Posted on 03/15/2012 8:31:02 AM PDT by cleghornboy
When one of the world's leading exorcists, Father Gabriele Amorth, was asked how one can tell if someone is possessed, he replied, "By their aversion to the sacrament and all things sacred." One of the clearest signs of demonic possession is a hatred for the Eucharist or the crucifix. Back in December of 2009, little Jalen Cromwell of Taunton, Massachusetts, was forced to undergo psychological evaluations for drawing a stick figure of the crucified Jesus. See here. And electrician Colin Atkinson's palm cross was deemed "insensitive." See here. As noted here, "..David Cameron's government will insist at the European Court of Human Rights that Christians can be sacked by their employers for wearing crosses or crucifixes." And remember when the White House asked Georgetown University to cover the IHS monogram (a symbol of Jesus' holy name) at Gaston Hall where Obama was scheduled to deliver a speech? See here.
There are numerous other examples of this growing hostility toward the cross or the crucifix. In his treatise on ascetical and mystical theology, The Very Reverend Adolphe Tanquerey, S.S., D.D., explains that, "The Sacramentals and blessed objects are also efficacious remedies [for possession and diabolical temptation] because of the prayers said by the Church when blessing them...The Crucifix, the Sign of the Cross, and especially genuine relics of the True Cross are terrifying to the devil who was vanquished by the Cross: 'That the one who conquered by a tree should himself be likewise conquered by the Tree.' For the same reason the Evil Spirit dreads the invocation of the Holy Name of Jesus, which, on the Master's Own promise, possesses a wondrous power for putting the devil to flight." (The Spiritual Life: A Treatise on Ascetical and Mystical Theology, p. 724, citing the Preface for the Feast of the Holy Cross, Tan Books).
Antichrist will reveal himself within the context of an atheistic, materialistic society which has lost its faith in God and which is prepared to fall down and worship man. The Antichrist will not tolerate the Cross or Christian symbols. In his Life of Christ (Image Books, 1977, p. 10), Archbishop Fulton John Sheen wrote, "We do know that at the end of time, when the great conflict between the forces of good and evil takes place, Satan will appear without the Cross, as the Great Philanthropist and Social Reformer to become the final temptation of mankind." Indeed, Paul Henri-Spaak, who served as Belgian Prime Minister and gained international prominence in 1945 when he was elected chairman of the first session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, had called for such a "Great Philanthropist and Social Reformer": "We do not want another committee, we have too many already. What we want is a man of sufficient stature to hold the allegiance of all people, and to lift us out of the economic morass in which we are sinking. Send us such a man and be he God or the Devil, we will receive him."
Saint Paul assures us that this man of iniquity will seek to displace God and to be worshipped himself. Robert Hugh Benson, in his classic The Lord of the World (a most prophetic work) describes the humanitarian religion of Antichrist as one which will replace Christian symbols such as the Crucifix with its own symbols: "Humanitarianism is a religion devoid of the supernatural. It is developing a ritual under freemasonry; it has a creed, 'God is man'; and the rest. It has, therefore, a real food of a sort to offer religious cravings: it idealizes, and yet makes no demands upon the spiritual faculties. Then, they have the use of all the churches except ours, and of all the Cathedrals; and they are beginning at last to encourage sentiment. Then they may display their symbols and we may not..."
Symbols are powerful they convey meaning. Which is why we are experiencing a push to strip Christian symbols from the public square. While Colin Atkinson came under fire for his palm cross and Jalen Cromwell was forced to undergo psychological evaluations because of his hand-drawn Crucifix, Andres Serrano's "Piss Christ," which depicts a Crucifix submerged in a glass of Serrano's own urine mixed with cow's blood, is considered by some to be a "work of art" and received $15,000 from the taxpayer-funded National Endowment for the Arts. Serrano's supporters have argued that the "Piss Christ" represents an issue of artistic freedom and freedom of speech.
And while the Obama White House asked for the IHS monogram to be covered up at Georgetown (a request which was honored), the same Obama White House had no such problem with a Masonic symbol - see photograph.
Deception is what the Evil one does best....
Kinda sounds like Islam doesn’t it?
Obama had to have the name of Christ covered and had to hide from the American flag. He’s working on the flag thing by having the stars replaced by his mug.
America can survive Obama but may not survive the people who put him in office.
I’ll have to remind my Obama voting Catholic friends about the Georgetown incident. I’m guessing they probably never even heard about it.
Good article
I don’t wear a Crucifux or a Cross but if they bring that law in downunda I will buy one and wear it and so should every Christian.
Mel
My KOC Council will make 1,400 Palm Crosses for Palm Sunday. Come and get us! I suspect the growing “Vampire” population spawned by the Twilight series is behind this.
When we prepared to enter the moslem holy sanctuary atop of the Temple Mount in1999, I understood why the crucifix might be considered an insult to the moslem waqf which were allowed by treaty to administer the holy sight. We left our Bibles and jewelry behind. However, now it appears that any sign of Christian affinity is considered hateful, or racist wherever it’s displayed. Our allegedly christian president would not speak beneath the abbreviation of Jesus’ name at Georgetown. I find this particularly telling behavior, because at almost every opportunity Hussein has played the oppressed moslem card.
Throughout a world, which has regular, routine contact between the different faiths, the children automatically assume the ‘faith of our fathers’. Our Christian friends in Central Europe, Poland, or the Balkans curse American as a nation of fools for accepting the sworn word of a man who will not reveal any details, even routine details about his education, nationality, or most importantly a traumatic past where he and his mother where never welcome, but always outsiders treated as trash. How would you feel about growing up in the company of a mother who went from girlfriend to pin-up to wife of convenience, pin-up and pornographic actress?
Of course, we only know this, because to our eternal shame that’s all the record that remains of a man every American citizen must go to bed each night trusting that he has our protection first in mind. I don’t know how you feel about Sheriff Joe Aprio’s Cold Case Report, which confirms that the man in the Oval Office has only fraudulent identification, but I’m worried that with his awful past as a cast-off halfbreed, he’s not stable mentally to be the POTUS. God help us all should he break down and crack-up..
“I suspect the growing “Vampire” population spawned by the Twilight series is behind this.”
Well they better get out of your town by Saturday Sundown or it is gunna get ugly!
Blessings
Mel
No one would dare say anything to you as long as you display your crucifix upside down.
already have several and try to wear one every day. Have one in every room of my house! Have a bible in my car and on my phone and will be happy to explain to anyone why Jesus is their only Hope.
Grew up Catholic, and I remember the nuns always telling us “to choose now who you will serve and die for! Be like the martyrs who chose Jesus and eternal life. Be bold and be proud of Him who came to give His life for YOU!”
So, I choose Jesus. ‘nuf said...
I’ve been seeing these ‘anti-crucifixion” articles recently and wondering exactly where does Jesus command that I must worship any symbols? I have no symbols in my home nor as bumper stickers on my car and I don’t feel any less faithful to G-d. I’m pretty keen on Jesus’ words as well as intertestamental history and nowhere am I commanded to worship symbols. In fact, the last time I checked it was the “worshipping & keeping” of symbols that initiates evil.
But then again perhaps I’m less of a faithful follower because I don’t walk around boasting to everyone through the jewelry I should be wearing or boastful symbols I should be plastering all over my house.
What I meant to say is:
Where does Jesus or G-d command that I must keep & “venerate” any symbols to prove my faith to G-d?
For me this whole issue isn’t an issue because is doesn’t need to be. It shouldn’t matter what trinkets and idols are taken from someone, if their faith is true then it’s an internal thing that can never be taken from them. Otherwise it’s just a weakness to be exploited by evil.
What I get from your post is you meant to say is you are clearly more pious than the rest of us sinners.
I don't wear a crucifix to boast - here's why I wear it:
"Every one therefore that shall confess me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven. But he that shall deny me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven." - Matthew 10:32-33
Amen sister!
“Where does Jesus or G-d command that I must keep & “venerate” any symbols to prove my faith to G-d?”
That’s not really the point though is it Brent. The point is that the Governement cannot, should not and better not dictate to believers what they do or don’t do in regards to their faith.
As I said in a previous post I do not wear anything in the way of religious symbols but I would in solidarity with those who choose to if the Government chose to ban the wearing of them. Faith can be true or not in each person but the wearing of or the not wearing of a religious symbol does not determine that.
Mel
Perfectly stated.
Blaming Obama for the state of the nation is like blaming your broken arm for the skiing accident.
Getting rid of him in-and-of-itself isn't going to solve much. Our problems are fundamental.
I do not wear a crucifix....I personally do not like them for I worship a risen Saviour. However, I do think that the notion that The Evil one is out to deceive us is valid and that anything that minimizes a society’s overt expressions of faithfulness tends to allow evil to dominate.
I would never judge another’s faithfulness based on the wering of a symbol or icon.
Perfectly stated.
Blaming Obama for the state of the nation is like blaming your broken arm for the skiing accident.
To me the articles have a more general sense to them. That what used to be perfectly acceptable in a God fearing society is now anthema. What if they were to come and take your Bible from you would that put it in a more dangerous mode? How about if they outlaw communion or gathering to worship or saying God bless you?
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