured both religiously and spiritually, I find the practices in this book dangerous and irresponsible. Real "Demonic" forces will laugh at the idea of a magicians "personal power" and will shrug off all of the trinkets that you depend on to protect you. Faith in Deity alone is your only defense against true Demonic forces. Anything else is either extra-planar (which this book might prove useful in addressing), or psychological delusion (on both the part of the "possessed" and the "exorcist". My other significant disagreements lay in the idea of their being no "good or bad consciousnesses, only consciousness." This may be true at some deep level, but to Demons, it is complete bullocks. If you are not prepared to deal with "evil," then you are not prepared to enter this arena. On the subjects of angels: true Angels cannot be bound, nor manipulated against their will. They are manifestations of God's will. Anything that is bound that claims to be an Angel, is a liar; either a Demon (who can appear as an Angel) or a deamon.
Certainly there are other entities out there, other than Angels and Demons, and perhaps this book will be found to be useful in combating the malign intentions of some of them, but this reader would advise grave caution, and MUCH more research, even into the practices of the Holy Catholic Church, before deciding to engage in any such activities. If fact, one would be well advised indeed to read up on the subject, put the books down and say "Hell no, I think I will leave this sort of thing to the professionals."

http://www.amazon.com/review/RAI30YKGDDV9Z/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=193399391X&linkCode=&nodeID=&tag=

The ineffability of the para-normal experience

The problem with super-natural, or rather "para-normal" experiences and mystical experiences alike, is that there are rarely witnesses other than one's self. And if there were, they likely find themselves reluctant to discuss or disclose such matters, for fear of how the public will receive them.

Individuals who have such experiences often find them ineffable; unable to be put into words that can adequately describe the experience. This makes all the more difficult to discuss it with others. Like a picture of a sunset or a panoramic view of a beautiful landscape, the paper image, like the words, can never quite do the experience justice.

Another problem occurs, even among one's own peer groups, who claim to be open to such experiences. I have known people who, despite  a professed belief in the para-normal, scoff at the experiences of others. It is much easier to accept your own experiences as real, than it is to accept the experiences of others. This dichotomy has a couple of sources - 1. Until a person is comfortable with such experiences; until the experiences are no longer "para-normal," they will run into a wall of resistance when hearing the experiences of others. 2. Some people are unwilling to give up their position of elitism, their exclusivity. They find it hard to accept that others can have similar, or worse, even more profound experiences than themselves. This is the Ego at work. I have seen this played out, even in discussion groups on the subject.

So what is the recipient of such experiences to do? If they are lucky, they will have a true confidant to whom they can honestly disclose such experiences to. The best kind of person is one who will be supportive, and simply listen, making no judgements. Perhaps ask the open ended question or two, to help the person work through it.
The other thing that a person can do, is to journal such experiences. This allows them to record the experience, and their own thoughts about it to a totally unbiased recipient. It also allows the person to go back to that experience later and review it, perhaps to glean some wisdom from it.

Too often are experiences had, where they are left unrecorded for posterity. Imagine if you can the great wisdom that would be lost to us if people like Theresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Rumi, Nostradamus, or Madam Blavatsky had not recorded their experiences for us to later read. Certainly, in can, and should be argued that these mystics did not write their experiences down with the idea of becoming famous by them. They recorded them for their own use and edification. It is important that one write honestly and in the moment; journalling for one's own sake, and not for the sake of others.

Mystical, or super-natural experiences do happen. The historic record bares this out as truth. But truth, like reality is subjective. If you have had, or are having these experiences, they are you truth. It is not for others to judge the validity  of them. The only truth lies in your interpretation of the events, and how they may or may not affect change in your life.