Devil's Advocate: Doubts About Life After Death

There have been several articles in the UK media showing that the number of people who believe in life after death has increased. It's now at about 74% according to surveys - and this is despite the numbers of people going to church, and being involved in religions has declined considerably.

I have always believed in life after death, but let's play devil's advocate for a change.

In 2012 I had surgery. I was under the influence of anaesthetic from 8.30 am until about 4.30 pm. I have no memories at all for that eight hour period: I had no dreams, no mystical visitations or experiences from loved ones, I didn't leave my body or feel myself floating about and so on. My body was functioning but otherwise, for all intents and purposes, I was nothing at all. 'I' wasn't existing anywhere, the 'me' that is my thoughts, memories and experiences didn't exist.

So was that eight hour period identical to death? All that's left of us are the memories we have left behind and the influences we have sown in our children and surroundings.

But there again from my cuttings ...

After my mother passed away, I saw a light appear, which came closer and closer and got much brighter. Then her face appeared, surrounded by a dazzling light.

It was all very clear. She was just looking at me; then it started to fade before disappearing. I was obviously very shocked. I am not religious at all.

My mother experienced the same thing when her father passed away, which did make me feel better about it. She never told anyone else about that except me.

~ John Williamson

... but that could have been imagination, stress etc.

Other Posts:
The Meaning Of White Feathers As Messages From The Dead
The White Dove As A Messenger Of The Dead
The Unusual Contact With Her Dead Mother

Pope Pius And His Information Direct From God

Battle of Lepanto 1571

I've never really understood how religious leaders can be part of any war or get involved. But they do, and as a consequence I came across a short coincidence story to write about - or maybe it was a premonition, or even telepathy. I'm going back in time though, way back to Pope Pius V.

A Holy League had been organised by the said Pope and included most of the major Catholic maritime states within the Mediterranean. The plan was to break the Ottoman Turks' control of the eastern Med.

The scene was set and battle commenced. Meanwhile Pope Pius V carried out his papal duties away from the conflict in Rome. The year was 1571 and he was going through the papal accounts. Suddenly though, he stood up, crossed the room, opened a window and stared out into the distance. After a few minutes he returned and with 'shining eyes' faced the Vatican officials who were present at the meeting.

He commanded them to, "Leave all this for now," gesturing to the ledgers and financial documents, "We must go and give thanks to God. Victory has gone to the Christian fleet."

The treasurer noted this incident into the minutes of their curtailed meeting. He wrote that this happened: just before 5 p.m. on October 7, 1571.

Obviously receiving news and messages was a slow old business back then but, exactly a fortnight later, on October 21, a messenger rode into Rome from Venice with the news of a historical naval victory.

Don John of Austria and his Christian fleet had trounced the Turkish fleet at the Battle of Lepanto. And, according to the official report, it was established that the victory was theirs just before 5 p.m. on October 7, 1571.

Perhaps Pope Pius V had received his inside information from ... well, who knows.

Other Random Posts:
The White Dove As A Messenger Of The Dead
10 Coincidence And Synchronicity Stories
Was This The The Reincarnation of James Fletcher?

Mystery Of The Joseph, Mary And Jesus Caskets Discovery

In 1980 researchers in Jerusalem got quite excited when they found three burial caskets, which they dated from the 1st century. Okay no great discovery, but there was another important bit to the find. The caskets each bore a name: Joseph, Mary and Jesus.

The oblong limestone caskets contained no bones, and were excavated from a building site near Jerusalem.

Israel's Antiquities Authority and other archaeologists quickly poured cold water on the find. They dismissed it as a coincidence, saying the names Joseph, Mary and Yehoshua - or Jesus - were common in the 1st century.

The Rev. Murphy O'Connor, a biblical scholar explained: "They're all very common names, perhaps the most common. It would be a statistical abnormality if you didn't find them in conjunction at same point."

He went on to say that scholars believe Joseph was probably buried in Galilee, in what is now northern Israel, and that Mary's body is believed to have been assumed by God into Heaven while the Bible says that Jesus ascended to Heaven.

So what could have been one heck of a find turned out to be a coincidence - with no real meaning ... probably!

I thought that was the end of the story (and my post) but then came across something the Daily Mail wrote in 2012 - to quote their words:

The so called Jesus Family Tomb was only examined; briefly before protests by Orthodox Jews, concerned about the disturbance of a grave site, ended the excavation. It was then sealed up, and a tower block built over it.

However James Tabor, a scriptural scholar at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and documentary film maker Simcha Jacobovici were determined to continue the research. The pair obtained permission from the Israeli government in 2010 to use the robotic arm to drill holes allowing them to explore the surrounding area. This led to the discovery of a separate chamber which they named the 'Patio Tomb', as it sits almost directly below the patio of the building.

 It was inside the Patio Tomb that they found the inscriptions*. The pair claim the inscriptions discovered inside the patio tomb greatly increase the likelihood that the 'Jesus Family Tomb' is indeed, the resting place of Jesus.

The inscriptions* mentioned above and 'seen' by the robotic arm reads; Divine Jehovah, raise up, raise up, Human bone was also found.

The mystery will continue because ... because that's what happens.

Relics And Religion Of The Ancient Canary Island Gaunche People

Clay pots made by the Gaunches of Tenerife

Plato described a rich and happy land in the Atlantic which was virtually destroyed by earthquakes and tidal waves some 12,000 years ago. This was Atlantis and many locals are convinced that the Canary Islands are what remains of the submerged paradise.

I was in the Canary Islands recently and came across a display of clay pots and other bits said to be from the time of the original residents of Islands such as Tenerife. These were the Gaunches.

The Guanches were virtually wiped out by the Spanish in the 1400s but relics have been discovered from their past.

The face of God?

Surrounded by Mother Nature who was inexplicable to them, the Gaunches were overawed by the immense power that made the stars turn in the sky above them, bringing them day and night, the gift of rain, or the desolation of drought, the misery of hunger, or the delights of abundance,

Every aspect of their lives, including life and death, all formed part of a single world, with no divisions between them.

The different parts of the Gaunches everyday lives (work, sexuality, social events) were governed by religion. Their funeral rites are said to show how the dead were considered as an image of the living. Death was merely a metaphor for life.

Very few representations or images of Gaunche religious beliefs have survived. The small figure (as shown in the photo above) is made from baked clay and is known as El Guatimac. It is described as being an exceptional find from the Canary Island's pre-history. It is not known as to what it represents. Various theories have a been put forward as to what it might be: a representation of God, an idol, a genie or even simply a lucky charm.

Much of the Guanche knowledge had been lost. As to whether the Canary Islands were once part of Atlantis the 'experts' are undecided..

Other Recent Canary Island Posts:
A Walk Along The Coast In Tenerife
Three Tenerife Loose Connection Coincidences
A Chance Journey To San Juan In Tenerife

Is God Undefinable?

Xenophanes of Colophon

On a previous post I asked Where is God? Here's a response.

Where is God?

God is everywhere. God is in heaven and God is on earth. God is in every place where there is joy. God is in every place where there is beauty. God is in every place where there is love?

Can we see God?

No, not yet. God is so different from us that we can't see Him with our eyes. Some day, in heaven, we will see him face to face. When we look at our father and our mother who love one another and their children, we see something of the way God loves and takes care of his children.

With respect to the writer that doesn't answer the question for me. If anything it raises even more questions.

In the 6th century BC Xenophanes wrote:

"The Ethiopians say that their gods are snubnosed and blackskinned and the Thracians that theirs are blye-eyed and red-haired.

If only oxen and horses had hands and wanted to draw with their hands or to make the works of art that men make, then horses would draw the figures of their gods like horses, and oxen like oxen, and would make their bodies on the model of their own."

Therefore, even 2600 years ago, it was realised that man makes God in his own image. So how can we ever describe God?  God must surely be more than we can possibly imagine and is therefore undefinable. Or perhaps you disagree.

Other Random Recent Posts:
Coincidence Of The Two Flying Fortress Airmen From Ludington
Half Human, Half Beast With Great Bat-Like Wings
The George Washington And The German Emperor Coincidence

Do We Know The True Three Secrets Of Fatima?

Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta

By 'chance' I noticed some synchronicity regarding the Three Secrets of Fatima and the date of May 13th. This was the date of the first apparitions; the day Pope Pius XII was ordained; Pope Paul VI flew to Fatima on May 13, 1967; and on May 13, 1981 Pope Paul was wounded by a Turkish terrorist in St Peter's Square.

The Three Secrets of Fátima are a series of three apocalyptic visions and prophecies which were supposedly given to three young Portuguese shepherds, Lúcia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto following an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, starting on 13 May 1917.

Around noon on the 13th, the Virgin Mary is said to have entrusted the children with three secrets. Two of the secrets were revealed in 1941 in a document written by Lúcia, at the request of José Alves Correia da Silva, Bishop of Leiria.

When asked by the Bishop in 1943 to reveal the third secret, Lúcia  said she was "not yet convinced that God had clearly authorized her to act." But, in October 1943, the Bishop ordered her to put the third secret in writing.

Lúcia did as instructed and sealed this in an envelope, not to be opened until 1960, when "it will appear clearer." For some reason this didn't happen but the supposed text of the third secret was officially released by Pope John Paul II in 2000. Some claim, however, that it was not the entire secret revealed by Lúcia, despite repeated assertions from the Vatican to the contrary.

The Secrets are as follows:

First Secret
Our Lady showed us a great sea of fire which seemed to be under the earth. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating about in the conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames that issued from within themselves together with great clouds of smoke, now falling back on every side like sparks in a huge fire, without weight or equilibrium, and amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear.

The demons could be distinguished by their terrifying and repulsive likeness to frightful and unknown animals, all black and transparent. This vision lasted but an instant. How can we ever be grateful enough to our kind heavenly Mother, who had already prepared us by promising, in the first Apparition, to take us to heaven. Otherwise, I think we would have died of fear and terror.

Second Secret
You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war is going to end: but if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the Pontificate of Pope Pius XI.

When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you by God that he is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father. To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the Consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of reparation on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church.

The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she shall be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world.

Third Secret
At the left of Our Lady and a little above, we saw an Angel with a flaming sword; it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendour

Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand: pointing to the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud voice: "Penance, Penance, Penance!" (In the second scene a terrible catastrophe befalls the world.) And we saw in an immense light that is God… a Bishop dressed in white. We had the impression it was the Holy Father.

Other Bishops, Priests, men and women going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big cross; before reaching there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins, and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow.

He prayed for the souls of corpses he met on his way; having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big cross he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him, and in the same way there died the other Bishops, Priests, men and women, and various lay people of different ranks.

(The third scene depicts the return of humanity to God.) Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two Angels, each with a crystal aspersorium in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God.

How you decipher the 'secrets' is up to the individual but there has been much controversy and discussion as to whether the full 'true' secrets have been revealed,

For example, in his book, Behold A Pale Horse, Milton William Cooper, a former US Navy Intelligence Briefing Team Member, wrote the following:

"The events at Fatima in the early part of the century were scrutinized. On the suspicion that it was alien manipulation, an intelligence operation was put into motion to penetrate the secrecy surrounding the event. The United States utilized its Vatican moles and soon obtained the entire Vatican study, which included the prophecy.

This prophecy stated that if man did not turn from evil and place himself at the feet of Christ, the planet would self-destruct and the events described in the book of Revelation would indeed come to pass.

The prophecy demanded that Russia be consecrated to the Sacred Heart. It stated that a child would be born who would unite the world with a plan for world peace and a false religion. The people would discern that he was evil and was indeed the Anti-Christ.

WORLD WAR III would begin in the Middle East with an invasion of Israel by a United Arab nation using conventional weapons, which would culminate in a nuclear holocaust. Most of the life on this planet would suffer horribly and die as a result. The return of Christ would occur shortly thereafter."

Whatever we feel about the Three Secrets of Fatima there are times when it does feel as if we are on the knife-edge of something disastrous - but hopefully not.

And, of course, there is also an opinion that the Three Secrets of Fatima are a massive hoax ... but that would mean people are being manipulated by religion ... surely not ...

Other Random Posts:
The UFO Which Brought The Raelian Elohim To Earth
How Free Thinking Are We About Religion, God And Lap-Dancers
Which Religion Cares Most About the Homeless

How Free Thinking Are We About Religion, God And Lap-Dancers

It seems to be a popular theory that theism and religion can be found in every culture. I'm not sure if this is strictly true as I have read, for example, that the Pirahã people of the Amazon have no concept of a supreme spirit or god. But in saying that, some do wear necklaces which are said to ward off spirits.

The anthropologist Daniel Everett wrote of his visit to the Pirahã, "The Pirahas have shown me that there is dignity and deep satisfaction in facing life and death without the comforts of heaven or the fear of hell, and of sailing towards the great abyss with a smile."

What got me thinking about this were some 'tests' mentioned in Ben Ambridge's book Psy-Q: Test Your Psychological Intelligence. One of his tests was for atheists.

He writes, "Are you an atheist? If so, then presumably you will have no problem reading aloud the following statements:"

'I dare God to paralyse my mother.'
'I dare God to make me die of cancer.'
'I dare God to make me be in a car crash.'

He then asked, "Can you do it? It's pretty uncomfortable isn't it?"

But why should it be uncomfortable if you do not believe in a God?

Ambridge then tells of a 'study conducted at the University of Helsinki' which wired participants up to a machine that measures sweat, and discovered that atheists find saying these statements just as stressful as religious people do.

But if atheists were asked to substitute the word 'mother' instead of 'God' into the statements they do not undergo nearly so much stress. Ambridge, therefore asks, perhaps a little tongue in cheek, "Does this mean they are closet believers?"

He goes on to conclude that the likes of Dawkins and co are not fibbing when they say they are atheists, but rather that 21st century rationality cannot in a few decades overcome instincts that have evolved in mankind over many, many thousands of years.

In other words, some 'things' are inbuilt within us.

Okay, in his book Ambridge may sometimes be on shaky ground with his comments. Going off on a complete tangent though here's another example which may illustrate how we aren't that superior to other animals, as we share similar biology or instincts. Take lap dancers, for instance!

A study of lap-dancing clubs in Albuquerque, New Mexico, revealed that lap-dancers earn an average of $335 in tips from male punters in the most fertile phase of their menstrual cycle, compared with just $185 during their menstrual phase. It's that inbuilt instinct again.

Religion and God to lap-dancers is a fair old leap but it makes you wonder how much we are in control of our overall beliefs, thoughts and actions. Atheists, though, would probably argue that they have made some headway towards free thinking ...

Other Recent Posts:
Both Dating The Same Girl Coincidence
God Doesn't Take Sides
A Cornish Journey Back To 1644 At Restormel Castle

A Pilgrimage To St Paul's Grotto In Rabat, Malta

Though I don't belong to any organised religion I like to visit holy places. While in Malta we visited St Paul's Grotto in Rabat - a very holy place, so much so that Pope John Paul II in 1990 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 visited and prayed at the Grotto. (Click on photos to make them larger)

The story of St Paul visiting and bringing Christianity to Malta is told in the Bible in Acts 27:27 to 28:11. This tells of how he was shipwrecked following a severe storm, while on his way to Rome. He is said to have spent three months in Malta (Melita).

While in Malta St Paul is believed to have stayed in a 'rock-hewn cave' i.e. this Grotto.

The statue of St Paul, within the Grotto, was donated by Grand Master Pinto in 1748.

The silver galley hanging from the ceiling (can be seen to the left of the photo) was given by the Knights of St John in 1960 to mark the 1,900-year anniversary of St Paul's shipwreck.

The Knights of St John date back to 1050. On their website they describe themselves as follows:

"The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and Malta, better known as the Sovereign Order of Malta, has a two-fold nature. It is one of the most ancient Catholic Religious Orders, founded in Jerusalem in around 1048. At the same time it has always been recognised by nations as an independent subject of international law. The Order’s mission is summed up in its motto “Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum”: nurturing, witnessing and protecting the faith (tuitio fidei) and serving the poor and the sick representing the Lord (obsequium pauperum)."

Our visit felt strange as we had the grotto to ourselves for the the visit. I had imagined that it would have been full of tourists, perhaps we called at just the right moment. It was good to spend some time there in reflection.

On a Sunday while in Mdina, Malta we crashed in on the end part of a Catholic church service. Because of the language difference we didn't understand what was being said but it was quite moving - a packed congregation, all taking part, the beautiful church and paintings. It felt very special.

At such times I can understand the benefit some people derive from belonging to a religious order.

Other Malta Posts:
The Cannon Went Off And Malta Turned Magical
The Maltese Fisherman Who Visited Heaven

The Experience Of Awakening The Soul And Immortality

Some call it an awakening while others may define it as super-consciousness. Either way it is something akin to the Paul on the road to Damascus moment. It's as if all knowledge is known, a time of enlightenment that comes along often without any warning.

In Paul's case the Bible describes it thus (Acts 9:3–9)

"As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?'

'Who are you, Lord?' Saul asked.

'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' he replied. 'Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.'

The men travelling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything." [Before his conversion, Paul, was known as Saul].

Someone I worked with once described his awakening as if someone had touched him on the shoulder and he was aware of what he should do with his life, in what he described as a flash of light occurrence - the road became suddenly bright and he was aware of everything at once and for an instant seemed to know everything. The light dimmed and he became 'him' again but for the fact that he now knew which path in life he should take and why.

Many people have described their awakening or Paul moment. Dr Douglas Baker writes:

"Whilst lying in a semi-recumbent condition after meditation, my whole body suddenly jerked into a condition of catalepsy and while riveted in this rigid state, a powerful force was thrust through me from head to foot. It was as if I had been catapulted into the dynamo of the universe. It resulted in the production of three principal manifestations which have been repeated again and again in various intensity ever since. I was initially aware of looking through into a new world even though fully conscious

The perception of a new dimension eventually produced in me the experience of inner radiance, a light that made the light of the sun as nothing compared to it. Accompanying that phenomenon was a feeling of ecstasy as I had never known before. And paralleling both new nouemena there was an accompanying sense of eternity. At first I was terrified that the experience would not return, but it did and has been mine ever since."

I've noticed that people often refer to a theme of eternity. Alfred, Lord Tennyson experienced this many times. This is his description:

"A kind of walking trance I have frequently had, quite up from boyhood, when I have been all alone. This has often come upon me through repeating my own name to myself silently till, all at once, as it were, out of the intensity of the consciousness of individuality, the individuality itself seemed to dissolve and fade away into boundless being; the surest of surest, the weirdest of the weirdest, utterly beyond words, where death was an almost laughable impossibility."

From what I have read it's as if the knowledge is within us all and is waiting to be remembered. It's a reminder that we are spiritual beings. In the Expansion of Awareness by Arthur Osborn he writes: "... I always knew it - it is remembering an old thought - there is no death ..."

If we could unlock the door to awakening our fears would disappear and we would realise the truth about ourselves. Some will describe this as a union with the Christ principle but other religions have their own 'unions'. In the Upanishads it is written "Thou art That; That which is the finest essence - this whole world has that as its soul; That is Reality; That is Atman." So their union is with the Atman, the Higher Self within man, which is the same as the Christ principle in Christianity.

But whatever our beliefs there can only be one truth.

Other Random Recent Posts:
The Memory Of Experiences Maketh Man
Could This Be Proof Of Reincarnation?
The Secret Path Leading To Inspiration And The Realisation Of Immortality

Parasitism And Spirituality

We can have hundreds of spiritual books but if we haven't actually experienced the content it's doubtful we have progressed spiritually. It's similar to distant places. We can read about them, but unless we visit them we haven't achieved very much. Attaining information for itself rarely makes us better people unless we put what we learn into action.

I was rambling on to myself about such things when absent mindedly I picked up a book I have mentioned previously in my post The Book And Suffragette Coincidence.

The book is called Natural Law In The Spiritual World and dates back to the 1880s. There is a signature inside dated July 24 1884.

The page I opened was in a chapter called Parasitism. I felt it linked me up to what I had been thinking:

"In those churches especially where all parts of the worship are subordinated to the sermon, a species of parasitism is peculiarly encouraged. What is meant to be a stimulus to thought becomes the substitute for it.

"The hearer never really learns, he only listens. And while truth and knowledge seem to increase, life and character are left in arrear.

"Such truth, of course, and such knowledge, are a mere seeming. Having cost nothing, they come to nothing. The organism acquires a growing immobility, and finally exists in a state of entire intellectual helplessness and inertia.

"So the parasitic church member, the literal 'adherent', comes not merely to live only within the circle of ideas of his minister, but to be content that his minister has those ideas - like the literary parasite who fancies he knows everything because he has a good library."

The chapter goes on to talk about someone who joins a church.

"What more likely than that a public religion should by insensible stages supplant his individual faith? What more simple than to content himself with the warmth of another's soul? What more tempting than to give up private prayer for the easier worship of the liturgy or of the church? What, in short, more natural than for the independent, free moving, growing Sacculina to degenerate into the listless, useless parasite of the pew?"

And it continues to say that:

"A physiologist would describe the organism resulting from such a process as a case of 'arrested development'. Instead of having learned to pray, the ecclesiastical parasite becomes satisfied with being prayed for. His transactions with the Eternal are effected by the commission. His work is done by a paid deputy. His whole life is a prolonged indulgence in the bounties of the church: and surely - in some cases at least the crowning irony - he sends for the minister when he lies down to die."

There's obviously much, much more but you'll no doubt get the picture. The author talks about how nature provides for all our wants.

"She gives him corn, but he must grind it. She elaborates coal, but he must dig for it ... He must work, think, separate, dissolve, absorb, digest: and most of these he must do for himself and within himself.

If it be replied that this is exactly what theology does, we answer it is exactly what it does not. It simply does what the greengrocer does when he arranges his apples and plums in his shop window ... but he does not help me eat them."

As that naff expression says: We have to walk the walk. We won't get too far if we simply sit and watch others walk.

Sacculina is a genus of barnacles that is a parasitic castrator of crabs.

How We Forget Truth And Created A False Reality
20 Opinions For And Against God
The UFO Which Brought The Raelian Elohim To Earth

How We Forget Truth And Created A False Reality

I've written several times about how I believe there is no reality: there is only our realisation. I probably got this bee in my bonnet initially from Rosicrucian teachings. Recently though I came across a religion, or perhaps it's a philosophy, called Seicho no Ie which, I understand, means literally House of Growth.

As far as I can see Seicho no Ie is a mixture of elements from Buddhist, Shinto and Christian beliefs. This is how it was explained to me:

Symbol of Seicho no Ie

Seicho no Ie's main concept is that the world as we see it does not exist. It is only a reflection of divine reality distorted through the lens of the human mind, which is polluted through vices and sins.

If us humans could rid ourselves of these vices and sins and instead concentrate on the divine reality we would perceive the divine truth - which is said to be harmonious, beautiful and complete.

We would then perceive ourselves as the truly perfect, healthy and harmonious children of God and realise that illnesses and misfortune are just manifestations of our mistaken perceptions.

This also sort of ties in with another of my beliefs that we all create our individual worlds or circumstances through our actions, beliefs, attitudes and thoughts. In other words where we are now is because of what we have done in the past - some might call this karma.

This principle is hard to accept by many, especially if going through difficult times. I know the idea wavered in my mind last year when I was told I had kidney cancer, but that's another story.

This 'new religion' of Seicho-no-Ie was founded on March 1, 1930 by Masaharu Taniguchi when he published the first issue of his monthly magazine for spiritual training. It's doctrine is laid out in Masaharu Taniguchi's 40 volume Seimei no jisso, translated in English as Truth of Life. Obvious a man of many words as following this he also produced a furtherl 400+ books. Sources: History of Seicho-No-Ie and Wikipedia.

It all kicked off in Japan but has now spread across the globe, especially to Brazil. The founder died in 1985 and the President of Seicho-no-Ie is now Masanobu Taniguchi.

A big part of Seicho no Ie is meditation, shinsokan. Practitioners endeavour to direct their thoughts at the supreme divinity in order to see it's true form and so become also aware of their own true state of being.

There is an emphasis on the role of the family and on parenting. They also pay grateful reverence to their ancestors. Gratitude also appears to be very important - and no wonder - as it can reap worldly benefits such as healing, harmony and an individuals financial improvements.

All well and good but once we start looking at religions many are based on similar beliefs. I was also reading about Gedatsukai, which also started in Japan. It's focus is again on gratitude and reverence to parents and ancestors.

If we look at the Bible one of the 10 Commandments is to 'Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 'Islam has something similar: '... be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour.' 

The more I read about religions more similarities come to light, at least in principle. In Christianity Jesus is the Son of God and in Seicho no Ie man is God's creation, and therefore has the infinite nature of God. Man is therefore the Son of God. And so it goes on.

It's as if 'we' once knew the truth but something interrupted this complete knowledge. So, like with Chinese Whispers, this altered and changed over time giving varying interpretations of this truth. As I said at the beginning of the post, there is no reality there is only our realisation, or interpretation of how anything actually is. It's the same with religions.

Other Random Religion Posts:
The Failed Predictions Of The Jehovah Witness
The UFO Which Brought The Raelian Elohim To Earth
Hitler And Princess Diana Baptised As Mormons

The Creation Of Many Adam And Eves

Probably, like many readers, I have pondered how man came about. Was it Creationism? Evolution? Or one of the other myriad, often wacky, suggestions?

What puzzles me most is Adam of the Bible. Was he really the first man? And Eve really the first woman? If so, does this mean their children interbred? Incest?

A lot of questions! But then someone told me the meaning of the word adam in Hebrew - the Bible being originally written in Hebrew. I've also Googled this, and it seems pretty much agreed as to what adam means.

I'll take the Wikipedia entry as an example:

"Adam (Hebrew: אָדָם‎, Arabic: آدم‎) in Biblical (as well as modern) Hebrew is sometimes used as the personal name of an individual and at other times in a generic sense meaning mankind"

Other suggestions I read:

"Adam means essentially human being or humanity. Not man"

This makes the likes of Genesis 1:27 more understandable when it says: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of of God created he him; male and female created he them."

If you want to go down the creationism trail surely this says that God created them i.e. humanity. This wasn't a single creation of one man, followed by one woman. So there was no single Adam and Eve, but many.

This also makes sense of Genesis 4:16 where Cain - the son of Adam and Eve - dwelt in the Land of Nod and how in Genesis 4:17 "Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch." Cain could only have done this if more women were available?

In Genesis 5:2 this is confirmed when it states: "Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created."

Perhaps the lesson is that the Bible can be interpreted in various ways. It's intereting that this is accepted, for example, in the Bahá'í faith. `Abdu'l-Bahá writes in 'Some Answered Questions':

"Therefore, this story of Adam and Eve who ate from the tree, and their expulsion from Paradise, must be thought of simply as a symbol. It contains divine mysteries and universal meanings, and it is capable of marvelous explanations. Only those who are initiated into mysteries, and those who are near the Court of the All-Powerful, are aware of these secrets. Hence these verses of the Bible have numerous meanings." Source: Bahá'í Reference Library

Other Similar Posts:
God Created Earth 6016 Years Ago
The Creation Of Real Live Fairies And Goblins
The UFO Which Brought The Raelian Elohim To Earth

A Vicar's Prayers For Money Were Answered

The Rev Dominic Furness of the All Saints church in Hampshire, England asked his congregation to pray for help over their church's money worries - and what a response he got.

As Rev Furness told the Daily Mail: "I have seen God provide before and put my faith in the fact that he would again, but sometimes he doesn't half show off."

God showing off - surely not, but it's easy to see how the vicar may have thought this when his prayers were answered with a £200,000 (nearly US$300,000) donation from an anonymous donor.

A note with this large sum simply said, "God prompted me to put my hand in my pocket."

There was also more good news. This donation coincided with another anonymous gift of £3000. No doubt there will be a third soon.

The vicar has obviously got the knack of how to pray off to a fine art! But as I wrote in a post about Guardian Angels, a few days ago, it's up to us to ask - if we are having any sort of problems. There's that old saying about If you don't ask you don't get and that's true, no matter at what level we are talking about: spiritual or more worldly.

The All Saints worshippers were delighted that prayers had been answered. As Rev Furness explained, "I shared the news with the church council before making an announcement at morning service. Some people were reduced to tears while others' reactions were like something out of a cartoon I could see their jaws hitting the floor."

The vicar comes across as a positive, good man and it's nice to see that he has a sense of humour. Religion doesn't have to be dull!

Similar Themed Posts:
Is This Why Prayers Are Never Answered
How A Prayer Was Answered
Gratitude The Sacred Secret And The Law Of Attraction

God Created Earth 6016 Years Ago

Click on images to make bigger

God created the Earth and the beginnings of mankind 6016 years ago. I can be precise because this is what my, very old, family Bible tells me.

As for Noah and the Ark, this all happened in 2349 BC, so that makes it 4361 years since the flood.

Okay, I personally don't see how this can be true but what got me thinking was a television programme I watched last night on creationism.

To quote Wikipedia: "Creationism is the religious belief that humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic God."

During the television programme a group of creationists, all Christian other than one Muslim, visited various experts, professors, and scientists who gave their 'proof' that the Earth is much older, and that mankind has developed because of evolution.

It was interesting that the creationists wouldn't budge from their beliefs, even when one professor wondered how Noah would have managed to get whales onto the ark. But actually I quite admire people who have such faith and have their beliefs sorted.

I read some of Genesis this morning from that old family Bible and one thing I'd forgotten was Genesis 1:26 "And God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness ..."

Does this mean there is more than one God? But, of course, there are many anomalies in the Bible.

I've also often naively wondered why God created man (and woman) in the first instance.

The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo Buonarroti

Other Religious Posts:
Was Jesus A Vegan
The Mystery Of Jesus Visiting Cornwall In England
The Holy Well Of St Sampson At Golant In Cornwall

A Mormon Rebuke

I have been rebuked, accused of not doing enough research when I wrote the post Hitler And Princess Diana Baptised As Mormons.

The rebuke is from someone whom, I presume, is a Mormon though doesn't give his or her name. Instead of defending the post and entering into an argument I decided I would publish the complaint in full and unedited.

Always willing to give an opposing view to my own. Enough of a preliminary, see how you view what follows:

1- Everyone that has ever lived experiences an afterlife in the LDS* world view. The immediate afterlife arrived at once a person dies is the Spirit World, a temporary place where the good wait in Paradise and the wicked wait in Prison for the eventual resurrection of the body, which everyone will able to experience. In Mormonism, baptism by a person with authority (other denominations are seen as not having the proper authority) is a prerequisite for salvation in the Celestial Kingdom, the presence of the Heavenly Father. Those who are never baptized receive a lesser kingdom or are cast into Outer Darkness, depending on their actions and whether or not they accept Christ's Atonement (which they still have the opportunity to do after they die). Vicarious baptism for the dead, a practice that existed within the primitive Christian church (as attested by 1 Corinthians and the Shepherd of Hermas), is offered to those who never had the opportunity to receive it in life. The dead can accept or reject the offer once it is extended; labeling those that have had the work done for them as Mormons is incorrect if we cannot know their reply.

2- Within the context of Mormonism, Joseph Smith** was not 'wrong' for re-instituting polygamy, nor was the Church 'wrong' for eventually ending the practice. Monogamy is given as the standard marriage form for members to observe within the Book of Mormon, but the text also mentions that God has the choice to allow polygamy at times when He feels it would be the better principle, as was the case in the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Likewise, Joseph Smith was commanded to revive polygamy in his day, and later Wilford Woodruff was commanded to suspend it for the time being. And since the subject interests you, there are smaller figures for the number of women married to Joseph during his life time (and after he died), and many researchers rely on statements made by Joseph's enemies that are of questionable authenticity.

3- "Stand in brides and grooms" implies that vicarious marriages are made for couples. A valid sealing for a dead person requires that the person they are being sealed to is already alive, and since Woodruff policy requires that the people being sealed were married while alive. Members of both genders can indeed be sealed to multiple spouses, but only if the person that's still alive was widowed.

An understanding of baptism for the dead and the importance of marriage in Mormonism requires being familiar with the concept of sealing, by which families are able to continue on into the next life.

My asterisks:
* Latter Day Saint
** Publisher of the Book of Mormon

Nun's Cross Opposed By The Number Of The Devil

Sister Mary Michael is a happy nun, look at her smiling face in the photo above. She might be full of the joys of happiness but all of her neighbours don't all feel the same.

The problem is that the Sister Mary wants to erect a 24 feet high cross in the small garden of her bungalow. She wants to pray by this for two or three hours every day.

The praying is okay, but she also wants the cross to be LED lit in blue and white. Neighbours say things like, "No way, the light will shine in my bedroom;" "It will cause light pollution," and so on.

But whatever Sister Mary or the neighbours may think it's up to her local council's planning department to approve or turn down such a structure. So planning permission has been sought.

Now here's the strange bit. The Sister Mary's planning application just happens to be ... number 666!

A spokesperson for the North Kesteven District Council is quoted as saying that the number is simply 'a coincidence'. Okay, but could there other forces at work here?

Going back to the cross: Why does Sister Mary want to build this, besides it being used for prayer? As a replica of the Glorious Cross of Dozulé is the answer. I hadn't heard of this previously so I'll let Wikipedia explain:

"The Glorious Cross of Dozulé is a postulated illuminated Catholic cross coloured white and blue, 738m tall with arms 123m long, which means with an exact proportion of a ratio of 3 between the vertical and horizontal lengths. It was erected by the Friends of the Glorious Cross of Dozulé."

What I also found out was that in late 1982, the Friends of the Glorious Cross of Dozulé announced that the Apocalypse was imminent. Followers took refuge in Loire-Atlantique and precautions were followed so that they would all be saved. After the failure of the prophecy, many members left the group.

Makes you wonder, therefore, if the signs are all there for Sister Mary Michael's planning application to also fail.

Other Posts With a Religious Slant:
The Great Unknown Link Between God And Man
The Holy Well That Saved a Saints Head
Hitler And Princess Diana Baptised As Mormons

Jesus Spoke To Her Son

Today's post is somewhat different because it has a definite religious slant. I received it by email and it has also been published on the Beyond Religion website. I won't add anything else, see what you think.

"We believe in God, but we have never gotten into organized religion. I didn't have our son, Michael, enrolled in Sunday school as a child. We never talked about religion, God, Jesus, etc. to him or anyone else.

When Michael was about two-and-a-half or three, he walked out of his room one day, came into the living room and started telling me all this stuff about Jesus. It was basically about Joseph, Mary, their trip, Jesus' teachings, his dying on the cross and coming back to life. All kinds of things he couldn't have known since he wasn't in pre-school and couldn't have overheard it from any of our friends.

I asked him how he knew all this. He said matter-of-factly, "Jesus told me," like it was something that happens everyday. It floored me when he told me Jesus was the one who told him all this information. He didn't even know who Jesus was before that, didn't even know that name. I think Christ wanted him to know about him, and my husband and I weren't doing our job of teaching him about the spiritual life. Jesus decided to do it for us. Needless to say, I immediately enrolled him in a Sunday school.

He took to the classes very well. This happened many years ago. He definitely believes in God and Jesus even though we had never taught him anything about any of this. He went from not knowing anything about Jesus to being a believer.

That was the one and only time he has ever mentioned anything like that"

Other Jesus Posts:
Why Jesus Visited Cornwall In England
Did Jesus Visit St George's Island Looe Cornwall
Stigmata And The Copycat Wounds Of Jesus

Hitler And Princess Diana Baptised As Mormons

I get puzzled by many organised religions. Today it's the Mormon beliefs that I find a little strange.

I'm told that Mormons believe people who have died - and are not members of their faith - must be made Mormons to have an afterlife.

I believe we have everlasting life, but it's not only for people who follow a certain religion, cult or faith. It's for everyone, regardless. How can Mormon's believe that only they will have an afterlife? But it gets stranger still!

It seems that you/we can be converted to the Mormon faith after you/we have died and so, I presume, have an afterlife. But let's take two random people who have been posthumously baptised by them: Princess Diana and Adolf Hitler.

Princess Di okay but: Hitler lives on while that nice, average bloke next door, who wouldn't harm or hurt a fly, doesn't. That doesn't seem quite right.

Let me quote something about Hitler:

"Current IGI TM Addendum temple ordinance entries for Mr. [Adolf] Hiedler (Hitler) show that Hitler was 'baptized' by Mormons on September 30, 1993, and 'endowed' on April 27, 1994, in the Jordan River Temple, Utah. I obtained a copy of this particular record for Hitler from the LDS Family Search Center in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in downtown Salt Lake City on July 13, 1998, less than two months before Ashton stated that no such IGI record existed for Hitler."**

Also Hitler's mate, Eva Braun, was bapitised:

"Eva Anna Paula Braun, born in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, on February 7, 1912, was 'baptized' by Mormons on October 16, 1964, and 'endowed' on February 5, 1965, in the Los Angeles Temple."**

Let's leave the afterlife and move on to marriage. As most probably know the Mormons were associated with polygamy, though this was banned by the church in 1890 to comply with federal laws. All well and good. The founder Joseph Smith must have got it wrong - even though he is purported to have experienced a divine revelation that polygamy was ordained by God. But it's a mistake any of us could have made, though some researchers have managed to come up with 29 wives for Smith.

It does appear, however, that posthumous plural marriages to dead people can still be made in Temple rituals acted out by stand in brides and grooms. Again very strange.

It's up to us what we decide to believe in life. Just last week a Mormon 'missionary' from the USA was in the town where I live in Cornwall. Very nice, polite young men but how can anyone believe that, in the eyes of God / Universal Consciousness or whatever, we are not all equal and if we don't sign up there's no afterlife. Wonder how the USA president contender, Mitt Romney, squares this with US citizens who are Protestants, Jews, Muslims, atheists and so on?

The photo at the top of the page shows Joseph Smith, Mormon founder, having his first vision.

**See The Mormon Curtain

Further Religion Posts:
The Failed Predictions Of The Jehovah Witness
How Can Man Imagine A God Who Is Undefinable
The Size Of The Human Soul

The Brothel Closed By Prayer

In a small community a brothel opened right opposite a church.  Needless to say members of the congregation were none too happy about this.  They decided to set up a campaign to have the brothel closed down using petitions and prayers.

The brothel continued with it's business but one night there was a severe storm and a bolt of lightning struck the building, and it was burnt virtually to the ground. Fortunately no one was injured.

The church congregation were rather pleased with themselves and the outcome. Their smugness soon disappeared, however, when the brothel owner decided to sue the church authorities.

The grounds for the legal action was that the church, through its congregation of prayers and action, was responsible for the destruction of the brothel either through direct or indirect actions or means.

The church set up their defence and told the court that they denied all responsibility or any connection that their prayers were reasons for the act of God.

The judge who was in charge of the court hearing looked at the initial paperwork and concluded, "I don't know how I'll decide this case, as it appears from the paperwork that we have a brothel owner who believes in the power of prayer and we have an entire church congregation that doesn't."

Dog On A 37 Bus And Yoga Is The Devil's Work

A couple of things I have seen in the UK media over the last couple of days. One made me go ahhh! and the other grrrrr!

Dog Returns On Number 37 Bus
Five years ago Pat Oate's dog went missing. The mum-of-three had by now given up all hope of ever seeing T-Bone again, you can only search for a certain amount of time.

T-Bone was a Staffordshire bull terrier and the family's conclusion was that he had been stolen, perhaps to order. What Pat didn't reckon with, however, is her local number 37 bus!

Yes, after five years, T-bone was found on the bus which travels between Birmingham City Centre and Solihull. The driver took the dog to a local vet where they were able to scan him to see if T-bone had been micro-chipped - and he had. The vet phoned Pat with the good news and the family were soon reunited with their lost pet.

But where had T-bone been? Nobody knows or can offer an explanation. Pat said, "No one saw who T-Bone was with on the bus. We will try to see if there's CCTV on the bus, but the trouble is the person could claim they'd only just picked him up"

So a happy ending - and shows the value of having dogs micro-chipped.

Yoga Is The Devil In Disguise
The Vatican's chief exorcist, Father Gabriel Amorth, had declared that Yoga is the work of the devil!

To quote Father Amorth: "Yoga is the Devil's work. You think you are doing it for stretching your mind and body, but it leads to Hinduism. All these oriental religions are based on the false belief of reincarnation."

He didn't just leave it there, he added:
"Practising yoga brings evil, as does reading Harry Potter. They may both seem innocuous but they both deal with magic and that leads to evil."

"Satan is always hidden and the thing he desires more than anything is for people to believe he does not exist. He studies each and every one of us and our tendencies towards good and evil, and then he tempts us."

"My advice to young people would be to watch out for nightclubs because the path is always the same: alcohol, sex, drugs and Satanic sects."

There I was thinking that yoga is a spiritual discipline and not a religion - oh well, not the first time I've been wrong!