Yesterday, in my post about Christian Translation, I suggested that you check out their Statement of Faith. This is an excellent idea for every religious website you visit. Not every Statement of Faith is equal. Not everyone who says "Christian" is Christian. Jesus said so: “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:22-23
What could Jesus have been talking about? True Christians obey Jesus' teachings. True Christians stay true to the faith "once delivered." Jesus is not just talking about false prophets who are like hungry wolves disguised as sheep. He is talking to each believer.
This is not about the eternal salvational security of the Christian. This is about who is a Christian. Jesus is warning us about being deceived by "false Christianities." There are many "Christianities," not all of which are Christian.
If you read a group's Statement of Faith, or their publications, keep your mind and a discerning eye open for these RED FLAGS!!!!!! ( I did the RED FLAGS!!!!! on purpose. I know it is "shouting" and is frowned on on the internet, but the Christian's powers of discernment should begin to tingle when they encounter these non-Christian ideas, especially the subtle ones which seem reasonable on their surfaces.) Paul said that if anyone, even an angel, even Paul himself, comes to you with a different Gospel, they should be rejected. Paul said it forcefully in Galatians 1:8-9: ἀνάθεμα (anathema), "accursed."
There is room within the Body of Christ for disagreement and discussion over some matters of doctrine. Remember the hierarchy of doctrines (convictions, persuasions, and opinions) discussed earlier. The doctrinal beliefs listed below are, at best, highly suspect. Some are completely non-Christian even if they are declared by "Christians." All of them should set off your alarm system.
1. Any denial of the deity of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, or the Father.
2. Any denial of the full humanity of Jesus.
3. The idea that the Gospel is about making you materially rich.
4. Certain questions about sexuality.
5. Denial of any cardinal Christian doctrines.
6. Mention of "secret teachings."
7. A focus on the leader of a group rather than on Jesus.
8. Emphasis on social justice at the expense of, or the elimination of, the Gospel.
9. Mentions of "self-actualization" and discovery of one's "true inner self."
10. Rejection of portions of the scriptures.
11. Any idea of works salvation or self-salvation.
12. Addition of new doctrines for which no clear biblical support exits.
13. New Age ideas, reincarnation, ascended Masters, occultism, UFOs, fairies, elves
14. Hate-based teachings such as racism, extreme nationalism, etc.
15. Ghosts, spiritism, channeling
16. "Our group is the only true Christian church." A denial of the universal Church, the ekklesia.
17. Mixtures of other religions, such as Hinduism, with Christianity. Numerous churches have "Christian Yoga" classes, seeing Hatha Yoga as secular. This completely misunderstands that the underlying basis of all types of yoga is Hinduism.
This list could be greatly expanded.
Showing posts with label paranormal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paranormal. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Ghosts!!!!!
The Bible is clear that we are surrounded by hosts of supernatural beings, both benevolent and malevolent. A less clear question is whether or not any of these beings are what we would call “ghosts,” the disembodied spirits of dead humans.
There are numerous mentions of “ghosts” and “spirits” and an “after-life” in the Bible. (Deuteronomy 18:9; 1 Samuel 28:7-25, Matthew 14:25-27, 2 Corinthians 4:13-18, 5:1,6-8, 11:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, John 10:10, 19:30, Mark 5:1-20, 15:37-39, Luke 23:46, 24:39 1 John 4:1,
There are various Christian interpretations which have been put forth:
1. “Ghosts: are demons in disguise, hoping to lure us away into error.
2. “Ghosts” are not personal beings, but are traces or ripples we leave behind in the space-time continuum., especially after intense emotional experiences.
3. “Ghosts” are what many believe them to be, the disembodied spirits of dead humans, trapped in the material and unable to “move on.”
4. “Ghosts” are the product of superstition or very “active imaginations.”
5. “Ghosts” are an utter fabrication produced by persons wishing to profit in some way from gullible people.
My own take on ghosts is that they do not exist. When we die, we immediately are in the presence of the Lord (Luke 23:43). There is nothing in the Bible about the spirits of the dead walking the Earth. The witch of Endor who called up Samuel the Prophet (1 Samuel 28) was shocked when he actually showed up. She was accustomed to dealing with someone or something else.
If ghosts did exist, Christians would have no need to fear them. We are indwelled by the Mind of Christ and demons, as well as angels, must obey us. The demon’s only other recourse would be to run away. (James 4:7)
Below are links to sites exhiiting the world’s extreme interest in ghosts and hauntings.
One United Church of Christ pastor , The Paranormal Pastor, definitely believes in ghosts:.
And, The Haunted Places Directory.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Film Comment: Green Lantern
Green Lantern (2011) is a superhero movie based on the on the long time comic book series produced by DC Comics. The film was long considered to be unfilmable until computer generated imagery was perfected.
The plot of the film is well known to long time comic book readers. After an alien spacecraft crash lands on Earth, the ring worn by Abin Sur, the dying alien pilot, searches the planet for a worthy successor to its prior owner. The ring is not supernatural, but is instead, the product of a greatly advanced technology. It chooses a seemingly undeserving recipient, Hal Jordan, an immature and self-absorbed daredevil test pilot.
Jordan discovers that he is now the Green Lantern of his sector of outer space, even if he does not wish to be. He is told that the ring does not make errors and that he is now a member of the Green Lantern Corps, one of the 3600 super-powered beings who serve as a sort of intergalactic police force. Of course, he must confront a being who has misused the ring technology and, as a result of his adventures, Hal Jordan becomes the greatest of the Green Lanterns. This is standard epic fantasy/science fiction.
Many viewers of Green Lantern have noticed the heavy occultic symbolism in this film. A Green Lantern's power ring converts his/her thoughts into material reality. As students of comparative religion will know, the essence and the aim of "magick" is the ability of the will to alter and control reality.
The symbolism in this film is quite heavy. When they are using their power, a Green Lantern's eyes glow green. Images of the Masonic symbol known as the All Seeing Eye , an eye within a pyramid, occur repeatedly within the film.
The Green Lanterns take their oath of service on their Power Lanterns, from which they recharge their power rings. The lantern symbols on the rings and on the superheroes chests are identical to the Masonic symbol 101 (the point within the circle ) turned on its side.
There is a strong undercurrent in the film of a secret government involvement in some sort of conspiracy. One commenter notes that a sign in a bar scene includes the word "harp" and relates this to the HAARP project, a real life scientific research station in Alaska which many conspiracy theorists believe is being developed as a secret government weapon to cause earthquakes and control the weather.
The Green Lantern Corps is, in effect a secret society. The Corp has initiation ceremonies, secret knowledge, and its existence is not revealed to the public at large.
Tomar Re , the bird-like Xudarian alien Green Lantern who is the first mentor to Hal Jordan, has what one commenter calls "Baphomet legs." Baphomet is an occult symbol of Satan represented as a human-goat hybrid with legs whose knees bend backwards.
The green "uniform" of the Lanterns is not actually clothing. It is an integral part of their being, it is who they really are, like their skin. This is consistent with the occult/New Age idea that our true inner being is divine (our True Self, our Inner Christ) and that enlightenment comes when we realize that we are God.
One commenter claims that when Hal Jordan transforms from his human self to his Green Lantern self that there is a brief burst of light from his wrists and ankles, reminiscent of Christ's wounds. This occurs at 2:05 of the first official trailer for the film. What actually occurs at this point is that Jordan's power ring begins to glow, making the back of his hand appear to glow.
Most people who watch this film will not notice or understand the heavy symbolism and many who do, will not care. That the symbolism is there is so obvious that it must be intentional on the part of the film's makers. Without falling into the trap of becoming totally paranoid conspiracy theorists, Christians must be alert to the messages being sent out by the world's media. We really are at war.
The plot of the film is well known to long time comic book readers. After an alien spacecraft crash lands on Earth, the ring worn by Abin Sur, the dying alien pilot, searches the planet for a worthy successor to its prior owner. The ring is not supernatural, but is instead, the product of a greatly advanced technology. It chooses a seemingly undeserving recipient, Hal Jordan, an immature and self-absorbed daredevil test pilot.
Jordan discovers that he is now the Green Lantern of his sector of outer space, even if he does not wish to be. He is told that the ring does not make errors and that he is now a member of the Green Lantern Corps, one of the 3600 super-powered beings who serve as a sort of intergalactic police force. Of course, he must confront a being who has misused the ring technology and, as a result of his adventures, Hal Jordan becomes the greatest of the Green Lanterns. This is standard epic fantasy/science fiction.
Many viewers of Green Lantern have noticed the heavy occultic symbolism in this film. A Green Lantern's power ring converts his/her thoughts into material reality. As students of comparative religion will know, the essence and the aim of "magick" is the ability of the will to alter and control reality.
The symbolism in this film is quite heavy. When they are using their power, a Green Lantern's eyes glow green. Images of the Masonic symbol known as the All Seeing Eye , an eye within a pyramid, occur repeatedly within the film.
The Green Lanterns take their oath of service on their Power Lanterns, from which they recharge their power rings. The lantern symbols on the rings and on the superheroes chests are identical to the Masonic symbol 101 (the point within the circle ) turned on its side.
There is a strong undercurrent in the film of a secret government involvement in some sort of conspiracy. One commenter notes that a sign in a bar scene includes the word "harp" and relates this to the HAARP project, a real life scientific research station in Alaska which many conspiracy theorists believe is being developed as a secret government weapon to cause earthquakes and control the weather.
The Green Lantern Corps is, in effect a secret society. The Corp has initiation ceremonies, secret knowledge, and its existence is not revealed to the public at large.
Tomar Re , the bird-like Xudarian alien Green Lantern who is the first mentor to Hal Jordan, has what one commenter calls "Baphomet legs." Baphomet is an occult symbol of Satan represented as a human-goat hybrid with legs whose knees bend backwards.
The green "uniform" of the Lanterns is not actually clothing. It is an integral part of their being, it is who they really are, like their skin. This is consistent with the occult/New Age idea that our true inner being is divine (our True Self, our Inner Christ) and that enlightenment comes when we realize that we are God.
One commenter claims that when Hal Jordan transforms from his human self to his Green Lantern self that there is a brief burst of light from his wrists and ankles, reminiscent of Christ's wounds. This occurs at 2:05 of the first official trailer for the film. What actually occurs at this point is that Jordan's power ring begins to glow, making the back of his hand appear to glow.
Most people who watch this film will not notice or understand the heavy symbolism and many who do, will not care. That the symbolism is there is so obvious that it must be intentional on the part of the film's makers. Without falling into the trap of becoming totally paranoid conspiracy theorists, Christians must be alert to the messages being sent out by the world's media. We really are at war.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Paranormal Research
Dr. Michael Blunk, of Lexington, Kentucky, is the founder of the Christian Paranormal Research Project. The goal of the ministry is to offer "reasonable explanations of paranormal activity from a biblical perspective."
http://christianprp.com/
http://christianprp.com/
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Three New Blogs Listed
I have added three new blogs/websites to my list.
"The Paranormal Pastor," a blog in which a Christian minister examines the occult and paranormal phenomena.
http://theparanormalpastor.blogspot.com/
The Allison Lynn Blog, in which a professional musician talks about her life and events in her career.
http://allisonlynn.blogspot.com/
The Chef Whitt Website, where E.M. Whittington posts articles about food and religion.
http://www.chefwhitt.com
"The Paranormal Pastor," a blog in which a Christian minister examines the occult and paranormal phenomena.
http://theparanormalpastor.blogspot.com/
The Allison Lynn Blog, in which a professional musician talks about her life and events in her career.
http://allisonlynn.blogspot.com/
The Chef Whitt Website, where E.M. Whittington posts articles about food and religion.
http://www.chefwhitt.com
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