#Unveiling the Catholic Origins of the First Church.

[paularoseauthor]

Unveiling the Catholic Origins of the First Church.

The origins of the Christian Church are deeply intertwined with the emergence of a movement inspired by Jesus Christ’s teachings.  History reveals that the first Church was, in essence, Catholic. This assertion is rooted in the early Christian community’s connection to the apostles, the development of fundamental doctrines, and the establishment of foundational practices that eventually evolved…

[mariacallous]

Like a lot of us, Carlo Acutis spent an ungodly amount of his life staring at screens. Born in London in 1991, he grew up an only child in a newly connected world. He wore sweatshirts and Nike trainers. He played Halo and taught himself to code. But that’s where the similarities end—because next year, Acutis will officially be named a saint.

As well as the internet, Acutis revered another institution: the Catholic Church. From a young age, he was acutely interested in Eucharistic miracles—extraordinary events which, according to Catholics, see consecrated bread or wine suddenly become the actual body or blood of Christ. “To always be united to Jesus: This is my life plan,” he told his mother after his First Communion.

In 2004, Acutis started to research Eucharistic miracles from around the world, developing a website to document them. His aim was to connect with other young Catholics. “He was personally convinced that the scientific evidence would help people … come back to Mass,” says Courtney Mares, author of Blessed Carlo Acutis: A Saint in Sneakers and Rome correspondent for the Catholic News Agency.

The online archive was unveiled in October 2006, a simple build with cursive text and religious imagery. But just a few days after it launched, Acutis fell ill. He was diagnosed with leukemia, with little chance of recovery. “Death has become the passage towards life,” he told his mother, before falling into a coma, suffering a brain hemorrhage, and passing away. He was just 15.

His spirit lived on. The website he’d built helped introduce Eucharistic miracles to a mass audience across the globe and was translated into 17 languages. A physical exhibition linked to Acutis’ work has toured internationally, being shown in thousands of parishes worldwide. It’s still touring now. Acutis is revered not just for his use of technology, but also his dedication to living virtuously. “I think that prayer was truly the great secret of his saintly life,” Mares says. But the website was key to creating a halo effect, heightening his reputation as a blessed figure.

In 2012, the Archdiocese of Milan—where Acutis’ family had moved when he was a child—started a cause for canonization, paving the way for sainthood. Unbeknown to most secular folk, saints are still made regularly; Pope Francis has recognized a record 912 since 2013. But becoming one, as the cliché goes, requires patience. The original petitioner appoints a postulator to collect evidence of the candidate’s sacred work (the “devil’s advocate” used to be a real antithesis to this occupation, arguing against sainthood).

“The process of identifying someone as a saint is long and careful and quite bureaucratic,” says Tim Hutchings, associate professor of religious ethics at the University of Nottingham. “It starts when some Catholics decide that they really think someone should be a saint. They start a campaign to prove to their local bishop that this person lived an incredibly holy life, or died for their faith.”

After being named a "Servant of God" in 2013, Acutis reached the second rung on the ladder to sainthood when he was venerated by Pope Francis in 2018. His body was exhumed and brought to a tomb in Assisi where he still lies today, dressed in his trademark '90s teenager garb. “It’s a beautiful thing that for the first time in history you can see a saint dressed in jeans, sneakers, and a sweatshirt. That’s a great message,” Father Carlos Acácio Gonçalves Ferreira, the shrine’s rector, said at the time. A Franciscan monk based at the tomb, noted that “many young people” were visiting.

Next, Acutis and his followers needed a literal miracle—one he had performed himself. “It has to be something which can't be scientifically explained, so proving this is difficult. For example, this might require doctors to confirm that they can't explain how a healing has occurred,” Hutchings says. In 2013 a woman in Brazil claimed that praying to Acutis had helped heal her son’s pancreatic defect. In 2020 Pope Francis authenticated the miracle and Acutis was beatified, culminating in a ceremony celebrating his virtuous life. “According to Google Trends, more people were searching for information about Carlo Acutis than about the Pope,” Mares notes.

Then, in May 2024, a second miracle was recognized, involving the healing of a 21-year-old girl from Costa Rica injured in a bike accident. In 2022, her mother had knelt at Acutis' grave and prayed for his help. Her daughter then miraculously resumed breathing without support and made a full recovery. The Pope approved Acutis’ canonization in July—with an official ceremony set for 2025.

It’s rare for a saint to be so young and unheard of, and still reach this lofty status so soon after their death. “It is remarkable that Carlo Acutis will be canonized so close to the date that he was born. For context, of the 912 saints canonized by Pope Francis, the next most recent birth date was in 1926,” Mares says. It makes him the first ever millennial saint and, as some Catholics have put it, “God’s influencer” and the “patron saint of the internet.”

Meanwhile, the cult of Carlos Acutis is continuing to spread across the world. Relics, including a piece of the sheet that shrouded his corpse, a fragment of one of his sweatshirts, and his actual heart, have toured internationally, recently coming to the UK for the New Dawn Catholic Pilgrimage. Online, you can buy Carlo Acutis figurines, rosary beads, posters, and commemorative keychains. In North Lanarkshire, Scotland, a life-size statue of Acutis has been erected at Carfin Grotto, and there’s a stained-glass window in Wiltshire to attract young churchgoers.

There's even a comic book telling his story, and a VR experience offering players a chance to step into Acutis’ sneakers. And, for Catholics who are unable to pay their respects in person, his tomb can be visited (and donated to) virtually through an always-on livestream.

The Church doesn’t pick saints—campaigns start with the Catholic community—but Acutis’ popularity meshes with its desire for a young role model. It also highlights the Church’s embrace of tech. “The Pope has been making an annual lecture about communications technology for 58 years,” says Hutchings. “It absolutely makes sense for Catholics to look for a saint of the internet who represents the godly and faithful use of technology.”

There is, of course, still a stigma surrounding the internet’s potential for blasphemous behavior. “The Pope has warned that today’s digital age constantly tempts young people to ‘self-absorption, isolation, and empty pleasure,’” Mares says. And some devout Catholics are still struggling with temptation. “With technology changing at such a rapid pace today, many Christians are still grappling with how best to live out their faith in the world of laptops, cell phones, and social media,” Mares says.

But the Pope also called the internet a “gift from God” in 2014, and he recognizes its potential for spreading the word of Christ—it just depends on how it is applied. And in the case of Acutis, tech was used in a pious way. “Acutis used the new technology in exactly the way that the Church wants to see it used: to promote commitment to Catholic teaching, virtuous living, and devotion to the rituals of the local church,” Hutchings explains. The Church will hope that the relatable “saint in sneakers” who watched cartoons and surfed the web will resonate with a community looking for an idol.

[deadnburied13]

THE "OCCULTIC" INVERTED CROSS ORIGIN?

An inverted pentagram is a more common symbol attached to the Church of Satan and Satanism, but an inverted cross is also used, such as in the Satanic Temple’s ceremony unveiling the Baphomet statue.

In popular culture, such as in music and movies, the upside down cross can mean anti-Christian and Satanist sentiments specifically or rebellion against social and political power in general. In Hollywood films like Rosemary’s Baby and The Conjuring, upside down crosses are associated with demonic activity and overall evilness to viscerally creep the audience out.

The symbolic nature of the upside down cross is best determined by its context.

The inverted cross is a recurring motif in metal music. One well-known example is Glen Benton of the band Deicide who branded an inverted cross onto his forehead.

Former Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward suggested that the use of an inverted cross on the inner gatefold sleeve of their debut album by their label Vertigo may have been a promotional ploy or a misunderstanding of the nature of the group. Many horror films use inverted crosses as part of their imagery and marketing, especially if the film involves demonic themes.

In the music video for the Lady Gaga song "Alejandro", Gaga's robes featured inverted crosses over her crotch to resemble a penis.[5]

In the Chemin de la Croix by French composer Marcel Dupré at the part where Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross an inverted cross motif appears at bar 7 and then twice more before it is replaced with a pastoral theme.

EUGENE VINTRAS

Pierre-Michel-Eugène Vintras , known as Pierre-Michel-Élie , born in Bayeux on April 7, 1807 and died in Lyon on December 7, 1875, is a cardboard worker from Tilly-sur-Seulles , who claimed to be the reincarnation of the prophet Elijah and was the creator of a sect . HE WAS CONSIDERED BY SOME AS THE ORIGINATOR OF INVERTED CROSS IN OCCULTISM.

The doctrine of Vintras affirms that God first reigned over the world, it is Mosaic ; next came God the son, that's Christianity; the time of the reign of the Holy Spirit , known as the “freedom of the children of God”, now arrived, Vintras is the messiah and the prophet.

In this reign of the Holy Spirit , placed under the sign of liberation, the movements of concupiscence are neither good nor bad, and one can consequently abandon oneself without crime, freedom which Vintras uses widely. The sect, which gives itself the name of "Work of Mercy", is organized into "septaines", action centers composed of seven people each, corresponding with each other, and working together to spread the news doctrine. All the followers have the names of angels, with the Hebrew ending in "ael", revealed by Saint Joseph, which also indicates the names of the people who died in grace, as well as the order in which they are placed in the other world: "legions, thrones, dominions", etc.

The “Sacred Septaine we”, which takes precedence over all the others and whose headquarters was in Tilly-sur-Seulles, has a larger number of members. Having as its object to maintain the unity of action and to prevent any schism in the work, it has the gift of infallibility; her decisions become acts of faith and she controls the acts of the other septaines. Despite the proclamation by these groups of their membership of the Catholic Church, the Holy See and the bishops condemn this doctrine.

Baron de Razac became involved in this sect and his castle, called the "Tent", became its spiritual center. The sect, then had nearly two thousand followers in the cities of Rouen , Le Mans , Paris , Angers , Tours , Cahors and Albi . A clergyman from Savoy becomes the logographer of the sect. He published anonymously at Locquin, in 1841, the first publication of "Children of the Work", the Opuscule on communications announcing the Work of Mercy. From this moment, the sect publishes several pamphlets collectively written, then, at the end of 1842, a periodical called the Voice of the Septaine , of which appear forty-eight deliveries until 1846. Most of the writings of the sect emanate from the pen of Charvoz, who had published in 1846, under the pseudonym of Father La Paraz, the Prisons of a current prophet pursued by all powers .

From 1841 , Vintras said that he had obtained, during ceremonies, mysterious bloody hosts, some of which were transmitted to the occultist Joanny Bricaud . Another occultist, Éliphas Lévi visits Vintras. Stanislas de Guaita devotes a long study to him which concludes with: "The bloody hosts are true, but they are demonic!" "

The following year, Vintras, accused of fraud, was imprisoned for six years.

He resumed his preaching in 1848, he was then exiled by the Second Empire and did not return to France until 1862 . When he died in 1875, Father Boullan tried unsuccessfully to succeed him at the head of the sect.

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

CAUSA and Three South American Terror Generals

Moonies Deep Latin Involvement

by Oscar M. Perrotto

Washington Report on the Hemisphere, published by the Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA)

Nov. 3 [probably early 1980s]

As leader of the highly controversial Unification Church, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon – no stranger to questionable political and economic dealings around the world – has undertaken a major drive for support in Latin America by linking himself to some of the Hemisphere’s most violent regimes.

The Reverend Moon’s latest vehicle for gaining influence in the Western Hemisphere centers around a new organization founded by his church, the Confederacion de las Asociaciones para la Unificacion de las Sociedades Americanas (CAUSA). Beginning this past summer, CAUSA has sponsored a series of seminars in Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, Brazil, and Washington, entitled “Unificationism: a Solution to Communism.” The all-day events – usually restricted to carefully selected audiences of government officials, businessmen and journalists – present a fiercely ideological attack on Marxism, while exposing Rev. Moon’s ideas and doctrines.

At an October 9 seminar held in Washington for approximately forty Latin American diplomats and officials, CAUSA officials, speaking in Spanish, gave extensive presentations complemented by a screening of “Attack on the Americas” – a widely discredited documentary produced by the right-wing American Security Council.

CAUSA’s aim, according to academic director Thomas Ward, is to counteract Marxist infiltration through the “ideological education” of Latin America. “The human mind is the final battleground” in the struggle between East and West,” Ward said.

To this effect, the group has unveiled a major new weapon, a Spanish-language magazine, Causa [cause]. This slickly produced glossy features profiles of Latin American dictators, “thought pieces” by CAUSA functionaries, and reports on the organization’s activities.

▲ Col. Bo Hi Pak with President Reagan

In the September/October issue, Col. Bo Hi Pak, Rev. Moon’s top aide and a former Korean intelligence agent, praised military-run Chile “because it is a country that has experienced to its marrow the real nature of communism. Despite this – because of the iron will of its people – it has returned to liberty. This is a unique experience which Chile can share with the world.”

Col. Pak first gained prominence as one of the principal figures in the 1976 “Koreagate” influence-buying scandal involving U.S. Congressmen, the Korean CIA and the Unification Church. A Senate investigating committee subsequently condemned the Moon movement for “systematically violating fiscal, immigration, banking and foreign agent registration laws.”

In one of the first steps in its drive to “ideologically educate” the hemisphere, beginning in April, 1980, CAUSA established the Spanish-language New York-based Noticias Del Mundo, a sister publication of Moon’s English-language daily, News World. Noticias, appealing to the large expatriate Cuban community, quickly grew to a circulation of over 10,000; future plans include expansion to five U.S. cities, and eventually nationwide circulation.

For much of its news, Noticias relies on a number of notorious “public relations” wire services, including TELAM, the Argentine government-owned wire, SAPORITI, allegedly influenced by the Argentine government, and DINARP, the public information arm of the Uruguayan military.

In November of last year, COHA made U.S. officials aware that Antonio Rodriguez Carmona, the executive director of Noticias, maintained close ties to the Argentine government. He was subsequently removed from that position.

The Moon movement attempted to begin its Latin American operations in the area’s most populous nation, Brazil. That country also boasts the largest number of unorthodox religious establishments in Latin America. It was expected that the military dominated anti-communistic government would look with favor on the Moonie movement. In fact, several sympathetic military officers there provided invaluable assistance in getting the Brazilian cult established. The church soon became the center of widespread controversy. The Brazilian government deported Rev. Moon and subsequently has denied him a visa. Eventually the church’s financial operations in Brazil proved only marginally profitable, a development reflected in CAUSA’s recent shift in emphasis on the Southern Cone.

Part 2

The first part of this article (Feb./Mar. ADVISOR) dealt with the role of CAUSA, a Moon front organization, operating in many Latin American countries as well as in the U.S. and aimed, according to its spokesmen, to counteract Marxist infiltration through the “ideological education” of Latin America.

▲ General Augusto Pinochet of Chile. See New York Times obituary below.

By way of contrast, in Chile, the Moon sect has received a hearty abrazo from the military government of Gen. Augusto Pinochet, just as Noticias received a friendly telegram of congratulations from the Chilean dictator when it commenced publication. CAUSA held the first of a series of Latin American seminars on “Unificationism As a Solution to Communism” in the Casa Rosada in Santiago de Chile, the building that houses the original copy of the Chilean Constitution. A personal representative of Gen. Pinochet attended the event, along with a number of high-ranking military officers who enthusiastically accepted accolades to their efforts delivered by the ubiquitous Col. Pak.

“In spite of the fact that Chile is still seen as a villain in the liberal press, I think the day will come when the world will recognize this nation as a fountain of hope” he declared. Pinochet’s Chile, said Park, “represents a special hope for the world, especially for those countries under communist regimes. The history of Chile must be told, so that all, whether they are in tyranny or liberty, may benefit.”

Chilean Gen. Claudio Lopez responded with equal warmth: “I have seen how you raised your solitary voice in the Congress of the United States (during the Koreagate hearings) in defense of free men. For us, this has deep significance, because we know that persons such as Rev. Moon and yourself are pillars in the struggle against international communism.”

In Argentina, CAUSA confounded its critics and retained its stature by gaining sponsorship from the Catholic University of La Plata for a seminar held July 13-17 in Buenos Aires. The military government also went out of its way to demonstrate its camaraderie with the Moon sect.

▲ Col. Bo Hi Pak with General García Meza in Bolivia. See obituary below.

In Bolivia, the local CAUSA representative, Roberto Freire, arranged a special program for the 900 cadets of the army military college in La Paz. At the conclusion of the week-long seminar, the commander of the academy, Col. Faustino Rico Toro – a man who knows much about Bolivian drug trafficking from first hand experience – expressed his satisfaction. “The principal purpose of this training,” he said, “is to prepare these young men and women, as cadets and later as officers, to participate in debates with Marxists and win... Unificationism is the most clear and direct way of dealing with their [the Marxists] arguments.”

In Montevideo, Uruguay Interior Minister Yamandu Trinidad also invited CAUSA to give a seminar which features Col. Pak as the main speaker. CAUSA repaid the government for solicitude by featuring in its magazine a glowing profile of the country’s newly installed president, Gen. Gregorio Alvarez.

▲ General Gregorio Alvarez. In 2009, General Alvarez was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in the deaths or disappearances of 37 Uruguayans under Operation Condor. … (see below)

The article conveniently ignored the implications inherent in Alvarez’ service as Commander-General of the Uruguayan army and chief of the security apparatus during the harshest years of repression following the 1973 coup. In these years under military rule, Uruguay incarcerated more political prisoners, proportional to her population, than any other nation in the world.

Yet, CAUSA is far from being universally admired in Uruguay. In fact, a large outcry arose this summer after it was learned that a corporation acting on behalf of Col. Pak deposited $50 million in a Montevideo bank. That badly needed influx of foreign exchange appears to be the bankroll for investments growing out of special treatment by certain government officials. The outline of CAUSA’s intentions in Uruguay are only now beginning to become apparent. It runs as follows:

The first move occurred in March, when Col. Pak met with a group of Uruguay’s top leaders: President Apparicio Mendez, the current President Gregorio Alvarez, and Interior Minister Yamandu Trinidad. At the same time, he came to know Col. Tabare Alvarez, the president’s brother, with whom he now enjoys a close relationship.

Subsequently, the cult and its related business enterprises have received a number of lucrative concessions from the Uruguayan government, including a newspaper license. After founding Noticias del Uruguay, the church also received permission to establish a radio and television station.

The patience of the cowed Uruguayan public finally snapped in early September when it learned that a Unification Church-controlled corporation won a bid to develop a series of luxury hotels and casinos near Montevideo in a secret auction held without the knowledge of other interested Uruguayan firms. The ensuing scandal rocked the nation. Opponents reminded the government that Moon’s plans for a casino will require the intervention of the national executive to repeal strict Uruguayan laws regulating the ownership and operation of gambling houses.

In response to these apparently well-founded protests against official favoritism shown in the Moon sect, government officials responded with hollow statements about “freedom of religion” and “freedom of investment” in Uruguay. President Alvarez gave a succinct and telling assessment of the government’s relationship with the controversial cult when he declared that “with respect to the fight against communism, it is obvious that we think alike.”

Oscar M. Perrotto

___________________________________________

___________________________________________

Gen. Augusto Pinochet

https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/11/world/americas/11pinochet.html

Dec. 11, 2006

Gen. Augusto Pinochet Ugarte, the brutal dictator who repressed and reshaped Chile for nearly two decades and became a notorious symbol of human rights abuse and corruption, died yesterday at the Military Hospital of Santiago. He was 91. …

General Pinochet seized power on Sept. 11, 1973, in a bloody military coup that toppled the Marxist government of President Salvador Allende. He then led the country into an era of robust economic growth. But during his rule, more than 3,200 people were executed or disappeared, and scores of thousands more were detained and tortured or exiled.

General Pinochet gave up the presidency in 1990 after promulgating a Constitution that empowered a right-wing minority for years. He held on to his post of commander in chief of the army until 1998. With that power base, he exerted considerable influence over the democratically elected governments that replaced his iron-fisted rule. …

A government-commissioned report issued in 2004 concluded that almost 28,000 people had been tortured during the general’s rule. …

Many were disillusioned by revelations that he held, at the least, $28 million in secret bank accounts abroad.

General Pinochet scoffed at his human rights critics. Asked about the discovery of a mass grave of his government’s victims, he was quoted in the Chilean press as joking that it was an “efficient” way of burial.

“The humiliation Pinochet has gone through is probably a better outcome than any trial could have achieved,” said José Zalaquett, Chile’s foremost human rights lawyer.

___________________________________________

Gen. Gregorio Alvarez

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/28/world/americas/gregorio-alvarez-died-uruguay-dictator.html

Dec. 28, 2016

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — Gen. Gregorio Alvarez, the last leader of Uruguay’s brutal dictatorship of the 1970s and ’80s, died here on Wednesday while serving a prison sentence for human rights abuses. He was 91.

Under General Alvarez, Uruguay was part of the secret alliance of South American dictatorships known as Operation Condor, in which military leaders cooperated in persecuting and killing one another’s dissidents.

General Alvarez, himself the son of a general, participated in the 1973 coup that dissolved Uruguay’s legislature amid a government crackdown on the Marxist Tupamaro rebels, who were trying to seize power. One of General Alvarez’s brothers had been killed by Tupamaro attackers in 1972.

General Alvarez became chief of the army in 1978 and president in 1981. His government imprisoned democratic critics and censored the news media.

He agreed in 1984 to hand over power to an elected civilian government as the wave of dictatorships in the region was starting to recede. Argentina’s military rule had ended a year earlier, and Brazil’s ended a year later.

Hundreds of suspected leftists were arrested and tortured during the dictatorship, and historians say an estimated 180 Uruguayans were killed, most of them while in the custody of the government’s Argentine allies.

In 2009, General Alvarez was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in the deaths or disappearances of 37 Uruguayans under Operation Condor. …

___________________________________________

Gen. Luis García Meza

May 2, 2018

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/02/obituaries/luis-garcia-meza-bolivian-dictator-jailed-for-genocide-dies-at-88.html

Gen. Luis García Meza, a former Bolivian dictator who was convicted of genocide after leading a brief but brutal rule that had been engineered by cocaine cartels and a Nazi war criminal, died on Sunday in La Paz. He was 88.

He died at the Cossmil military hospital, where he was serving the remainder of his 30-year prison term, a hospital spokesman told The Associated Press.

General García Meza was installed as president in July 1980 after a military junta toppled President Lidia Gueiler, who had been steering Bolivia to democracy after 16 years of dictatorship. They were cousins.

Fiercely conservative and anti-Communist, he seized control in what became known as the “cocaine coup” to keep Hernan Siles Zuazo, who was elected president that June, from taking office.

The military massacred leaders of the Movement of the Revolutionary Left and other opponents. Within a month, hundreds of other Bolivians had been arrested and tortured. ...

___________________________________________

Operation Condor conspiracy faces day of judgment in Argentina court

May 26, 2016

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/26/operation-condor-trial-argentina-court-death-squads

Eighteen former military officers accused of participating in a plan in the 70s and 80s to operate international death squads to eliminate leftwing exiles face verdict.

It was an organised programme of state-sponsored murder in which US-backed regimes conspired to hunt down, kidnap and kill political opponents across South America and beyond.

Operation Condor – named after the world’s largest carrion bird – was devised to eliminate thousands of exiled leftwing activists who had dared confront the military dictators who ruled the continent in the 1970s and 80s.

The exact number of its victims may never be known, but this week judges in Buenos Aires will deliver their verdict on the first court case to specifically focus on the conspiracy.

Eighteen former military officers – including Argentina’s last dictator Reynaldo Bignone, 88 – will on Friday be sentenced on charges including kidnapping, torture and forced disappearance. Seven other defendants, including Jorge Videla – the general who headed Argentina’s junta during its bloodiest first three years – have died since the trial began in 2013.

The court has heard evidence on the deaths of more than 100 leftwing activists allegedly killed in Argentina, including 45 Uruguayans, 22 Chileans, 15 Paraguayans and 13 Bolivians. ...

According to secret documents unearthed after democracy returned to the region, Operation Condor was originally drawn up at a secret 1975 meeting of intelligence chiefs from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay, and later expanded to include Brazil. The minutes of the meeting were signed for Chile by Colonel Manuel Contreras, the dreaded head of that country’s Dina secret police.

Its purpose was to allow cooperating countries to send death squads into each other’s territory – and sometimes further afield – to monitor, kidnap or kill political exiles. ...

___________________________________________

CAUSA and the Catholic Church in the 1980s

In Bolivia, Moon disciple Tom Ward and the former Hitler SS Officer, Klaus Barbie were often seen together

How Sun Myung Moon’s organization helped to establish Bolivia as South America’s first narco-state.

The CAUSA Kingdom

“Through CAUSA… people will eventually be drawn to the root, which is Rev. Moon.”

Gen. Alfredo Stroessner “chosen by God” – killed at least 423, tortured 18,722 and raped many young girls

“Moon’s Law: God Is Phasing Out Democracy”

Sun Myung Moon organization activities in Central & South America

[thephantomcasebook]

Visual Guide to Adventurer George “The Comet” Crawley’s search for the “The Vanishing Princess” (1928 - 1936)

Luthien Tinuviel: (Elven Princess/Original Incantation)

“While exploring the throne room of the kings and queens, I found this.” The boy suddenly put up next to the masterful illustration of Lady Elfstone a large photograph of a mural upon a pearl marble wall.

Martha Levinson took a step closer as if drawn in by what she saw. It was a painting of a woman dancing by moonlight through a forest. Fireflies fluttered about her painted figure as she moved. The young woman had long raven tresses that were sown with flowers of the forest. Her figure was pale and slender with bright shining grey eyes. The loose gown she wore was cerulean and made of a fine silk that sparkled in the moonlight. For a moment, Martha was once more overtaken with the same overwhelming sense of sorrowful love for the woman in the wall mural as Lady Elfstone. She caught herself reaching out to touch the photograph. When she noticed it, the old woman cleared her throat and withdrew her hand, refusing to glance to the kid for his reaction. The young adventurer looked up at her, but yet, there was no judgement in his eyes to her emotion.

Lady Elfstone: (Last Princess of Byzantium/ First Lady of the House of Grantham/ Second Incarnation)

“Who is she?” She desperately stifled the emotion in her throat.

“This is the Lady Elfstone …” The boy read from the ancient inscription in the chronicle. “To what her real name is, I don’t know, they don’t say. She was a Byzantine Princess, the last of the Imperial House. She had fled the fall of Constantinople. How she got to England, no one knows, not even the monks of the abbey. She washed up in Wales and was found by a Tudor Lord. They said that she had never spoke of her life in Byzantium again, “fore the grief of her people’s ancestral city afire was too great”. But she was a beauty like holy sapphi … uh, well, to sum up, they say she was really beautiful. And uh, her voice was a match for even a heavenly chorus. She was kept as a prize of the Lancastrian Court in London. The monks here say that only her presence and the Grecian hymnals and songs she wove could quell the fits of madness that would overcome Henry VI, and so Margaret of Anjou kept her a prisoner in the tower.” The boy turned the page. He blew on the dry piece of parchment as he leaned close to read. “It seemed that Queen Margaret wanted to give her to the Lancastrian Heir. But on the day of their wedding, she uh, she fled, I guess. Someone smuggled her out of the castle … and she rode for Yorkist lands in Northern England. She sought sanctuary at … Downton Abbey.” The boy stopped and looked up in surprise at Martha. For a just a beat they felt a pang of something, a tiny breath upon their neck, a slender figure crowned in roses that sat upon the sofa watching them. The boy shook his head and continued.

“The monks took her in, but uh, Lords Somerset and Percy marched an army to take her back …”

“Must have been one hell of a woman.”

“Yeah, well they incurred the wrath of the Knight of the county … Sir Grantham “The Black Dragon”. He was the bastard son of Lady Katherine Percy, and Lord Percy’s half-brother, whose land the abbey was on. There was a battle on that field over there.” The boy pointed past the columned veranda at the edge of the gardens. “They outnumbered Sir Grantham’s forces three to one, but the Knight wouldn’t yield to them the beautiful Lady for any price, threat, or odds … eventually, the “Black Dragon” stood alone and surrounded, fighting his last stand by the doors of the abbey itself taking up a notched battle axe and stricken helm, but uh, he fought off waves of enemies, still unwilling to surrender the Princess even then. Oh, well, lucky for him, Edward of York arrived with his father’s men and drove the Lancastrians off Grantham’s land. But still, he was wounded, having cut down many of the greatest of the Lancastrian Knights in defense of the Lady. It says here that the monks and the Princess healed him, and there …” The boy was quiet a moment. “Sir Grantham fell in love with the nameless princess who sat up with him through the worst of it. He gave to her the name … Lady Elfstone for how she shimmered in the sunlight by the abbey’s windows.” There was a touch of a sad smile of reverence on his face as he turned the page with a crackling of ancient binding.

But then the boy didn’t say anything else.

“If I wanted damn cliff hanger I’d go to a serial, Cowboy.” Martha scoffed in annoyance. “What happened next?” She pressed.

The kid flipped through several pages, then flipped back. “I dunno …” The boy said in genuine confusion. “This is where the entry stops.”

Ilona Tepes: (Princess of Wallachia/ Third Incarnation) 

“Yeah, well if you’re freaking out about that …” the boy retrieved his leather folder. “Then this will put some hair on your … uh …” He looked Martha up and down for a moment. “Well, it’ll put hair on whatever it is you have, uh, down there.” He cleared his throat with quirk of his eyebrows awkwardly. He took the spot next to the old woman, ignoring her two clenched fists placed on her hips with a deeply grudging glare directed at him.

“Alright …” The boy cleared the air. “So, about a century after the first Lord and Lady Grantham’s deaths there was a Prince of Wallachia in Transylvania named Vlad that they called Dracul, which translates into “The Dragon”.” The boy explained. “He married an English noble woman named Ilona, I don’t know where she came from, and there isn’t a lot known about her … most of her records were scrubbed by someone long ago. But there is one thing that survived the Catholic Churches purging of the House of Tepes. A Triptych of Ilona was painted by an artist named Dresden and was send as sort of a wedding present to her husband. I don’t know where the original is, no one does, they think it got destroyed along with Alexander Grayson …”

“Oh yeah, I remember that moron. Industrialist. The dumb bastard blew up half of London with his newfangled electro power machine thingamajig. Cora and Robert were supposed to go to that unveiling, but Mary was kicking inside her, and they stayed home … about the last useful thing that girl ever did, and she wasn’t even born yet.”

“You’ll hear no disagreement from me.” The kid replied with an easy bitterness. “Either way, whether Grayson died with it or not, there is a record of it being sold to a Lord Davenport who was the uncle of Lord Anthony Strallen.” He shrugged.

“Wait? The chud who left Edith at the alter …?” She blew out a bitter scoff. “Is there anyone who owned this thing that wasn’t a prick?” She asked rhetorically. “I swear, having this triptych or whatever is more judgement on the owner at this point.” She waved off.

The adventurer glared in a long pause. “Anyway …” He pushed past her rant. “There is an insurance claim on the painting from the auction house that it was bought from.” The boy put another photograph next to the drawing of lady Elfstone over the page of the inscription.

“You can’t be serious.” Martha shook her head scratching her ear.

The photograph showed a renaissance painting that was separated in three folding parts. On the left section was a slender maiden standing in an arch by a window which had the Castle Dracul in the distance upon a field of green. She had long tresses of raven hair and cerulean eyes. Upon her lithe and milky frame was a simple dress of pure white, one slender hand clutching the skirt. To the right was the same woman standing in the same arch but by a different window which was now viewing countryside farm fields of wheat upon sloping ground. This time she clutched a red cloth over her white gown. Both depictions of the same woman from right to left faced one another, each one seemingly staring at the main painting in the center. Once more it was the same woman. But this time she was centered in front of a wall that was flanked by a piece of each adjacent window from left and right of the folding painting. She was regal with a head crowned by a golden band and a matching braided chain necklace. Garbed in a gown of red with thick white sleeves underneath, Ilona Tepes seemed a saint in the three painted depictions.

She also was the exact replica of both women that sat to her left on the puzzle desk.

“Her too?” Martha exclaimed. “Jesus Christ, Kid, how many of these broads are there?” She asked. But when she turned to the boy, he only blew out a breath with a look that was telling. 

“You’re kidding me?!”

Mina Murray: (First Female Medical Student, University of London/ Fourth Incarnation)

“So, we flash forward nearly four-hundred years later to London in the 1890s …”

“Skip ahead “professor”, I know the steps to this one, I was there ...”

“Sore subject?”

“Sore nostrils, everything smelt like piss, including Buckingham Palace. And there was shit everywhere … horse and human.”

“Then you should’ve felt right at home with amount you shovel.”

“Yeah, well, open wide, Cowboy, so you can eat some. It’s on the house.”

“With your monopoly, I bet it is …”  

“…”

“…”

Both glaring at one another, the boy slapped the scrap book packet next to the photograph of the Triptych. On the front page of the paper was a black and white picture of a young woman with a bonnet of blue with matching ribbon, leather gloves, and long overcoat that covered a white blouse. In her arms was a collection of books against her breast, with a blue umbrella hooked on her wrist. Once more, though less surprising now, the beauty in the picture matched that of the previous women on the puzzle desk. Raven hair, milky skin, slim, with demure and innocent eyes that sparkled. But what was different was that a sudden light of recognition hit Martha Levinson as she studied the paper, flipping through articles.

“This is …” The adventurer began

“Wilhelmina Murray.” The old woman finished for him. “Yeah, I remember her.” She nodded. “We met ten or twelve times when Cora was doing her first and second Season in London. She was the daughter of old Dr. William Murray. He ran Royal Bethlehem. I believe my husband and I made quite a sizeable contribution to expanding their Psych Ward. In fact, I believe they named the new wing after me.”

“They named the Psych Ward in Royal Bethlehem after you?”

“Yeah …”

“…”

“…”

“Shut up!”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“No, but you were thinking it.”

“Entry for the defense?”

“I’ll allowed it.”

“I’ve been thinking that since we met.”

“Fair enough. You know, us Southerners like our women religious … and just a bit mad.”

“Your preachers gotta learn it from somewhere, I guess.”  

With a momentary understanding reached, Martha flipped through the packet. “Yeah, beautiful girl … she had brains too. She was the first female medical student at the University of London.” She nodded. “I remember, she was always trailed by some young thing that lived in her front pocket. What was her name? Uh, hmm … Oh, right, Lucy! Lady Lucy Westenra, that’s it. She was a sleek blonde piece of bitch that one. Seemed odd that the shark of a woman hung around with such a gorgeous little lamb.” Martha shook her head.

“You seem to remember her rather well.” The kid observed.  

The old woman glared. “Like I said, I was there.” She put the papers down. “Anyway, she was hard to forget. After Robert and Cora got engaged, they started to do fluff pieces in the New York papers and one of them involved Ms. Mina Murray.” She shrugged.

“What was it?” The tone in the boy’s voice was suddenly serious.

When the woman looked over, she saw that the mentioning of Cora and Mina in relation captured his attention. It seemed in that instance that there was something about this mystery that was personal to the boy. That underneath all the intrigue and research there was a very serious reason that he was chasing this “Princess in the Mirror”. Something cold ran up Martha’s spine in a maternal six sense. Slowly, she was beginning to realize that whatever this was, it had everything to do with her family, her little girls, all of them.

When Martha answered it was with a new caution. “They were mistaken for one another sometimes. They went to similar parties during the Season and reporters approached Mina, thinking her Cora. “The New Yorker” did a fun article about Cora’s popularity in London and the mistaken identity craze between Cora and Mina. They even photographed them together … Listen, Cowboy, I shovel shit for a living, so I know what it smells like. Are you gonna tell me what’s going on here?” She asked.

“She’s dead …” He blurted out as if it was the answer to her question.

The old woman frowned. “What?” She didn’t know why, but a deep pang of hurt filled her when she heard him. The boy, morosely, turned and retrieved something from his pack.

“How do you know?” She asked in a grimace.

“Because …” The boy held in reverence a long crimson scarf in his hands that looked tattered and damaged. 

“I was there.”

Lady Sybil “Sybbie” Afton Branson: (Contested Viscountess of Downton Abbey/Heiress to Branson and Talbot Motors/ The Final Incarntion)

But then, in that very moment … she saw it.

“Sybbie … can you come here, baby?”

The girl frowned in puzzlement gliding toward the old woman’s hands. It was the dress of sapphire and silver, the white roses abloom she wore in her glossy raven tresses, and the morning tide of a beauty unrivaled but for golden and graceful Marigold only. She gently took the girl’s delicate face in her hands and looked into her near glowing cerulean eyes that were inquisitive. Then, it was clear as day who she was looking at.

It began in an enchanted forest with an angelic maiden of pre-history. Then, thousands of years later, came a lost, broken hearted, and desperate Princess of Byzantium, the last of that ancient race. There was Ilona Tepes, finer than all of the gold and silver in Wallachia, burned at the stake for her husband’s sins. Afterward came Mina Murray, kind, smart, and a tragic pawn in many a game of worldly consequence who died in the darkness of an evil temple many leagues under the fathom’s abyss. And now, raised gently and with boundless love in the fairy halls of Downton Abbey, there was Ms. Sybil Afton Branson.

Even as her thumb rubbed the little girl’s cheekbone cherishingly, the old woman looked up to the kid who stood off to the side clasping his fob watch in hand. Then, she saw the recognition in his blue eyes of her finally seeing what he had known all along. There were so many things unspoken in one acknowledging glance that drew both back to the pictures. Then, it was clear why the boy had done all of this, why he was so terribly invested in finding the answers to this repeating curse of doom or fate.

It was a great labor, a secret mission, and a case of lonesome obsession. Whatever tormented him, the chief of these emotions which drove him on was love and fear. He knew of the fate of all these women who had shared a greater destiny and doom. And it was by great love that he feared for Sybbie’s very future. He knew that whatever waited for her, there was greatness mingled with a matching sorrow whose ending was that of despair and ruin. What strength was in the boy, however little he knew of in himself, despite what others saw in great store, he would not allow these terrible things to happen to her. With all his power, he vowed to protect one whom he cherished above all things left to him in this world.

He would not fail to save a girl he loved, not this time … never again.

Conclusion - Of the fall of the House of Grantham and it’s exiled Heirs

Many lives of the ancient past and future yet lived flashed like a runaway train that rolled without break through the infinite whose tracks were lain through her mind, heart, and soul. Tears ran down the pale cheeks of this indefinitely young creature of surpassing loveliness. In her induced state, she was all of them at once. In her consciousness was each woman of regeneration since the days before days. But also, the final incarnation, whose betrayal in the arms of a Nazi husband from the beautiful grounds of their South American estate would lead to the fall of the House of Grantham and the beginning of “The Long Defeat” of its exiled heirs.

Yet, the adventurer’s mind was not on the plight of his future children. Nor did he comprehend their and his own betrayal by one whom he loves and would search vainly for in a terrible torment of many long years of despair after her capture during the war and disappearance afterward. And further still did he not know of the terrible evil that would be found this day, and ever afterward curse him and his line of descendants with its hatred and malice. Yet, if he did have the foresight and providence for such a moment … the youth would still not budge, nor give an inch. Even if all the suffering of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren swirled about him in a roar of sorrow and despair like a rolling river rapid, he still would not yield the maiden fair at any cost to himself or his kin.

This was clearly seen, but not yet respected by Professor James Moriarty.

(Taken from the Downton Abbey Fanfic “Medel an Gwyns”)

[ucflibrary]

Every October UCF celebrates Diversity Week. This year’s dates are October 14 - 18, and the theme is Empowering Equity. University-wide departments and groups champion the breadth and culture within the UCF community, and work to increase acceptance and inclusion for everyone at UCF and the surrounding communities.

 One of the fantastic things about UCF is the wide range of cultures and ethnicities of our students, staff, and faculty. We come from all over. We’re just as proud of where we are from as we are of where we are now and where we will be heading in future.

 UCF Libraries will be offering a full slate of Diversity Week activities. To learn about the upcoming events visit: guides.ucf.edu/diversityweek

 Join the UCF Libraries as we celebrate diverse voices and subjects with these suggestions. Click on the link below to see the full list, descriptions, and catalog links for the featured UCF Celebrates Diversity titles suggested by UCF Library employees. These 12 books plus many more are also on display on the 2nd (main) floor of the John C. Hitt Library next to the bank of two elevators.

 And thank you to every Knight who works to help others feel accepted and included at UCF!

  Girl, Stop Apologizing: A shame-free plan for embracing and achieving your goals by Rachel Hollis In Girl, Stop Apologizing, Rachel Hollis sounds a wake-up call. She knows that many women have been taught to define themselves in light of other people—whether as wife, mother, daughter, or employee—instead of learning how to own who they are and what they want. With a challenge to women everywhere to stop talking themselves out of their dreams, Hollis identifies the excuses to let go of, the behaviors to adopt, and the skills to acquire on the path to growth, confidence, and believing in yourself. Suggested by Sandy Avila, Research & Information Services

 It Ain't So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas Zomorod (Cindy) Yousefzadeh is the new kid on the block . . . for the fourth time. California’s Newport Beach is her family’s latest perch, and she’s determined to shuck her brainy loner persona and start afresh with a new Brady Bunch name—Cindy. It’s the late 1970s, and fitting in becomes more difficult as Iran makes U.S. headlines with protests, revolution, and finally the taking of American hostages. Even puka shell necklaces, pool parties, and flying fish can't distract Cindy from the anti-Iran sentiments that creep way too close to home. Suggested by Cindy Dancel, Research & Information Services

 Lean in: women, work, and the will to lead by Sheryl Sandberg with Nell Scovell Lean In continues the conversation around women in the workplace, combining personal anecdotes, hard data, and compelling research to change the conversation from what women can’t do to what they can. Sandberg provides practical advice on negotiation techniques, mentorship, and building a satisfying career.  Suggested by Katy Miller, Research, Education & Engagement

 Out of Many Faiths: religious diversity and the American promise by Eboo Patel In this inspiring and thought-provoking book, Patel draws on his personal experience as a Muslim in America to examine broader questions about the importance of religious diversity in the cultural, political, and economic life of the nation. He explores how religious language has given the United States some of its most enduring symbols and inspired many of its most vital civic institutions―and demonstrates how the genius of the American experiment lies in its empowerment of people of all creeds, ethnicities, and convictions. Suggested by Richard Harrison, Research & Information Services

 Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi Persepolis paints an unforgettable portrait of daily life in Iran and of the bewildering contradictions between home life and public life. Marjane’s child’s-eye view of dethroned emperors, state-sanctioned whippings, and heroes of the revolution allows us to learn as she does the history of this fascinating country and of her own extraordinary family. Intensely personal, profoundly political, and wholly original, Persepolis is at once a story of growing up and a reminder of the human cost of war and political repression. Suggested by Cindy Dancel, Research & Information Services

 Reclaiming the Black Past: the use and misuse of African American history in the twenty-first century by Pero Gaglo Dagbovie In this wide-reaching and timely book, Pero Gaglo Dagbovie argues that public knowledge and understanding of black history, including its historical icons, has been shaped by institutions and individuals outside academic ivory towers. Drawing on a range of compelling examples, Dagbovie explores how, in the twenty-first century, African American history is regarded, depicted, and juggled by diverse and contesting interpreters—from museum curators to filmmakers, entertainers, politicians, journalists, and bloggers. Suggested by Richard Harrison, Research & Information Services

 Savage Feast: three generations, two continents, and a dinner table (a memoir with recipes) by Boris Fishman The acclaimed author of A Replacement Life shifts between heartbreak and humor in this gorgeously told, recipe-filled memoir. A family story, an immigrant story, a love story, and an epic meal, Savage Feast explores the challenges of navigating two cultures from an unusual angle. Suggested by Megan Haught, Teaching & Engagement/Research & Information Services

 Text Me When You Get Home: the evolution and triumph of modern female friendship by Kayleen Schaefer From Broad City to Big Little Lies to what women say about their own best friends, the stories we're telling about female friendship have changed. What used to be written off as infighting between mean girls or disposable relationships that would be tossed as soon as a guy came along are no longer described like that. Now, we're lifting up our female friendships to the same level as our other important relationships, saying they matter just as much as the bonds we have with our romantic partners, children, parents, or siblings. Suggested by Megan Haught, Teaching & Engagement/Research & Information Services

 The Best We Could Do: an illustrated memoir by Thi Bui This beautifully illustrated and emotional story is an evocative memoir about the search for a better future and a longing for the past. Exploring the anguish of immigration and the lasting effects that displacement has on a child and her family, Bui documents the story of her family’s daring escape after the fall of South Vietnam in the 1970s, and the difficulties they faced building new lives for themselves. Suggested by Richard Harrison, Research & Information Services

 The Moment of Lift: how empowering women changes the world by Melinda Gates In this moving and compelling book, Melinda shares lessons she’s learned from the inspiring people she’s met during her work and travels around the world. As she writes in the introduction, “That is why I had to write this book―to share the stories of people who have given focus and urgency to my life. I want all of us to see ways we can lift women up where we live.” Melinda’s unforgettable narrative is backed by startling data as she presents the issues that most need our attention��from child marriage to lack of access to contraceptives to gender inequity in the workplace. And, for the first time, she writes about her personal life and the road to equality in her own marriage. Throughout, she shows how there has never been more opportunity to change the world―and ourselves. Suggested by Sandy Avila, Research & Information Services

 Tinderbox: the untold story of the up stairs lounge fire and the rise of gay liberation by Robert W. Fieseler Buried for decades, the Up Stairs Lounge tragedy has only recently emerged as a catalyzing event of the gay liberation movement. In revelatory detail, Robert W. Fieseler chronicles the tragic event that claimed the lives of thirty-one men and one woman on June 24, 1973, at a New Orleans bar, the largest mass murder of gays until 2016. Relying on unprecedented access to survivors and archives, Fieseler creates an indelible portrait of a closeted, blue- collar gay world that flourished before an arsonist ignited an inferno that destroyed an entire community. The aftermath was no less traumatic―families ashamed to claim loved ones, the Catholic Church refusing proper burial rights, the city impervious to the survivors’ needs―revealing a world of toxic prejudice that thrived well past Stonewall. Suggested by Richard Harrison, Research & Information Services

 Womanish: a grown black woman speaks on love and life by Kim McLarin Searing in its emotional honesty, Womanish is an essay collection that explores what it means to be a black woman in today’s turbulent times. Writing with candor, wit and vulnerability on topics including dating after divorce, depression, parenting older children, the Obama’s, and the often fraught relations between white and black women, McLarin unveils herself at the crossroads of being black, female and middle-aged, and, ultimately, American. Powerful and timely, Womanish draws upon a lifetime of experiences to paint a portrait of a black woman trying to come to terms with the world around her, and of a society trying to come to terms with black women. Suggested by Megan Haught, Teaching & Engagement/Research & Information Services

[acuppellarp]

Welcome (back!) to A Cup-pella, Aly! We’re excited to have you and Dani Harper in the game! Please go through the checklist to make sure you’re ready to go and send in your account within the next 24 hours.

OOC INFO

Name + pronouns: Aly + She/Her. Age: 27. Timezone: GMT. Ships: Dani/Chemistry. Anti-Ships: Dani/Forced.

IC INFO

Full Name: Danielle Faith Harper. Face Claim: Demi Lovato. Age/Birthday: 23/July 29th. Occupation: Tattoo Artist at Tattoo Envy, and singer/guitar player for Pamela Lansbury. Personality: Driven, Independent, Loud, Loyal, Playful, Sarcastic, Unique. Hometown: Dallas, Texas. Bio: [ HOMOPHOBIA TW, RELIGION CW ]

There are many things that Michael and Renata Harper should not have done, with the main one being making the decision to have children. The fact that Michael had a son already from his previous, very short-lived marriage but only saw on the occasional weekend should’ve been enough to let anybody know that Michael was not parent material, and his wife was not much better. In fact, scratch that—of the two, Renata was much worse. Both raised in strict Catholic households, the Harper’s had certain ideals they had been raised to uphold, most of them entirely backward and outdated, and all revolving around not only respect but also a large fear of God. These ideals where pushed onto their daughter, the one they had never planned but found themselves conceiving anyway, only a few short months into their new marriage.

Danielle was supposed to be the very epitome of perfect. Like all young girls in their close minded hometown, Danielle would be a pretty little ballerina, would wear beautiful, frilly dresses and would worship the heck out of her Lord above. Unfortunately for the Harper’s, they hadn’t counted on creating a child that would have such a strong sense of freewill right from the off. From the toddler years, Danielle was boisterous and loud, though not exactly badly behaved. She just liked to have fun, and could always be found with a smile on her face, as well as some kind of colored sharpie or leftover food from the bowl she’d dumped over her own head earlier that day. She was every bit the handful her parents had never planned for, and as soon as Danielle was old enough, she was tossed right into classes that would hopefully put her on the right track.

First came etiquette classes. Her etiquette teacher, however, Mrs. Newman, would constantly report back to Michael and Renata to let them know that their daughter refused to follow direction, and would constantly correct her, telling her her name was Dani—a shortened version of her name the youngster gave herself early on, but something her parents flat out refused to address her by. Next were ballet classes, where Dani was expected to perfect her pirouettes alongside all of the other good little girls, but could instead be found in a corner of the room, sliding on her knees and playing air guitar. Nevertheless, her parents persisted, with piano lessons up next. Surprisingly, this was an area in which Dani excelled and showed real potential. Unfortunately for them, she seemed bored with the classical music she learned to play by ear, and would instead bang her hands on the keys in what she stated was a “rock” sound. Her parents were less than impressed.

The Harper’s weren’t exactly poor, nor were they rich. They were an average income family, who provided their daughter with only a handful of toys, all of which were very gender specific. Dani was supposed to play with dolls and tea sets, but instead she’d choose to grab a sharpie or crayon and doodle all over the shiny objects. Her parents insisted it was defiance, and that their daughter was an absolute tearaway, but she wasn’t. Dani’s early interest in making “artwork” was a telltale sign of things to come, though Michael and Renata would never acknowledge that. A redeeming factor for Dani was up front in church choir, where she’d sing her heart out with a beaming smile upon her face. It was evident that she’d been blessed with an angelic voice, one her parents could actually be proud of, but they had no interest in her pursuing a musical path. As long as she could sing in church, that was all they wanted.

By the time Dani reached middle school, music had become incredibly important to her. While she’d been pulled from her ballet classes when it became clear that she had no intentions of following any rules or regulations, Dani continued with her piano classes, and became a very skilled little artist. After only two or three times of hearing it, Dani could play almost any tune by ear, and was even gifted her own keyboard for her thirteenth birthday. Her parents had expected her to use it to practice the songs she’d learn in class, but instead Dani found a better use for it. With a clear gift, Dani had begun writing her own music, and eventually lyrics to go along with it. She’d use her keyboard to bring those new creations to life, and much to her parents dismay they were anything but classical. No surprise, when Dani begged her parents for a guitar the following year, their answer was a loud and firm no, but that wouldn’t stop her.

Not fitting in at all with her family, if Dani was not out with friends, she could be found in her bedroom, either writing music or making detailed pieces of beautiful artwork. Her creations were often kind of weird, definitely not the traditional Mona Lisa style, but they were good, Dani knew they were, and she made sure to save every last one of them in a large folder, which would someday become her portfolio. By high school, Dani’s artwork was not the only weird, unique thing about her; her style became just the same. Refusing with no uncertainty to wear dresses and skirts picked out by her mother, Dani could instead be found wearing skinny jeans, band tees and occasional blazers, one day even coming home with her hair dyed bright pink. It was a temporary dye, but her parents were not at all happy. Dani, of course, thought she looked awesome, and had no intentions of ceasing to express her creativity.

Many things changed for Dani in high school. It was during those years that she got her first job, working at a local diner and making pretty great tips thanks to her chatty, friendly nature. It took her a while, but eventually she’d saved up enough money to purchase a secondhand guitar, which Dani taught herself to play using online tutorials and the help of friends. It became the second instrument that Dani could play by ear, and allowed her to spread her wings as far as her own, original music. It was also during her high school years that Dani begun to explore her sexuality, realizing pretty quickly that she was one hundred percent gay. For such a close minded community, the minds of Dani’s friend group were pretty wide open, so when she confessed to her attraction towards the same sex, most were understanding and accepting. Some started to distance from her a little bit, but if that was how they felt about something as natural as sexuality, then that was fine by her, she didn’t need them.

Despite her bold, fierce personality and matching look, one thing Dani did not dare to do was to tell her parents about her lack of interest in the opposite sex, and the secret remained tucked away for the next few years. It’s strange, really, since Dani was always so open about everything else in her life. For some reason, though, maybe because despite their strange views and warped ideas of life and humanity, they were her parents, Dani didn’t want to lose them. She didn’t want to completely disappoint them, so she was happy with keeping that one part of her life a secret. Just that one thing, though. She refused to remain silent about her music, or her love for art, two paths that Dani would go on to follow in spite of her parents distaste for both.

The fact that they kept trying to force various college choices on her that so did not suit her style was laughable, but not surprising. It was clear that the Harper’s had never really known their daughter, and still had a slight glimmer of hope that she’d turn around one day and tell them her whole life until this point had been a big joke, and she was finally ready to obey their wishes. Of course, that didn’t happen, and amidst applications to the colleges she actually wanted, and the constant push from her parents to do and be something entirely different, Dani snapped. She’d never had a terrible temper, but could definitely stand up for herself if needed. The thing was, she just never bothered when it came to her parents. It seemed she’d spent much too long bottling everything up, though, and it was time for her explosion.

Along with telling them just how bad their parenting skills were, and how unfair it was that they’d never really gotten to know her as her own person and not just the unrealistic idea they’d always had for her, Dani also shrugged off her jacket to show them a tattoo she’d gotten inked on her arm behind their back, and then came the big one: “I’m also pretty fucking gay!” The tattoo unveiling had earned a dramatic gasp from her mother and a disappointed head shake from her father, but the loud and proud statement about her sexuality stunned all three of them to silence. It became very, very clear that Dani had just majorly screwed up, but as she packed her belongings, guitar strap over her shoulder and stormed out of the front door, she couldn’t bring herself to care. Homophobic slurs followed her out the door, which earned a raised middle finger from Dani in response, and after a little couch surfing in the homes of her closest friends, Dani was making her way to New York to begin her freshman year at Barnard College, where she would major in Art and minor in Music.

See, a big focus was always put on Dani’s music, but from the very moment she’d stepped foot into Dallas’ small tattoo studio, Got Ink?, she’d been bitten by the bug, and Dani knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life. She would continue to write and play music, and maybe she’d even try to make it big still, but Dani’s passion was in body art, and in making people feel as great about theirs as she did about hers. Without the worry of her parents finding out, and the fact that she honestly didn’t give a crap if they did, Dani got to work on racking up many a piece of body art once her new life in the city had begun, even landing herself a position as a junior artist at what quickly became her go-to studio, Tattoo Envy. Alongside her classes, Dani learned tattoo artistry from the pros, and was soon inking her very first grapefruit. That was a moment to be proud of.

Of course, out of state college tuition fees, and the fact that the end of her freshman year meant she wouldn’t be living in the college dorms anymore all equated to Dani’s need to find another job. For a junior position, Tattoo Envy actually paid pretty darn well, but Dani needed something more, which is where A Cup-pella came in. She’d worked a diner job before, so knew a position as a barista would be just fine, and she’d been right. Surpassing the kind of tips she’d made back in the diner in Dallas, Dani was able to use the money she made from her two jobs to rent a small apartment, with roommates of course, and even managed to find the time to work on her music, which she would showcase at various open mic nights throughout the city whenever the opportunity to do so arose.

By graduation, Dani truly was thriving. Despite the very thick Texas accent that would always remain, Dani’s life in Dallas was practically forgotten. New York was clearly the place for her. She made new friends, had the chance to express not only her sexuality but also herself and her style, and even joined a band. Remaining loyal to Tattoo Envy, Dani begun to climb the ladder until she was becoming one of their most sought after tattoo artists, despite her young age. With the funds to do so, she even adopted herself a puppy. He’s a total handful, but he’s so freaking worth it. Dani’s life feels like it’s finally what it should be, like everything is finally on track for her. Love isn’t a huge deal to her, but it’s something she quietly would take pleasure in finding. Though her music and beloved tattoo art are keeping her pretty dang busy for now.

Pets: Dani recently rescued a puppy, who she decided to name Drummer, from the local shelter. Drummer is a Yorkshire Terrier bred with a Miniature Poodle, so you can imagine just how tiny he is. Since Drummer is still only a baby, Dani is still working on potty training him, but he’s surprisingly well behaved and, unsurprisingly, very playful. Drummer’s fur is completely black, and he has big dark eyes that he has, of course, already learned how to use for begging. The pup gets along well with people and other animals, and totally has Dani wrapped around his little paw.

EXTRA INFO

[ This is for the masterlist, but also a fun little way to get to know your character! ]

Dani 😎🎸/@inkbydani/description: Singer, songwriter, self taught guitar player, tattoo artist, badass lady-loving sapphic goddess.

Five latest tweets:

@inkbydani: Okay but hear me out… For such a prestigious school, WHY did Horace Green not have ID cards?? #SchoolOfWRONG @inkbydani: Speaking of which, Jack Black is kind of creepy, but I would’ve totally been down for Dewey Finn as a sub. @inkbydani: SOS my dog just tried to eat his potty pad, how does that taste good?? @inkbydani: Songwriting is a total soul soother. #NewSongComingSoon @inkbydani: Imagine being one of those people who has self-control… #YourGirlGotNewInk

[confrontingbabble-on]

“A rich church...is a morally bankrupt church...”   historical Jesus...(!)

Religion’s Jesus: “My father only gave me a small loan...that I paid back...that I turned into a property empire worth billions of dollars...because it was all tax free...!”

“The Catholic Church is seeking approval for a $161 million, 69-storey skyscraper, in what experts say is evidence of its “vast wealth”.

The proposed 234-metre residential tower in Sydney’s CBD would be built by the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney at an estimated cost of $161.6 million.

The plans for the 133-141 Liverpool Street site were revealed in a development application submitted to the City of Sydney by local architects Candalepas Associates.

Catholic Church (is) one of Australia’s biggest property owners

Melbourne Law School lecturer Ann O’Connell described the Sydney Archdiocese’s skyscraper plan as “further evidence, if any was needed of the vast wealth of the Catholic Church”.

The Catholic Church is believed to be one of the largest non-government property owners in Australia, but is notoriously secretive about the extent of its wealth and assets.

Earlier this year, Fairfax Media estimated the Church’s national wealth at $30 billion.

Professor O’Connell, an expert in the taxation of charities, said the church would be exempt from paying tax on profits from the proposed skyscraper regardless of whether it was sold or rented.

In 2014, the Sydney Archdiocese was compelled to reveal its wealth to the child abuse royal commission, unveiling assets worth $1.24 billion, plus multi-million-dollar annual surpluses.

In 2018, Victoria and NSW became the first states to abolish a legal loophole known as the ‘Ellis defence’ that prevented the Catholic Church from being sued for compensation by victims of abuse.

The ‘Ellis defence’ previously allowed the Catholic Church to successfully argue that it did not exist as a legal entity, protecting its assets through separately-held trusts.

Professor O’Connell criticised the lack of transparency surrounding the Catholic Church’s income and assets.

“Churches, unlike most other charities, do not have to provide financial reports to the charities regulator,” she said.

Catholic archdioceses around Australia are classified as ‘basic religious charities’ by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Committee (ACNC), and are not required to submit financial reports.

The Catholic Church lobbied strongly against government regulation of charities, which were free from oversight before the creation of the ACNC in 2013.

The basic religious charities exemption has since been called into question, most recently under a five-year review of the ACNC Act, which recommended that it be retained.

“This is perhaps not surprising given the significant political influence of churches, in particular the Catholic Church,” Professor O’Connell said.

Professor O’Connell said that churches were originally granted tax concessions due to their work caring for the poor and underprivileged.

“It could be argued that now the churches are simply accumulating vast wealth and should contribute to tax revenue,” she said.

The development proposal is “incongruous” at a time when “Catholic education is demanding more funding from the Commonwealth and state governments for Catholic schools”, Professor O’Connell said.

University of Sydney tax law expert Fiona Martin said the lack of financial transparency requirements for charities including churches remains “quite problematic”.

“There’s no consistent way that charities have to do their financial reports. They just have to comply with financial standards overall,” Professor Martin said.

In February, a six-month investigation by The Age found that the Catholic Church held more than $9 billion in property and other assets in (the state of ) Victoria alone...”

https://thenewdaily.com.au/money/property/2018/10/08/catholic-church-161-million-dollar-skyscraper/

[paularoseauthor]

Unveiling the Catholic Origins of the First Church.

History reveals that the first Church was, in essence, Catholic.

The first Church was Catholic. And this is why I am looking very seriously into the Catholic Church. The origins of the Christian Church are deeply intertwined with the emergence of a movement inspired by Jesus Christ’s teachings.  History reveals that the first Church was, in essence, Catholic. This assertion is rooted in the early Christian community’s connection to the apostles, the…

[seekfirst-community]

The following reflection is courtesy of Don Schwager © 2022. Don's website is located at Dailyscripture.net

Meditation: What kind of faith does the Lord expect of us, especially when we meet set-backs and trials? Inevitably there are times when each of us disappoint others or disappoint ourselves when we suffer some kind of set-back or failure. In this Gospel incident the disciples of Jesus fail to heal an epileptic boy. Jesus' response seems stern; but it is really tempered with love and compassion. We see at once Jesus' dismay with the disciples' lack of faith and his concern to meet the need of this troubled boy and his father. With one word of command Jesus rebukes the evil spirit that has caused this boy's affliction and tells the spirit to "never enter him again".

Pray with expectant faith

Jesus tells his disciples that they can "remove mountains" if they have faith in God. The expression to "remove mountains" was a common Jewish phrase for removing difficulties. A wise teacher who could solve difficulties was called a "mountain remover". If we pray with expectant faith God will give us the means to overcome difficulties and obstacles. When you meet trials and disappointments how do you respond? With faith and trust in Jesus?

"Lord Jesus, help my unbelief! Increase my faith and trust in your saving power. Give me confidence and perseverance, especially in prayer. And help me to bring your healing love and truth to those I meet"

The following reflection is from One Bread, One Body courtesy of Presentation Ministries © 2022.

baptismal garment

“His clothes became dazzlingly white.” —Luke 9:29

At His Transfiguration, Jesus was clothed in dazzling white (Lk 9:29). His clothes became as radiant as light (Mt 17:2), “whiter than the work of any bleacher could make them” (Mk 9:3). At your Baptism, you were likewise clothed in a white garment, reminiscent of Jesus’ radiant clothing. Like the transfigured Jesus, your clothes became dazzling white, both physically in the gown, and spiritually as all stain of original sin was washed away. You were adopted into God’s family as a new creation.

God looked at you on the day of your Baptism and said, “See, I make all things new!” (Rv 21:5) Moses and Elijah rejoiced with Jesus at His Transfiguration (Lk 9:30); heaven rejoiced on the day you were baptized. 

“Jesus’ Baptism proclaimed ‘the mystery of the first regeneration,’ namely, our Baptism; the Transfiguration ‘is the sacrament of the second regeneration’: our own Resurrection...The Transfiguration gives us a foretaste of Christ’s glorious coming, when He ‘will change our lowly body to be like His glorious body’ ” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 556).

You are baptized into Christ, the Head of the Body (Col 1:18). You have been baptized into the household of God. From heaven the Father commands us: “Listen to” Jesus (Lk 9:35). Therefore, study His words in the Scriptures. Listen to Him and learn “what kind of conduct befits a member of God’s household” (1 Tm 3:15).

Prayer:  Father, may I daily accept the Baptismal grace You give me so as to live like Your royal child.

Promise:  “We possess the prophetic message as something altogether reliable.” —2 Pt 1:19

Praise:  “All of us, gazing on the Lord’s glory with unveiled faces, are being transformed from glory to glory into His very image by the Lord Who is the Spirit” (2 Cor 3:18). Praise God!

Reference:  (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)

Rescript:  "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from August 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 31, 2022"

The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements

[fidei]

BAPTISMAL GARMENT

“His clothes became dazzlingly white.” —Luke 9:29

At His Transfiguration, Jesus was clothed in dazzling white (Lk 9:29). His clothes became as radiant as light (Mt 17:2), “whiter than the work of any bleacher could make them” (Mk 9:3). At your Baptism, you were likewise clothed in a white garment, reminiscent of Jesus’ radiant clothing. Like the transfigured Jesus, your clothes became dazzling white, both physically in the gown, and spiritually as all stain of original sin was washed away. You were adopted into God’s family as a new creation.

God looked at you on the day of your Baptism and said, “See, I make all things new!” (Rv 21:5) Moses and Elijah rejoiced with Jesus at His Transfiguration (Lk 9:30); heaven rejoiced on the day you were baptized. 

“Jesus’ Baptism proclaimed ‘the mystery of the first regeneration,’ namely, our Baptism; the Transfiguration ‘is the sacrament of the second regeneration’: our own Resurrection...The Transfiguration gives us a foretaste of Christ’s glorious coming, when He ‘will change our lowly body to be like His glorious body’ ” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 556).

You are baptized into Christ, the Head of the Body (Col 1:18). You have been baptized into the household of God. From heaven the Father commands us: “Listen to” Jesus (Lk 9:35). Therefore, study His words in the Scriptures. Listen to Him and learn “what kind of conduct befits a member of God’s household” (1 Tm 3:15).

Prayer:  Father, may I daily accept the Baptismal grace You give me so as to live like Your royal child.

Promise:  “We possess the prophetic message as something altogether reliable.” —2 Pt 1:19

Praise:  “All of us, gazing on the Lord’s glory with unveiled faces, are being transformed from glory to glory into His very image by the Lord Who is the Spirit” (2 Cor 3:18). Praise God!

[savedfromsalvation]

The Jesus Forgery: Josephus Untangled

 by Acharya S/D.M. Murdock

The following article is excerpted from:

Suns of God: Krishna, Buddha and Christ Unveiled

When addressing the mythical nature of Jesus Christ, one issue repeatedly raised is the purported "evidence" of his existence to be found in the writings of Flavius Josephus, the famed Jewish general and historian who lived from about 37 to 100 CE. In Josephus's Antiquities of the Jews appears the notorious passage regarding Christ called the "Testimonium Flavianum" ("TF"):

"Now, there was about this time, Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works,--a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ; and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day." (Whitson, 379)

This surprisingly brief and simplistic passage constitutes the "best proof" of Jesus's existence in the entire ancient non-Christian library comprising the works of dozens of historians, writers, philosophers, politicians and others who never mentioned the great sage and wonderworker Jesus Christ, even though they lived contemporaneously with or shortly after the Christian savior's purported advent.

A False Witness

Despite the best wishes of sincere believers and the erroneous claims of truculent apologists, the Testimonium Flavianum has been demonstrated continually over the centuries to be a forgery, likely interpolated by Catholic Church historian Eusebius in the fourth century. So thorough and universal has been this debunking that very few scholars of repute continued to cite the passage after the turn of the 19th century. Indeed, the TF was rarely mentioned, except to note that it was a forgery, and numerous books by a variety of authorities over a period of 200 or so years basically took it for granted that the Testimonium Flavianum in its entirety was spurious, an interpolation and a forgery. As Dr. Gordon Stein relates:

"...the vast majority of scholars since the early 1800s have said that this quotation is not by Josephus, but rather is a later Christian insertion in his works. In other words, it is a forgery, rejected by scholars."

So well understood was this fact of forgery that these numerous authorities did not spend their precious time and space rehashing the arguments against the TF's authenticity. Nevertheless, in the past few decades apologists of questionable integrity and credibility have glommed onto the TF, because this short and dubious passage represents the most "concrete" secular, non-biblical reference to a man who purportedly shook up the world. In spite of the past debunking, the debate is currently confined to those who think the TF was original to Josephus but was Christianized, and those who credulously and self-servingly accept it as "genuine" in its entirety.

To repeat, this passage was so completely dissected by scholars of high repute and standing--the majority of them pious Christians--that it was for decades understood by subsequent scholars as having been proved in toto a forgery, such that these succeeding scholars did not even mention it, unless to acknowledge it as false. (In addition to being repetitious, numerous quotes will be presented here, because a strong show of rational consensus is desperately needed when it comes to matters of blind, unscientific and irrational faith.) The scholars who so conclusively proved the TF a forgery made their mark at the end of the 18th century and into the 20th, when a sudden reversal was implemented, with popular opinion hemming and hawing its way back first to the "partial interpolation theory" and in recent times, among the third-rate apologists, to the notion that the whole TF is "genuine." As Earl Doherty says, in "Josephus Unbound":

"Now, it is a curious fact that older generations of scholars had no trouble dismissing this entire passage as a Christian construction. Charles Guignebert, for example, in his Jesus (1956, p.17), calls it 'a pure Christian forgery.' Before him, Lardner, Harnack and Schurer, along with others, declared it entirely spurious. Today, most serious scholars have decided the passage is a mix: original parts rubbing shoulders with later Christian additions."

The earlier scholarship that proved the entire TF to be fraudulent was determined by intense scrutiny by some of the most erudite, and mainly Christian, writers of the time, in a number of countries, their works written in a variety of languages, but particularly German, French and English. Their general conclusions, as elucidated by Christian authority Dr. Lardner, and related here by the author of Christian Mythology Unveiled (c. 1842), include the following reasons for doubting the authenticity of the TF as a whole:

"Mattathias, the father of Josephus, must have been a witness to the miracles which are said to have been performed by Jesus, and Josephus was born within two years after the crucifixion, yet in all the works he says nothing whatever about the life or death of Jesus Christ; as for the interpolated passage it is now universally acknowledged to be a forgery. The arguments of the 'Christian Ajax,' even Lardner himself, against it are these: 'It was never quoted by any of our Christian ancestors before Eusebius. It disturbs the narrative. The language is quite Christian. It is not quoted by Chrysostom, though he often refers to Josephus, and could not have omitted quoting it had it been then in the text. It is not quoted by Photius [9th century], though he has three articles concerning Josephus; and this author expressly states that this historian has not taken the least notice of Christ. Neither Justin Martyr, in his dialogue with Trypho the Jew; nor Clemens Alexandrinus, who made so many extracts from ancient authors; nor Origen against Celsus, have ever mentioned this testimony. But, on the contrary, in chap. 25th of the first book of that work, Origen openly affirms that Josephus, who had mentioned John the Baptist, did not acknowledge Christ. That this passage is a false fabrication is admitted by Ittigius, Blondel, Le Clerc, Vandale, Bishop Warburton, and Tanaquil Faber.'" (CMU, 47)

Hence, by the 1840's, when the anonymous author of Christian Mythology Unveiled wrote, the Testimonium Flavanium was already "universally acknowledged to be a forgery."

The pertinent remarks by the highly significant Church father Origen (c. 185-c.254) appear in his Contra Celsus, Book I, Chapter XLVII:

"For in the 18th book of his Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus bears witness to John as having been a Baptist, and as promising purification to those who underwent the rite. Now this writer, although not believing in Jesus as the Christ, in seeking after the cause of the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple, whereas he ought to have said that the conspiracy against Jesus was the cause of these calamities befalling the people, since they put to death Christ, who was a prophet, says nevertheless--being, although against his will, not far from the truth--that these disasters happened to the Jews as a punishment for the death of James the Just, who was a brother of Jesus (called Christ)--the Jews having put him to death, although he was a man most distinguished for his justice" (Emphasis added)

Here, in Origen's words, is the assertion that Josephus, who discusses more than a dozen Jesuses, did not consider any of them to be "the Christ." This fact proves that the same phrase in the TF is spurious. Furthermore, Origen does not even intimate the presence of the rest of the TF. Concerning Origen and the TF, Arthur Drews relates in Witnesses to the Historicity of Jesus:

"In the edition of Origen published by the Benedictines it is said that there was no mention of Jesus at all in Josephus before the time of Eusebius [c. 300 ce]. Moreover, in the sixteenth century Vossius had a manuscript of the text of Josephus in which there was not a word about Jesus. It seems, therefore, that the passage must have been an interpolation, whether it was subsequently modified or not." (Drews, 9; emph. added)

According to the author of Christian Mythology Unveiled ("CMU"), this Vossius mentioned by a number of writers as having possessed a copy of Josephus's Antiquities lacking the TF is "I. Vossius," whose works appeared in Latin. Unfortunately, none of these writers includes a citation as to where exactly the assertion may be found in Vossius's works. Moreover, the Vossius in question seems to be Gerardus, rather than his son, Isaac, who was born in the seventeenth century.

Church Fathers Ignorant of Josephus Passage

In any event, as G.A. Wells points out in The Jesus Myth, not only do several Church fathers from the second, third and early fourth centuries have no apparent knowledge of the TF, but even after Eusebius suddenly "found" it in the first half of the fourth century, several other fathers into the fifth "often cite Josephus, but not this passage." (Wells, JM, 202) In the 5th century, Church father Jerome (c. 347-c.419) cited the TF once, with obvious disinterest, as if he knew it was fraudulent. In addition to his reference to the TF, in his Letter XXII. to Eustochium, Jerome made the following audacious claim:

"Josephus, himself a Jewish writer, asserts that at the Lord's crucifixion there broke from the temple voices of heavenly powers, saying: 'Let us depart hence.'"

Either Jerome fabricated this alleged Josephus quote, or he possessed a unique copy of the Jewish historian's works, in which this assertion had earlier been interpolated. In any case, Jerome's claim constitutes "pious fraud," one of many committed by Christian proponents over the centuries, a rampant practice, in fact, that must be kept in mind when considering the authenticity of the TF.

Following is a list of important Christian authorities who studied and/or mentioned Josephus but not the Jesus passage:

Justin Martyr (c. 100-c. 165), who obviously pored over Josephus's works, makes no mention of the TF.

Theophilus (d. 180), Bishop of Antioch--no mention of the TF.

Irenaeus (c. 120/140-c. 200/203), saint and compiler of the New Testament, has not a word about the TF.

Clement of Alexandria (c. 150-211/215), influential Greek theologian and prolific Christian writer, head of the Alexandrian school, says nothing about the TF.

Origen (c. 185-c. 254), no mention of the TF and specifically states that Josephus did not believe Jesus was "the Christ."

Hippolytus (c. 170-c. 235), saint and martyr, nothing about the TF.

The author of the ancient Syriac text, "History of Armenia," refers to Josephus but not the TF.

Minucius Felix (d. c. 250), lawyer and Christian convert--no mention of the TF.

Anatolius (230-c. 270/280)--no mention of TF.

Chrysostom (c. 347-407), saint and Syrian prelate, not a word about the TF.

Methodius, saint of the 9th century--even at this late date there were apparently copies of Josephus without the TF, as Methodius makes no mention of it.

Photius (c. 820-891), Patriarch of Constantinople, not a word about the TF, again indicating copies of Josephus devoid of the passage, or, perhaps, a rejection of it because it was understood to be fraudulent.

Arguments Against Authenticity Further Elucidated

When the evidence is scientifically examined, it becomes clear that the entire Josephus passage regarding Jesus was forged, likely by Church historian Eusebius, during the fourth century. In "Who on Earth was Jesus Christ?" David Taylor details the reasons why the TF in toto must be deemed a forgery, most of which arguments, again, were put forth by Dr. Lardner:

"It was not quoted or referred to by any Christian apologists prior to Eusebius, c. 316 ad.

"Nowhere else in his voluminous works does Josephus use the word 'Christ,' except in the passage which refers to James 'the brother of Jesus who was called Christ' (Antiquities of the Jews, Book 20, Chapter 9, Paragraph 1), which is also considered to be a forgery.

"Since Josephus was not a Christian but an orthodox Jew, it is impossible that he should have believed or written that Jesus was the Christ or used the words 'if it be lawful to call him a man,' which imply the Christian belief in Jesus' divinity.

"The extraordinary character of the things related in the passage--of a man who is apparently more than a man, and who rose from the grave after being dead for three days--demanded a more extensive treatment by Josephus, which would undoubtedly have been forthcoming if he had been its author.

"The passage interrupts the narrative, which would flow more naturally if the passage were left out entirely.

"It is not quoted by Chrysostom (c. 354-407 ad) even though he often refers to Josephus in his voluminous writings.

"It is not quoted by Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople (c. 858-886 ad) even though he wrote three articles concerning Josephus, which strongly implies that his copy of Josephus' Antiquities did not contain the passage.

"Neither Justin Martyr (110-165 AD), nor Clement of Alexandria (153-217 ad), nor Origen (c.185-254 AD), who all made extensive reference to ancient authors in their defence of Christianity, has mentioned this supposed testimony of Josephus.

"Origen, in his treatise Against Celsus, Book 1, Chapter 47, states categorically that Josephus did NOT believe that Jesus was the Christ.

"This is the only reference to the Christians in the works of Josephus. If it were genuine, we would have expected him to have given us a fuller account of them somewhere."

When the earliest Greek texts are analyzed, it is obvious that the Testimonium Flavianum interrupts the flow of the primary material and that the style of the language is different from that of Josephus. There is other evidence that the TF never appeared in the original Josephus. As Wells says:

"As I noted in The Jesus Legend, there is an ancient table of contents in the Antiquities which omits all mention of the Testimonium. Feldman (in Feldman and Hata, 1987, p. 57) says that this table is already mentioned in the fifth- or sixth-century Latin version of the Antiquities, and he finds it 'hard to believe that such a remarkable passage would be omitted by anyone, let alone by a Christian summarizing the work.'" (Wells, JM, 201)

Also, Josephus goes into long detail about the lives of numerous personages of relatively little import, including several Jesuses. It is inconceivable that he would devote only a few sentences to someone even remotely resembling the character found in the New Testament. If the gospel tale constituted "history," Josephus's elders would certainly be aware of Jesus's purported assault on the temple, for example, and the historian, who was obviously interested in instances of messianic agitation, would surely have reported it, in detail. Moreover, the TF refers to Jesus as a "wise man"--this phrase is used by Josephus in regard to only two other people, out of hundreds, i.e., the patriarchs Joseph and Solomon. If Josephus had thought so highly of an historical Jesus, he surely would have written more extensively about him. Yet, he does not. Lest it be suggested that Josephus somehow could have been ignorant of the events in question, the Catholic Encyclopedia ("Flavius Josephus") says:

"... Josephus...was chosen by the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem to be commander-in-chief in Galilee. As such he established in every city throughout the country a council of judges, the members of which were recruited from those who shared his political views."

Indeed, Josephus was a well-educated Jew who lived in the precise area where the gospel tale was said to have taken place, as did his parents, the latter at the very time of Christ's alleged advent. It was Josephus's passion to study the Jewish people and their history; yet, other than the obviously bogus TF, and the brief "James passage" mentioned by Taylor above, it turns out that in his voluminous works Josephus discussed neither Christ nor Christianity. Nor does it make any sense that the prolific Jewish writer would not detail the Christian movement itself, were Christians extant at the time in any significant numbers.

The Catholic Encyclopedia (CE), which tries to hedge its bet about the Josephus passage, is nevertheless forced to admit: "The passage seems to suffer from repeated interpolations." In the same entry, CE also confirms that Josephus's writings were used extensively by the early Christian fathers, such as Jerome, Ambrose and Chrystostom; nevertheless, as noted, except for Jerome, they never mention the TF.

Regarding the TF, as well as the James passage, which possesses the phrase James, the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, Jewish writer ben Yehoshua makes some interesting assertions:

"Neither of these passages is found in the original version of the Jewish Antiquities which was preserved by the Jews. The first passage (XVII, 3, 3) was quoted by Eusebius writing in c. 320 C.E., so we can conclude that it was added in some time between the time Christians got hold of the Jewish Antiquities and c. 320 C.E. It is not known when the other passage (XX, 9, 1) was added... Neither passage is based on any reliable sources. It is fraudulent to claim that these passages were written by Josephus and that they provide evidence for Jesus. They were written by Christian redactors and were based purely on Christian belief."

Yehoshua claims that the 12th century historian Gerald of Wales related that a "Master Robert of the Priory of St. Frideswide at Oxford examined many Hebrew copies of Josephus and did not find the 'testimony about Christ,' except for two manuscripts where it appeared [to Robert, evidently] that the testimony had been present but scratched out." Yehoshua states that, since "scratching out" requires the removal of the top layers, the deleted areas in these mere two of the many copies likely did not provide any solid evidence that it was the TF that had been removed. Apologists will no doubt insist that these Hebrew texts are late copies and that Jewish authorities had the TF removed. This accusation of mutilating an author's work, of course, can easily be turned around on the Christians. Also, considering that Vossius purportedly possessed a copy of the Antiquities without the TF, it is quite possible that there were "many Hebrew copies" likewise devoid of the passage.

Higher Criticism by Christian Authorities

The many reasons for concluding the Josephus passage to be a forgery have been expounded upon by numerous well-respected authorities, so much so that such individuals have been compelled by honesty and integrity to dismiss the Testimonium in toto as a forgery. In The Christ, John Remsburg relates the opinions of critics of the TF from the past couple of centuries, the majority of whom were Christian authorities, including and especially Dr. Lardner, who said:

"A testimony so favorable to Jesus in the works of Josephus, who lived so soon after our Savior, who was so well acquainted with the transactions of his own country, who had received so many favors from Vespasian and Titus, would not be overlooked or neglected by any Christian apologist (Lardner's Works, vol. I, chap. iv)."

Yet, the TF was overlooked and neglected by early Christian writers. In other words, they never cited it because it didn't exist.

Another authority, Bishop Warburton, called the TF a "rank forgery, and a very stupid one, too." Remsburg further related the words of the "Rev. Dr. Giles, of the Established Church of England," who stated:

"Those who are best acquainted with the character of Josephus, and the style of his writings, have no hesitation in condemning this passage as a forgery, interpolated in the text during the third century by some pious Christian, who was scandalized that so famous a writer as Josephus should have taken no notice of the gospels, or of Christ, their subject...."

In addition, the Rev. S. Baring-Gould remarked:

"This passage is first quoted by Eusebius (fl. A.D. 315) in two places (Hist. Eccl., lib. I, c. xi; Demonst. Evang., lib. iii); but it was unknown to Justin Martyr (fl. A.D. 140), Clement of Alexandria (fl. A.D. 192), Tertullian (fl. A.D. 193), and Origen (fl. A.D. 230). Such a testimony would certainly have been produced by Justin in his apology or in his controversy with Trypho the Jew, had it existed in the copies of Josephus at his time. The silence of Origen is still more significant. Celsus, in his book against Christianity, introduces a Jew. Origen attacks the argument of Celsus and his Jew. He could not have failed to quote the words of Josephus, whose writings he knew, had the passage existed in the genuine text. He, indeed, distinctly affirms that Josephus did not believe in Christ (Contr. Cels. I)."

Remsburg also recounts:

"Cannon Farrar, who has written an ablest Christian life of Christ yet penned, repudiates it. He says: 'The single passage in which he [Josephus] alludes to him is interpolated, if not wholly spurious' (Life of Christ, Vol. I, p. 46).

"The following, from Dr. Farrar's pen, is to be found in the Encyclopedia Britannica: 'That Josephus wrote the whole passage as it now stands no sane critic can believe.'"

And so on, with similar opinions by Christian scholars such as Theodor Keim, Rev. Dr. Hooykaas and Dr. Alexander Campbell. By the time of Dr. Chalmers and others, the TF had been so discredited that these authorities understood it as a forgery in toto and did not even consider it for a moment as "evidence" of Jesus's existence and/or divinity. In fact, these subsequent defenders of the faith, knowing the TF to be a forgery, repeatedly commented on how disturbing it was that Josephus did not mention Jesus.

In the modern apologist work The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel relates a passage from a novel published in 1979 by Charles Templeton, in which the author states, regarding Jesus, "There isn't a single word about him in secular history. Not a word. No mention of him by the Romans. Not so much as a reference by Josephus." (Strobel, 101) Strobel then reports the response by Christian professor Edwin Yamauchi, who claimed that Templeton was mistaken and that there was a reference to Jesus by Josephus. Yamauchi's fatuous response ignores, purposefully or otherwise, the previous ironclad arguments about which Templeton was apparently educated, such that he made such a statement. In other words, Templeton was evidently aware of the purported reference in Josephus but had understood by the arguments of the more erudite, earlier Christian authorities that it was a forgery; hence, there is "not so much as a reference by Josephus." In this facile manner of merely ignoring or dismissing the earlier scholarship, modern believers cling to the long-dismissed TF in order to convince themselves of the unbelievable.

For a more modern criticism, in The Jesus Puzzle and his online article "Josephus Unbound," secularist and classicist Earl Doherty leaves no stone unturned in demolishing the TF, permitting no squirming room for future apologists, whose resort to the TF will show, as it has done in the past, how hopeless is their plight in establishing an "historical Jesus." Concerning the use of Josephus as "evidence" of Jesus's existence, Doherty remarks:

"[I]n the absence of any other supporting evidence from the first century that in fact the Jesus of Nazareth portrayed in the Gospels clearly existed, Josephus becomes the slender thread by which such an assumption hangs. And the sound and fury and desperate manoeuverings which surround the dissection of those two little passages becomes a din of astonishing proportions. The obsessive focus on this one uncertain record is necessitated by the fact that the rest of the evidence is so dismal, so contrary to the orthodox picture. If almost everything outside Josephus points in a different direction, to the essential fiction of the Gospel picture and its central figure, how can Josephus be made to bear on his shoulders, through two passages whose reliability has thus far remained unsettled, the counterweight to all this other negative evidence?"

Other modern authors who criticize the TF include The Jesus Mysteries authors Freke and Gandy, who conclude:

"Unable to provide any historical evidence for Jesus, later Christians forged the proof that they so badly needed to shore up their Literalist interpretation of the gospels. This, as we would see repeatedly, was a common practice." (Freke and Gandy, 137)

Despite the desperate din, a number of other modern writers remain in concurrence with the earlier scholarship and likewise consider the TF in toto a fraud.

The Suspect: Eusebius (c. 264-340)

In addition to acknowledging the spuriousness of the Josephus passage, many authorities quoted here agreed with the obvious: Church historian Eusebius was the forger of the entire Testimonium Flavianium. Various reasons have already been given for making such a conclusion. In "Did Jesus Really Live?" Marshall Gauvin remarks:

"Everything demonstrates the spurious character of the passage. It is written in the style of Eusebius, and not in the style of Josephus. Josephus was a voluminous writer. He wrote extensively about men of minor importance. The brevity of this reference to Christ is, therefore, a strong argument for its falsity. This passage interrupts the narrative. It has nothing to do with what precedes or what follows it; and its position clearly shows that the text of the historian has been separated by a later hand to give it room."

Regarding the absence of the TF in the writings of earlier Christian fathers and its sudden appearance with Eusebius, CMU says:

"it has been observed that the famous passage which we find in Josephus, about Jesus Christ, was never mentioned or alluded to in any way whatever by any of the fathers of the first, second, or third centuries; nor until the time of Eusebius, 'when it was first quoted by himself [sic].' The truth is, none of these fathers could quote or allude to a passage which did not exist in their times; but was to all points short of absolutely certain, forged and interpolated by Eusebius, as suggested by Gibbon and others. Even the redoubtable Lardner has pronounced this passage to be a forgery." (CMU, 79-80)

Moreover, the word "tribe" in the TF is another clue that the passage was forged by Eusebius, who is fond of the word, while Josephus uses it only in terms of ethnicity, never when describing a religious sect. Kerry Shirts adds to this particular point:

"Eusebius studied Josephus diligently, and could thus masquerade as he, except when he used the word 'tribe' to describe the Christians. All the literature from the Ante-Nicene Fathers show they never used the word 'tribe' or 'race' with reference to the Christians, was [sic] either by the Fathers or when they quoted non-Christian writers. Tertullian, Pliny the Younger, Trajan, Rufinus--none use 'tribe' to refer to Christians. Eusebius is the first to start the practice."

In Antiqua Mater: A Study of Christian Origins, Edwin Johnson remarked that the fourth century was "the great age of literary forgery, the extent of which has yet to be exposed." He further commented that "not until the mass of inventions labelled 'Eusebius' shall be exposed, can the pretended references to Christians in Pagan writers of the first three centuries be recognized for the forgeries they are." Indeed, Eusebius's character has been assailed repeatedly over the centuries, with him being called a "luminous liar" and "unreliable." Like so many others, Drews likewise criticizes Eusebius, stating that various of the Church historian's references "must be regarded with the greatest suspicion." As Drews relates, Swiss historian Jakob Burckhardt (1818-1897) declared Eusebius to be "the first thoroughly dishonest historian of antiquity." (Drews, 32/fn) Eusebius's motives were to empower the Catholic Church, and he did not fail to use "falsifications, suppressions, and fictions" to this end.

Conclusion: Josephus No Evidence of Jesus

Even if the Josephus passage were authentic, which we have essentially proved it not to be, it nevertheless would represent not an eyewitness account but rather a tradition passed along for at least six decades, long after the purported events. Hence, the TF would possess little if any value in establishing an "historical" Jesus. In any event, it is quite clear that the entire passage in Josephus regarding Christ, the Testimonium Flavianum, is spurious, false and a forgery. Regarding the TF, Remsburg summarizes:

"For nearly sixteen hundred years Christians have been citing this passage as a testimonial, not merely to the historical existence, but to the divine character of Jesus Christ. And yet a ranker forgery was never penned....

"Its brevity disproves its authenticity. Josephus' work is voluminous and exhaustive. It comprises twenty books. Whole pages are devoted to petty robbers and obscure seditious leaders. Nearly forty chapters are devoted to the life of a single king. Yet this remarkable being, the greatest product of his race, a being of whom the prophets foretold ten thousand wonderful things, a being greater than any earthly king, is dismissed with a dozen lines...."

The dismissal of the passage in Josephus regarding Jesus is not based on "faith" or "belief" but on intense scientific scrutiny and reasoning. Such investigation has been confirmed repeatedly by numerous scholars who were mostly Christian. The Testimonium Flavianum, Dr. Lardner concluded in none too forceful words, "ought, therefore...to be discarded from any place among the evidences of Christianity." With such outstanding authority and so many scientific reasons, we can at last dispense with the pretentious charade of wondering if the infamous passage in the writings of Josephus called the Testimonium Flavianum is forged and who fabricated it.

Excerpted from Suns of God: Krishna, Buddha and Christ Unveiled by Acharya S.

[caveartfair]

Behind the Fig Leaf—a Story of Sin, Censorship, and the Catholic Church

Charles Meynier, Statue of Mercury in a Landscape. Musée de la Révolution française. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Tullio Lombardo, Adam, ca. 1490–95. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Consider the fig leaf: a little piece of foliage that’s shielded the genitals of famous biblical figures and nude sculptures for centuries. It’s a plant that’s become synonymous with sin, sex, and censorship. And in large part, we have art history—and the artists determined to portray nudity even when it was considered taboo—to thank for that.

Take Michelangelo’s famous sculpture David (1501–04), a muscular, starkly naked depiction of its namesake biblical hero. The work scandalized the artist’s fellow Florentines and the Catholic clergy when unveiled in Florence’s Piazza della Signoria in 1504. Soon after, the figure’s sculpted phallus was girdled with a garland of bronze fig leaves by authorities.

60 years later, just months before Michelangelo’s death, the Catholic Church issued an edict demanding that “figures shall not be painted or adorned with a beauty exciting…lust.” The clergy began a crusade to camouflage the pensises and pubic hair visible in artworks across Italy. Their coverups of choice? Loincloths, foliage, and—most often—fig leaves. It has became known as the “Fig Leaf Campaign,” one of history’s most significant acts of art censorship.

Michelangelo Buonarroti, David, 1501–04. Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

David, 1428-1432. Donatello Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence

But the fig leaf’s role in art history doesn’t begin with Michelangelo. The plant’s cultural significance can be clearly traced back to the tale of Adam and Eve. The duo, shamed by their nudity after eating from the tree of knowledge, “sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons,” as chronicled in the Book of Genesis. Early artistic depictions of the purported events show the once-nude figures sheathed in leaves that obscure their genitals, subtly representing original sin and a fall from grace.

This story—which became integral to Christianity’s teachings—communicated to the religion’s flock that nudity was shameful. By the medieval era, art commissioned by the Catholic Church mostly represented nudity as a sin; it was used to depict people who’d been sent to hell.

But that began to change in the 1400s, when Italian artists—thanks to a mounting interest in antiquities and excavation—rediscovered classical Roman and Greek art. Those ancient marble sculptures were forged in a time when the chiseled nude body represented honor and virtue, as opposed to immorality and vice.

The Creation of the World and the Expulsion from Paradise, 1445. Giovanni di Paolo The Metropolitan Museum of Art

This idea inspired artists like Donatello, who started making work that honored the nude body in all its glory. This was a novel idea in his hometown of Florence, where the Catholic Church wielded vast power. His bronze rendition of David (circa 1440) has been cited by scholars as the first known sculpture depicting a completely naked figure since antiquity.

Some of his artist-successors followed suit—namely, Michelangelo. Even after receiving criticism for his own version of David (rendered at a much larger scale and with more pronounced physical attributes than Donatello’s) in the early 1500s, he continued to incorporate nudity into his work.

But as Michelangelo’s artistic career developed, the Catholic Church’s crackdown on “lasciviousness” of all kinds also intensified. This had everything to do with accusations of corruption against the church being made by the Protestant Reformation and its leader Martin Luther. Fearful of losing its flock, the Vatican began ordering reforms across the church—including censorship of nudity in art.  

Even so, Michelangelo received an abundance of commissions from Popes and other powerful clergymen during his life, most notably the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. But sometimes, the Vatican called him out for crossing the line of decency. In the 1540s, some 40 years after his fiasco with David, he pushed his luck yet again—this time, for a wall fresco in the Sistine Chapel depicting the Last Judgement.

Creation of Adam, Sistine Chapel ceiling, 1511-1512. Michelangelo Buonarroti Sistine Chapel, Vatican

Traditionally, that subject had been illustrated with figures clothed according to their social rank, as art historian Peter Russell has pointed out. But Michelangelo stripped them all of both their status and clothing, showing everyone in the buff. Certain powerful figures in the Vatican weren’t happy. Cardinal Carafa and Monsignor Sernini called for the piece to be censored, while Biagio da Cesena, the Pope’s master of ceremonies, called the paintings fit “for the public baths and taverns” rather than a chapel. According to him, it was “disgraceful that in so sacred a place there should have been depicted all those nude figures, exposing themselves so shamefully.”

These passionate criticisms effectively launched the Fig Leaf Campaign, which was formalized in the Council of Trent’s 1563 decree banning “all lasciviousness” in religious imagery. Nude sculptures across Italy, and especially in Rome, soon sported carefully placed metal fig leaves. Some scholars have suggested that many of the plaster and marble phalluses were even chiseled off. As historian Leo Steinberg pointed out in his 1983 book The Sexuality of Christ in Renaissance Art and in Modern Oblivion, French scholar Montaigne wrote that “many beautiful and antique statues” were “castrated” in Rome during his youth by the order Pope Paul IV. (Believe it or not, some have rumored that a drawer of the castrated bits may still hide somewhere in the Vatican.)

The campaign didn’t spare paintings, either. Areas of Michelangelo’s Last Judgement (1533–41) deemed unsavory were painted over twice in the 1500s, and then again in the 1700s, with little swaddles and loincloths added. As Russell points out, a Mannerist artist named Daniele da Volterra was charged with making the additions, which won him the somewhat derogatory nickname “Il Braghettone” (“The Breeches Maker”).

Adam and Eve, 1504. Albrecht Dürer Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)

Masaccio, The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Brancacci Chapel. Fresco before and after its restoration. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

The trend also transformed Masaccio’s 15th-century frescoes in Florence’s Brancacci Chapel. In the 1600s, an unknown artist painted fig leaves over its nude figures—namely, a depiction of Adam and Eve being ousted from Eden. And between 1758 and 1759, Pope Clement XIII swathed even more sculptures in the Vatican’s collection with fig leaves.

The fig leaf phenomenon spread beyond Italy’s borders, too. When the Grand Duke of Tuscany gifted a cast of Michelangelo’s David to Queen Victoria in 1857, a large leaf was promptly sculpted to “spare the blushes of visiting female dignitaries,” according to the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A).

Luckily, the leaf was made so that it could be removed easily—and hang over the figure’s marble package without damaging it. Today, the sculpture stands completely nude in the V&A, while a small vitrine next to it houses the large leaf.

Over the last 40 years or so, Masaccio’s Adam and Eve (1427) and Michelangelo’s Last Judgement have also been restored. In order to honor the artists’ original visions (and reverse at least some of the damage inflicted by the Fig Leaf Campaign), some of the painted loincloths and leaves have been painstakingly removed from their original surfaces.

But still, censorship and the moral dilemmas nudity inspires still rage on. As late as 1995, the city of Jerusalem rejected a gift from Florence: another replica of Michelangelo’s David. After much back and forth, they finally accepted the influential sculpture—but only after shielding its loins with underwear.

from Artsy News

[acuppellarp]

Welcome to A Cup-pella, Ellie! We’re excited to have you and Dani Harper in the game! Please go through the checklist to make sure you’re ready to go and send in your account within the next 24 hours. 

OOC INFO

Name + pronouns: Ellie + She/Her. Age: 26. Timezone: GMT. Ships: Dani/Chemistry. Anti-Ships: Dani/Forced.

IC INFO

Full Name: Danielle “Dani” Faith Harper. Face Claim: Demi Lovato. Age/Birthday: 22/July 29th. Occupation: Barista at A Cup-pella, Tattoo Artist at Got Ink?, and singer/guitar player for Pamela Lansbury. Personality: Driven, Independent, Loud, Loyal, Playful, Sarcastic, Unique. Hometown: Dallas, Texas. Bio:

There are many things that Michael and Renata Harper should not have done, with the main one being the decision to have children. The fact that Michael had a son already from his previous, very short-lived marriage but only saw on the occasional weekend should’ve been enough to let anybody know that Michael was not parent material, and his wife was not much better. In fact, scratch that—of the two, Renata was much worse. Both raised in strict Catholic households, the Harper’s had certain ideals they had been raised to uphold, most of them entirely backward and outdated, and all revolving around not only respect but also a large fear of God. These ideals where pushed onto their daughter, the one they had never planned but found themselves conceiving anyway, only a few short months into their new marriage.

Danielle was supposed to be the very epitome of perfect. Like all young girls in their close minded hometown, Danielle would be a pretty little ballerina, would wear beautiful, frilly dresses and would worship the heck out of her Lord above. Unfortunately for the Harper’s, they hadn’t counted on creating a child that would have such a strong sense of freewill right from the off. From the toddler years, Danielle was boisterous and loud, though not exactly badly behaved. She just liked to have fun, and could always be found with a smile on her face, as well as some kind of colored sharpie or leftover food from the bowl she’d dumped over her own head earlier that day. She was every bit the handful her parents had never planned for, and as soon as Danielle was old enough, she was tossed right into classes that would hopefully put her on the right track.

First came etiquette classes. Her etiquette teacher, however, Mrs. Newman, would constantly report back to Michael and Renata to let them know that their daughter refused to follow direction, and would constantly correct her, telling her her name was Dani—a shortened version of her name the youngster gave herself early on, but something her parents flat out refused to address her by. Next were ballet classes, where Dani was expected to perfect her pirouettes alongside all of the other good little girls, but could instead be found in a corner of the room, sliding on her knees and playing air guitar. Nevertheless, her parents persisted, with piano lessons up next. Surprisingly, this was an area in which Dani excelled and showed real potential. Unfortunately for them, she seemed bored with the classical music she learned to play by ear, and would instead bang her hands on the keys in what she stated was a “rock” sound. Her parents were less than impressed.

The Harper’s weren’t exactly poor, nor were they rich. They were an average income family, who provided their daughter with only a handful of toys, all of which were very gender specific. Dani was supposed to play with dolls and tea sets, but instead she’d choose to grab a sharpie or crayon and doodle all over the shiny objects. Her parents insisted it was defiance, and that their daughter was an absolute tearaway, but she wasn’t. Dani’s early interest in making “artwork” was a telltale sign of things to come, though Michael and Renata would never acknowledge that. A redeeming factor for Dani was up front in church choir, where she’d sing her heart out with a beaming smile upon her face. It was evident that she’d been blessed with an angelic voice, one her parents could actually be proud of, but they had no interest in her pursuing a musical path. As long as she could sing in church, that was all they wanted.

By the time Dani reached middle school, music had become incredibly important to her. While she’d been pulled from her ballet classes when it became clear that she had no intentions of following any rules or regulations, Dani continued with her piano classes, and became a very skilled little artist. After only two or three times of hearing it, Dani could play almost any tune by ear, and was even gifted her own keyboard for her thirteenth birthday. Her parents had expected her to use it to practice the songs she’d learn in class, but instead Dani found a better use for it. With a clear gift, Dani had begun writing her own music, and eventually lyrics to go along with it. She’d use her keyboard to bring those new creations to life, and much to her parents dismay they were anything but classical. No surprise, when Dani begged her parents for a guitar the following year, their answer was a loud and firm no, but that wouldn’t stop her.

Not fitting in at all with her family, if Dani was not out with friends, she could be found in her bedroom, either writing music or making detailed pieces of beautiful artwork. Her creations were often kind of weird, definitely not the traditional Mona Lisa style, but they were good, Dani knew they were, and she made sure to save every last one of them in a large folder, which would someday become her portfolio. By high school, Dani’s artwork was not the only weird, unique thing about her; her style became just the same. Refusing with no uncertainty to wear dresses and skirts picked out by her mother, Dani could instead be found wearing skinny jeans, band tees and occasional blazers, one day even coming home with her hair dyed bright pink. It was a temporary dye, but her parents were not at all happy. Dani, of course, thought she looked awesome, and had no intentions of ceasing to express her creativity.

Many things changed for Dani in high school. It was during those years that she got her first job, working at a local diner and making pretty great tips thanks to her chatty, friendly nature. It took her a while, but eventually she’d saved up enough money to purchase a secondhand guitar, which Dani taught herself to play using online tutorials and the help of friends. It became the second instrument that Dani could play by ear, and allowed her to spread her wings as far as her own, original music. It was also during her high school years that Dani begun to explore her sexuality, realizing pretty quickly that she was one hundred percent gay. For such a close minded community, the minds of Dani’s friend group were pretty wide open, so when she confessed to her attraction towards the same sex, most were understanding and accepting. Some started to distance from her a little bit, but if that was how they felt about something as natural as sexuality, then that was fine by her, she didn’t need them.

Despite her bold, fierce personality and matching look, one thing Dani did not dare to do was to tell her parents about her lack of interest in the opposite sex, and the secret remained tucked away for the next few years. It’s strange, really, since Dani was always so open about everything else in her life. For some reason, though, maybe because despite their strange views and warped ideas of life and humanity, they were her parents, Dani didn’t want to lose them. She didn’t want to completely disappoint them, so she was happy with keeping that one part of her life a secret. Just that one thing, though. She refused to remain silent about her music, or her love for art, two paths that Dani would go on to follow in spite of her parents distaste for both.

The fact that they kept trying to force various college choices on her that so did not suit her style was laughable, but not surprising. It was clear that the Harper’s had never really known their daughter, and still had a slight glimmer of hope that she’d turn around one day and tell them her whole life until this point had been a big joke, and she was finally ready to obey their wishes. Of course, that didn’t happen, and amidst applications to the colleges she actually wanted, and the constant push from her parents to do and be something entirely different, Dani snapped. She’d never had a terrible temper, but could definitely stand up for herself if needed. The thing was, she just never bothered when it came to her parents. It seemed she’d spent much too long bottling everything up, though, and it was time for her explosion.

Along with telling them just how bad their parenting skills were, and how unfair it was that they’d never really gotten to know her as her own person and not just the unrealistic idea they’d always had for her, Dani also shrugged off her jacket to show them a tattoo she’d gotten inked on her arm behind their back, and then came the big one: “I’m also pretty fucking gay!” The tattoo unveiling had earned a dramatic gasp from her mother and a disappointed head shake from her father, but the loud and proud statement about her sexuality stunned all three of them to silence. It became very, very clear that Dani had just majorly screwed up, but as she packed her belongings, guitar strap over her shoulder and stormed out of the front door, she couldn’t bring herself to care. Homophobic slurs followed her out the door, which earned a raised middle finger from Dani in response, and after a little couch surfing in the homes of her closest friends, Dani was making her way to New York to begin her freshman year at Barnard College, where she would major in Art and minor in Music.

See, a big focus was always put on Dani’s music, but from the very moment she’d stepped foot into Dallas’ small tattoo studio, Tattoo Envy, she’d been bitten by the bug, and Dani knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life. She would continue to write and play music, and maybe she’d even try to make it big still, but Dani’s passion was in body art, and in making people feel as great about theirs as she did about hers. Without the worry of her parents finding out, and the fact that she honestly didn’t give a crap if they did, Dani got to work on racking up many a piece of body art once her new life in the city had begun, even landing herself a position as a junior artist at what quickly became her go-to studio, Got Ink?. Alongside her classes, Dani learned tattoo artistry from the pros, and was soon inking her very first grapefruit. That was a moment to be proud of.

Of course, out of state college tuition fees, and the fact that the end of her freshman year meant she wouldn’t be living in the college dorms anymore all equated to Dani’s need to find another job. For a junior position, Got Ink? actually paid pretty darn well, but Dani needed something more, which is where A Cup-pella came in. She’d worked a diner job before, so knew a position as a barista would be just fine, and she’d been right. Surpassing the kind of tips she’d made back in the diner in Dallas, Dani was able to use the money she made from her two jobs to rent a small apartment, with roommates of course, and even managed to find the time to work on her music, which she would showcase at various open mic nights throughout the city whenever the opportunity to do so arose.

By graduation, Dani truly was thriving. Despite the very thick Texas accent that would always remain, Dani’s life in Dallas was practically forgotten. New York was clearly the place for her. She made new friends, had the chance to express not only her sexuality but also herself and her style, and even joined a band. Remaining loyal to Got Ink?, Dani begun to climb the ladder until she was becoming one of their most sought after tattoo artists, despite her young age. With the funds to do so, she recently even adopted herself a puppy, who’s a total handful but so freaking worth it. Dani’s life feels like it’s finally what it should be, like everything is finally on track for her. Love isn’t a huge deal to her, but it’s something she quietly would take pleasure in finding. Though her music and beloved tattoo art are keeping her pretty dang busy for now.

Pets: Dani recently rescued a puppy, who she decided to name Drummer, from the local shelter. Drummer is a Yorkshire Terrier bred with a Miniature Poodle, so you can imagine just how tiny he is. Since Drummer is still only a baby, Dani is still working on potty training him, but he’s surprisingly well behaved and, unsurprisingly, very playful. Drummer’s fur is completely black, and he has big dark eyes that he has, of course, already learned how to use for begging. The pup gets along well with people and other animals, and totally has Dani wrapped around his little paw. Relationships: N/A.

EXTRA INFO

[ This is for the masterlist, but also a fun little way to get to know your character! ]

Dani 😎🎸/@inkbydani/description: Singer, songwriter, self taught guitar player, tattoo artist, badass lady-loving sapphic goddess.

Five latest tweets:

@inkbydani: Okay but hear me out… For such a prestigious school, WHY did Horace Green not have ID cards?? #SchoolOfWRONG @inkbydani: Speaking of which, Jack Black is kind of creepy, but I would’ve totally been down for Dewey Finn as a sub. @inkbydani: SOS my dog just tried to eat his potty pad, how does that taste good?? @inkbydani: Songwriting is a total soul soother. #NewSongComingSoon @inkbydani: Sometimes I think about dyeing my hair blonde… Then the mental image bores me and here we are!

[paularoseauthor]

The first Church was Catholic.

History reveals that the first Church was, in essence, Catholic.

Unveiling the Catholic Origins of the First Church. The origins of the Christian Church are deeply intertwined with the emergence of a movement inspired by Jesus Christ’s teachings.  History reveals that the first Church was, in essence, Catholic. This assertion is rooted in the early Christian community’s connection to the apostles, the development of fundamental doctrines, and the…

[pamphletstoinspire]

Unpacking Mary's Privilege

A Commentary by Father Joseph Chamblain, OSM

Five years ago this month, the Church unveiled a new translation of the Mass prayers. Under Pope Benedict’s direction, the new translation was designed to fix the deficiencies of the translation that we had been using since Mass began to be celebrated entirely in English in the late 1960’s. The original translators had opted for a rather bland paraphrase of the original Latin, but the prayers were well suited for people who actually pray in English. Unfortunately, the translation left out significant phrases, allusions to scripture, and, in some cases, were theologically inaccurate. So, those who clamored for a more literal translation eventually got their way. The problem is that Latin and English are very different languages. In English we put important words at the beginning of the sentence, while in Latin they are usually at the end. English depends upon proper word order to be comprehensible, whereas in Latin a word’s ending determines its place in the sentence. Thus, interruptions in the word order are not a problem in Latin, but make an English prayer hard to follow. Mercifully, most of the Latin prayers themselves are short and concise and are not difficult to follow when translated word for word into English; but there are exceptions.

I remember the first time I read the Opening Prayer (Collect) at a crowded 12:10 Holyday Mass for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception: “O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin prepared a worthy dwelling for your Son, grant, we pray, that as you preserved her from every stain by virtue of the death of your Son, which you foresaw, so, through her intercession, we too may be cleansed.” I looked up and everyone was staring back: What in the world are you talking about? Then, later in the Mass, The Prayer Over the Gifts contains the phrase, “prevenient grace.” What is that?

The real problem is that the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is itself a complex notion and is not well served by long Latinate sentences. When they hear the term “Immaculate Conception” many Catholics think it refers to the virginal conception of Jesus (that Christ was conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit). In fact, the mystery is not talking about the conception of Jesus but about the conception of Mary: that she was preserved from “the stain” of sin from the first moment of her existence. This special privilege of Mary was a popular belief in the Church during the first thousand years of Christianity, but it was troubling to theologians. According to Catholic teaching, all human being inherit original sin as a result of the sin of Adam and Eve. How could that not also be true of Mary, since she was conceived without divine intervention? Maybe she never committed any intentional sins during her lifetime; but she was still part of fallen humanity waiting to be redeemed. By the thirteenth century the Feast of the Immaculate Conception was widely celebrated and generally represented the faith of the church, but theologians were still struggling to find an acceptable way to justify it.

In the early fourteenth century, the theologian Duns Scotus found a way out of the impasse. He affirmed the idea that Mary shared our common humanity and had to be redeemed by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He then added the notion that to be preserved from original sin is a greater grace than to be set free from it. To put things in common language: it is better to have someone stop you from falling down a hole than to allow you to fall down a hole and then pull you out of it. This is what is meant by “prevenient grace”. Mary was preserved from sin in light of the coming of Christ the Redeemer and in anticipation of it. In very careful language the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception became official church teaching in 1854.

In more recent times, Pope John Paul II wrote of this mystery, saying that because of her Immaculate Conception, “Mary belonged entirely to Christ.” She was never outside the circle of God’s love. In a very real way, December is Mary’s month. Mary’s special privilege made her turn entirely toward the coming of the Redeemer. In the midst of a month so given to parties and shopping and rushing around, Mary invites us to join her in focusing our minds and hearts on Christ.