Posted on 01/20/2003 9:37:18 AM PST by Cvengr
In her excellent 1993 book, Goddess Earth, Exposing the Pagan Agenda in the Environmental Movement, Raiders News Update friend Samantha Smith warned that Gaia worship was at the very heart of today's environmental policy. Bluntly she decried, "The Endangered Species Act, the United Nation's Biodiversity Treaty and the Presidents Council on Sustainable Development are all offspring of the Gaia hypothesis of saving "Mother Earth."'
This week, in a National Review commentary, Christopher Horner conferred, saying, "...the environmental movement, now more than ever, does represent the American Left at worship. The green crusade is now crafting a new way for its own troubling religion to pervert traditional faith. Having fought in federal court to deny its religiosity — and thus continue its life-sustaining flow of taxpayer dollars — the Down With People machine is donning religious vestments and teaming up with the Bush administration to tap the president's faith-based initiative.
"CNSNews.com reports that 'EPA is informally seeking 'ideas' regarding how religious groups who promote green causes like climate change and pollution controls, can qualify for the White House's faith-based funds.' The very idea of green evangelizing infecting Bush's faith-based initiative should raise alarm, since the movement has far more in common with pagan themes than with traditional tenets of faith."
What's more worrisome is the goals of "greens" past, present, and future. Gaia-ism points to humanity - especially western civilization - as the world's great evil.
"Western Culture [is perceived as] the root of all evil," Smith observed. "These are some of the teachings of what is little more than the bastardized products of Eastern mysticism. Now called New Age religion, it culminates in deep ecology, eco-feminism and the worship of an ancient Greek God called Gaia - Mother Earth.
"Gaia teaches that man has damaged or destroyed the fragile balance of nature. Disciples of Gaia believe that all living things on earth are interconnected (except man) and to damage or destroy even a tiny insect is to damage whole ecological systems. Such a premise was the basis for Vice President Al Gore's book, "Earth in the Balance."'
So if man is the problem, what should be done about it? Horner reminds us that the faith-based funds-seeking environmental movement (a.k.a. EPA's Gaia worshippers) have a paper trail detailing their answer to the "people are pollution" quandary.
"To feed a starving child is to exacerbate the world population problem." Lamont Cole (as quoted by Elizabeth Whelan in her book Toxic Terror)
"This is as good a way to get rid of them as any." Charles Wursta, Chief Scientist for the Environmental Defense Fund, commenting on the likelihood of millions dying from a global ban on DDT (also quoted in Toxic Terror)
"I got the impression that instead of going out to shoot birds, I should go out and shoot the kids who shoot birds." Paul Watson, founder of Greenpeace (quoted in Access to Energy, vol. 10, no. 4, Dec. 1982)
"The right to have children should be a marketable commodity, bought and traded by individuals but absolutely limited by the state." Kenneth Boulding, originator of the "Spaceship Earth" concept (quoted by William Tucker in Progress and Privilege, 1982)
"The only real good technology is no technology at all. Technology is taxation without representation, imposed by our elitist species [man] upon the rest of the natural world." John Shuttleworth, Friends of the Earth manual writer
A prime spokesman for these Gaia-centered goals, according to Smith, is Father Thomas Berry, "a dissident Catholic priest and a leader of the Temple of Understanding, located in New York City. Father Berry contends that Christianity promotes 'deep cultural pathology of human greed and addiction.' He advocates that the earth is disintegrating and that Christianity is mostly to blame."
In his own words, "the world is being called to a new post-denominational, even post Christian, belief system that sees the earth as a living being - mythologically, as Gaia, Mother Earth - with mankind as her consciousness."
In an effort to make contact with Gaia's consciousness, a representative of The American Policy Center attended a meeting in Boulder (Colorado), called by Jose Arguelles (leader of PAN and New Age Transformation) where participants were presented with the idea that the earth is a living, spiritual being that can feel pain.
The group was asked to tune in to the crystal matrix frequency (Mother Earth's heartbeat) and to relax. Many went into trance-like states. As people felt they were being filled with the Earth's energy, they became vocal, with sounds rising and falling rhythmically. Some swayed and some fell down on the ground and began writhing. They were then 'brought to silence.'
Arguelles told the audience to concentrate on a cloud floating overhead, just drifting, and then told them to invite the cloud in to fill the empty spirit, the empty soul. He said to invite "PAN" in, accepting him as the leader and guide for their lives.
Jose explained that Pan was the first son of Mother Earth and used to live close to his mother in the primeval forest with his brothers and sisters, who went out and founded the temple-building societies (Aztecs, Egyptians, etc,). When Pan refused to join his siblings in the cities, they called him evil and Satan. They invented their own selfish religion, Christianity, which must be removed because it includes a vision of an Apocalypse.
The Boulder audience was told that 'right now Mother Earth is bringing Pan back to save us and lead us into the New Age. We can help by surrendering to him, tuning into the crystal matrix frequencies and carrying out the directions received while tuned in.' Arguelles explained this might include the physical removal of Christians, because they are the biggest obstacle to transformation."
(Pan, cloven-hoofed half man/half beast is one of the infernal names given to Satan in Anton LaVey's Satanic Bible.)
The National Review article ends with a word to the wise:
"But the green charade must be fought, for it is intolerable that taxpayers should be asked to fund such objectives under the guise of aiding the poor and disadvantaged. The greens' philosophy has nothing to do with Judeo-Christian — or even simply humanitarian — principles. Their projects have no place in President Bush's Faith Based and Community Initiative."
They very definitely are and that just happened to be a topic we discussed Sunday.
Indeed; she was chosen by God to serve as the mother of His Son, and thus became the Mother of God, mother of the Church, and mother of all mankind.
And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,But she indeed was THE vessel (however clinical the word) of which the Son of Man was born, and no she wasn't "perfect" or sinless -- even at that time.
for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden.For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away.
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity for ever. [Luke 1:46-55]"
How do you know that?
Moreover, every "special" person chosen by the Holy Spirit was a mere human -- subject to sinful nature of man, thus needing the blood of Christ to cleanse them including such luminaries as: Mary, Paul, Peter, and every Apostle and Saint you can think of...
Our Lady was saved by her Son, but in a special way -- from the moment of her own Immaculate Conception.
The dogma [of the Immacularte Conception of Mary] is especially fitting when one examines the honor that was given to the ark of the covenant. It contained the manna (bread from heaven), stone tablets of the ten commandments (the word of God), and the staff of Aaron (a symbol of Israel’s high priesthood). Because of its contents, it was made of incorruptible wood, and Psalm 132:8 said, "Arise, O Lord, and go to thy resting place, thou and the ark of thy might." If this vessel was given such honor, how much more should Mary be kept from corruption, since she is the new ark—who carried the real bread from Heaven, the Word of God, and the high priest of the New Covenant, Jesus Christ. Some argue that the new ark is not Mary, but the body of Jesus. Even if this were the case, it is worth noting that 1 Chronicles 15:14 records that the persons who bore the ark were to be sanctified. There would be no sense in sanctifying men who carried a box, and not sanctifying the womb who carried God himself! After all, wisdom will not dwell "in a body under debt of sin" (Wis. 1:4 NAB). [source]"..To deny the Creed is to deny the Christian Faith."
The Creed defines the Faith. Reject the Creed, reject the Faith.
Mary IS the physical mother of God..no denial on that..BUT she was a vessel..nothing more..she is not god or a god.
.My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one." [John 10:27-30]
Ready to discuss election and eternal security?
Or do you prefer to cherry pick your scriptures:>)
I never said that.
Mary IS the physical mother of God..no denial on that.
Then we have nothing more to discuss. We agree that Mary is the Mother of God. Thank you for your willingness to recognize the truth.
Yours in Christian fraternity,
B-chan
People who oppose religious statuary forget about the many passages where the Lord commands the making of statues. For example: "And you shall make two cherubim of gold [i.e., two gold statues of angels]; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end; of one piece of the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be" (Ex. 25:18-20).
To compare kneeling before a man designed and man built statue is silly
The Ark was designed by God as a type ..he drew the plans and filled the artisan with the Holy Spirit to build it...NO ONE was allowed into the Holy of Holies but the High Priest..so there was no general worship of the angels on the ark..they were a type of the heavenly throne ..that seat on the ark was God dwelling place with the jews..
It has nothing in common with kneeling before earthlly idols
It is "problematic" to attribute any gender to God. Since God is spirit (and not flesh and blood) you can't really say God has a gender (it's like asking what gener the wind is.)
Since you quoted the Bible, it should be noted that God is always referred to using a male personal pronoun (He, Him, His, etc...) in the Bible. Since God is the ultimate author of the Bible, if he has chosen to refer to himself using male pronouns, then that is the way he should be referred to.
"...Man's power over nature turns out to be a power exercised by some men over other men with Nature as its instrument."
... and trampolines
Trampolines = tamborines?? if not, Pentalcostalism has really gotten far too bouncy for me!
"How do you know that?"
As a reference, shall we use the Word of God itself?:
The Bible clearly says that "ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
Mary acknowledged that she needed a "Savior" (Luke 1:47) like any other sinner.
Furthermore, IF Mary did not sin, and death (as the Bible says) comes by sin, then logically Mary would never have died.
Either Mary was a member of a sinful human race which needs redemption, OR is/was a Goddess -- Which is it?
"The Creed defines the Faith. Reject the Creed, reject the Faith."
The "Creed" defines the faith for those who believe IT to supercede the authority of the Holy Scriptures. I'll take my chances with the actual Word of God.
Amen...
Thanks to Constantine hijacking the early Christian Church, the Catholic Church sadly began implimenting its many Pagan rites and rituals, charms and intercessory images that have since helped "communicate" with an apparently half-deaf and ignorant God of Abraham.
Let us not be too harsh. Those early church leaders were actually quite concerned that a zealous "layman" would excercise such power over a domain that was not his. The Christian cultural concept of "separation of Church and State" can be traced to this concern.
Western civilization=bad, ancient Greek "gxddess"=good. Anyone else see a problem in consistency?
But at least a world without humans would be a world without humanists. And btw, where are the worshippers of Copernicus, Galileo, and Darwin while all this is going on?
But of course it takes human beings to have a state, doesn't it? Or is human extinction when the state finally "withers away?"
And in the spirit of my last post, where are all those classical Marxists to whom all this crap is alien? Where are the "toiling masses" as the center of "history?" Where is "scientific socialism?"
Wow... I didn't know there was a religion that worshipped scientists. As a chemist, this intrigues me. Maybe I should consider switching.... /sarcasm
Your rhetoric obscures any point you may have been trying to make.
Have babies sinned? No? Well, then Paul was speaking hyperbolically, making a generalization. Did Jesus sin? No? Well, then Paul was speaking hyperbolically, making a generalization.
Generalizations admit of exceptions.
Mary acknowledged that she needed a "Savior" (Luke 1:47) like any other sinner.
Let's not put words in her mouth. She said God was her Savior. We agree on that; she was sinless because of a work of grace done by God, through the merits of her Son. Scripture doesn't say anything about "like any other sinner"; you put that in.
Furthermore, IF Mary did not sin, and death (as the Bible says) comes by sin, then logically Mary would never have died.
By that logic, Jesus shouldn't have died either. Death came to the human race through the sin of its federal head, Adam. That's what that verse means.
What's the problem with the idea that God made the mother of Christ sinless? God made Eve sinless, too. Eve, not God, made Eve a sinner. Why do you think it would be any harder for him to make Mary sinless?
LOL!
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